Today in 1939, the 1939 New York World’s Fair, “Building the World of Tomorrow,” had its grand opening, with 206,000 people in attendance.
The April 30 date coincided with the 150th anniversary of George Washington’s inauguration as President in New York City. President Franklin D. Roosevelt gave the opening day address and his speech was broadcast not only over the various radio networks but also televised in what would be the first of only two appearances he made on television.
Ten days earlier, David Sarnoff, president of Radio Corporation of America (RCA), announced the launch of regular public television service with the formal opening of the 1939 New York World’s Fair:
Now we add radio sight to sound. It is with a feeling of humbleness that I come to this moment of announcing the birth in this country of a new art so important in its implications that it is bound to affect all society. It is an art which shines like a torch of hope in a troubled world. It is a creative force which we must learn to utilize for the benefit of all mankind.