The Walt Disney Company contributed four cutting-edge attractions to the 1964-1965 New York World’s Fair, attractions which are still shown today — in whole or in parts — at Disney theme parks worldwide.
When all was said and done, the four shows — Ford’s Magic Skyway, General Electric’s Progressland featuring Carousel of Progress, It’s a Small World and Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln — were a rousing success (four of the five most popular Fair shows had Disney’s stamp on them), accelerating the growth of Audio-Animatronics technology and paving the way for an "East Coast Disneyland" in central Florida.
But the months, weeks and days leading up to the opening of the Fair on April 22, 1964, were fraught with angst for Disney. [...]
