In order to eliminate that association, the name Expo 86 was chosen. With the name, Transpo86, organizers felt it gave the image of a trade fair for transportation, rather than a world’s fair. This would be the second World’s Fair held in Canada, the third held in the Pacific Northwest of North America, and, to date, the last to be held on the continent. Prior to the growth of the Olympics as a showcase for a country, nothing was bigger than a World’s Fair.
#Log flume ride six flags st louis movie
It was for the fair in Paris in 1889 that the Eiffel Tower was built, and in Chicago the latest inventions were showcased, including the first movie camera, searchlights, switchboards and induction motors. World’s Fairs became a regular event after Paris in 1847, with London, New York, Philadelphia, Barcelona and Chicago all hosting a fair by the end of the century. Other countries began to see World’s Fairs as opportunities to highlight the accomplishments of the nation and gain prestige. World’s Fairs first appeared in 1791 in Prague, where the 1st World’s Fair was held to celebrate the coronation of Leopold II as the King of Bohemia. In November 1980, the plan was approved, and work began on the biggest event Vancouver had ever hosted to that point. The idea gained traction and in June 1979, a formal application for a world’s fair called Transpo 86 was submitted to the Bureau International des Expositions in Paris. Knowing that the Vancouver centennial was approaching, then BC Minister For Recreation and Conservation Sam Bawlf put forward a proposal for Vancouver to host a world’s fair to celebrate the 100 year anniversary. And this was a relatively small affair, with only 24 nations and 662 competitors. The only major sport competition Vancouver had seen over the previous two decades was the 1954 British Empire and Commonwealth Games. The first Canadian World’s Fair had been held in Montreal in 1967, followed by the Summer Olympics in that same city in 1976. The NHL included the Vancouver Canucks in 1970, and The Beachcombers were showing viewers all over the world the unique natural beauty of the area. While Vancouver was gaining recognition, Eastern Canada was the prefered location when it came to major events. You’ll remember I covered that terrible event on my episode The Great Vancouver Fire.įor the next century, Vancouver grew to become one of the most important cities in Canada. By the time the late-1970s rolled around, the city was being noticed internationally. On April 6, 1886, the City of Vancouver was incorporated. Two months later, the entire city burned to the ground within 25 minutes, leaving 21 dead. The rebrand was so highly successful that within a month, hundreds had already moved to the community.
The name change gave the new community on the Lower Mainland instant name recognition. Originally, the terminus was named Granville but there was worry over being associated with the seedy nearby area of Gastown, a new name was suggested by CPR president William Van Horne. He chose Vancouver, believing that no one in Toronto or Montreal knew where Granville was, but they knew Vancouver Island, which had been named for Captain George Vancouver, who had come to the area in 1792. In early 1886, on the traditional land of the Indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest Coast, a community sprang up where the Canadian Pacific Railway reached the Pacific ocean. I was that boy… I’m Craig Baird….and this is Canadian History Ehx! For the next 164 days, 20,111,578 people came through the gates of Expo 86, including one six-year-old boy named, who had travelled in a motorhome with his family from Kamloops, and was visiting Vancouver for the first time. It was the first time Vancouver welcomed the world but certainly would not be the last. With that, the crowd cheered as seven years of planning and construction came to an end. a regal gentlemen said, “I bring you the greetings of Her Majesty The Queen who sends her very best wishes to her Canadian Subjects.”Īs the crowd waited, he concluded with, “So Ladies and Gentlemen, together with my wife, we have the greatest pleasure in declaring Expo 86 officially open.” On May 2, 1986, standing in front of the crowd made up of 54,000 invited guests, and 7,200 performers, at BC Place in Vancouver.
0 kommentar(er)
