Tragedy Struck on Seattle World’s Fair’s Opening Day

Sixty-three years ago on this day in Seattle, the Century 21, 1962 World’s Fair debuted, just before Noon.  Less than an hour earlier, the gates to the Century 21 Exposition opened at 11 a.m. 

There were a couple of odd missteps on this historic opening. 

The first was merely a hiccup. 

The fair’s West Gate couldn’t open to let thousands of eager fairgoers in, as someone lost the West Gate's key. It eventually opened 22 minutes late.

Once fairgoers arrived at Memorial Stadium, the crowd saw water skiers, pulled by motorboats, making their way around a large oval water track.

The fair officially came to life as local and national dignitaries opened up the sixth-month expo, including:

• US Commerce Secretary Luther Hodges
• U.S. Senator (WA) Warren G. Magnuson
• Washington Governor Albert D. Rosellini
• Seattle Mayor Gordon Clinton
• World’s Fair president Joe Gandy
• Entertainer Danny Kaye read the World Fair credo
• Opera diva Mary Costa belted out a rousing national anthem.
• Broadway star John Raitt (father of musician Bonnie Raitt) sang "Meet Me at the Needle."
• A 21-gun salute was fired with a 334-year-old cannon recovered from the Swedish warship Vasa. 
• The moment then came when the two-year electronic countdown clock, started by President Dwight D. Eisenhower, epically reached zero.

As the clock stopped, President John F. Kennedy, on Easter Holiday with his family, pressed a telegraph key from his vacation home in Florida.

This triggered the Space Needle Carillon's 538 bells to ring over dozens of loudspeakers. 

Next came the piercing roar of America’s latest Air Force interceptors, the futuristic-looking F-102 Delta Dart, shaking Seattle Center with a deafening sound. 

The Second misstep of the World Fair’s Opening Day was fatal.

The squadron of 10 Air Force F-102s roared overhead.  As the squadron was making its second loop around, one of the single-engine fighter jets lost power. 

After two attempts to restart, the pilot had to make the quick decision to eject. 

Intending to ditch the unresponsive jet in Lake Washington, the doomed plane continued heading another three miles in a northwest direction. It tragically crashed into two homes on the King and Snohomish County border community of Mountlake Terrace. The owners of one of the homes were out of the state on vacation -- but the second home's occupants across the street were home and killed instantly. The remaining nine fighter jets pressed on to make their final pass over the city.

The World Fair's Six-Month Run

Despite its rocky start, the 1962 World Fair was a huge success.

The Century 21 Exposition opened on April 21st and ran through October 21st. It showcased what life would be like after the year 2001.  Highlights included the futuristic 605-foot Space Needle. The U.S. Science Pavilion, emphasizing scientific advancements, and the Monorail, a novel futuristic transport system.

The fair featured exhibits from 24 nations, promoting international unity and optimism.

President Kennedy Never Visited the World's Fair

John F. Kennedy was scheduled to help conclude the Seattle World's Fair on October 21st. The White House issued a statement claiming the President had to miss his visit due to suffering from a cold. In reality, his whole attention was needed. Our nation was in the middle of the 13-day Cuban Missile Crisis.

The closest the US and Russia had ever come to nuclear war.

The following day, October 22nd, Kennedy spoke to the country and the world about the crisis: