The World’s Truthful That Wasn’t

Tomorrowland Amerifair, held in San Diego within the fall of 1957, was a billion-dollar salute to the American method. The theme—Man, the American—was dreamed up by the C.I.A. to maintain the Chilly Battle Kremlin on its toes. The Ameritron, the truthful’s colossal middle level and the most important prefab construction ever erected, enclosed the effervescent purple Atomic Lagoon (quickly drained as a result of it made fairgoers sick) and featured a no-entry Strategic Air Command early-warning middle; in the meantime, up high, golfers merrily padded over an Ultrasuede-surfaced eighteen holes. Too unhealthy that the truthful’s closing ceremonies had been marred by the sight of Sputnik racing throughout the October night time sky.

The Little N-Bomb That May: A hands-down truthful favourite, this missile nose-dived out of the clouds to blow a simulated Kremlin to kingdom come each thirty minutes, in an entertaining and academic instance of what the U.S. Air Pressure Strategic Air Command is all about.