Heinz Dome, 1939. Unfortunately long gone, the Heinz Building at the New York World's Fair was an extremely popular exhibition at the Fair. During the 1939 season, the 100-tall domed building was decorated with a relief mural by Domenico Mortellito, depicting scenes of harvest in the eastern and western hemispheres. The interior presentation included an animated stage show that dramatized "the story of strained baby food." A figure, the "Aristocrat Tomato Man," sang and nodded his tomato head. The 'Goddess of Perfection,' a 16-foot statue (who held a sphere in her hands, though it was more of a disco ball then tomato) moved from inside the dome to its roof for the 1940 season, making the building even more visible.

April 30, 2019 was the 80th anniversary of the grand opening of the 1939-1940 New York World’s Fair, which drew millions of visitors to Flushing Meadows, Queens to experience “The World of Tomorrow.” The Fair was divided into zones, each devoted to an aspect of modern life: Amusement, Communications and Business Systems, Community Interests, Food, Government, Medical and Public Health, Production and Distribution, Science and Education, and Transportation. States and countries exhibited their food and culture in designated areas; 33 U.S. states and Puerto Rico were represented, and all major countries participated except China and Germany. During the Fair’s second season in 1940, an American Common replaced the Soviet Union’s pavilion. Mayor Fiorello La Guardia, NYC Parks Commissioner Robert Moses, Fair Corporation President Grover Whalen, and President Franklin D. Roosevelt were involved in planning the Fair, which was meant to lift Americans’ spirits after the economic woes of the Depression. The Fair took nearly three years to construct, and over 200,000 people attended the grand opening – held symbolically on the 150th anniversary of George Washington’s inauguration. Let us take a look at some images of the Fair’s attractions.