Week 18: May 4-10
May 4, 1974
On this day, President Richard M. Nixon presided over the opening of Expo ’74, Spokane’s World’s Fair. Addressing a crowd of 85,000 — including a few hecklers — Nixon says he is most impressed “that the idea did not come from Washington D.C., but from Washington state.” As he formally declared Expo ’74 open, 50,000 balloons were released into the sky.
Spokane, with a population of about 170,000, was the smallest city ever to host a world’s fair. Spokane organizers conceived of the fair as a way to revamp the city’s railroad-choked riverfront and restore public access to the spectacular Spokane Falls of the Spokane River. Expo ’74’s theme was the environment, and many of the 10 international pavilions were about ecological problems and solutions.
May 1955
May 8, 1970
May 9, 1934
This post is in partnership with HistoryLink, and Warren Seyler, former chairman Spokane Tribe of Indians, the Black Muse Resource Center, and the Living Arts Cultural Heritage.
We encourage you to engage in further research through your local historic societies, museums, archives, and community.
