Here at the Seattle World's Fair we see the beginning of many of tomorrow's great advances.  The magic key of research has just begun to open the way to that future -- a bright one in which all mankind can share.  While these predictions of things to come may seem both fantastic and impossible, yet they certainly will not be less spectacular than the progress that has taken place since half-century ago.

American standards of living improve as industry transforms the discoveries of science into the machines and products of daily commerce.  The goods and services we expect tomorrow are a result of today's research.

The domestic exhibitors in the World of Commerce and Industry reveal the future.  The visionary advancements of a score of American industries are displayed along the avenues of the World of Commerce and Industry -- along Boulevard 21, in Friendship Mall and on American Way.

Nearest the south gate, on Boulevard 21, is the Ford Motor Company's Triangle of the Future.  Under the geodesic dome, visitors are entertained in a rocket ship model which makes a simulated flight to outer space.  Visitors become passengers when they enter the cabin of the rocket ship.  They are seated and they hear the pre-flight preparations.  There is a noise of blast-off and then huge windows on the side of the cabin open and beyond is an astronaut's view of the solar system.  The space journey lasts fifteen minutes and then the passengers return to earth and disembark, free to walk through the pavilion to examine displays of the consumer products which the Ford Motor Company will offer in the 21st century.

Across the way, a gas clock at the American Gas Association Pavilion strikes the hours with bursts of flame.  Under the circular roof of the pavilion is an extensive exhibit sponsored by ninety-one gas distribution companies.  It tells of the history, the current developments and the future potential of natural gas.

To the east is the Interiors, Fashion and commerce Pavilion.  In the first wing, the American Institute of Interior Designers coordinates a vast display of home and office furnishings.  The fabrics and fashions of interior design are shown in the present and projected into the future.  In the center of the pavilion, fashion shows are staged daily around a pool of Revlon perfume.  The shows produced by Vogue Magazine, are changed with the changes of the season.  Clothing, cosmetics and women's accessory manufacturers display their products in several booths.  In the east wing of the pavilion are exhibits of commercial products sponsored by the American Dental Association, the California and Hawaii Sugar refining corporation, the Encyclopedia Britanica, the Hammond Industries, the Mobil Oil Company and the New York World's Fair.

Next door is the Christian Science Pavilion, where visitors may hear tape recorded news summaries from Christian science Monitor reporters stationed in distant parts of the world.

In a tree-shaded glen is the Forest Products Pavilion, an exhibit sponsored by the twenty-six timber products industries of the Pacific Northwest.  The grove of trees is the contribution of the Society of American Foresters.  The interior of the pavilion is a theater in which a movie contrasts life on earth with life on the treeless planet Mars.

America's last frontier is saluted in the Alaska Pavilion, the igloo-shaped building across the courtyard.  The exhibit, sponsored by the National Bank of Commerce of Washington, tells of Alaska's history, its development ant its future.

In the exciting Transport 21 Pavilion, on Boulevard 21, the four railroad companies serving the Pacific Northwest sponsor a demonstration of future rail transportation.  One of the memorable exhibits in the pavilion is a model train of the future which will travel at high speeds on a cushion of air.

ELECTRIC POWER PAVILION

Nowhere is the source of electricity so magnificently impressive as the huge hydro-electric projects which span many of the world's rivers.  And few places in the world have as much present or potential hydro-electric power as the Pacific Northwest.  An abundance of inexpensive power is one of the area's greatest economic assets.  The Pavilion of Electric Power, sponsored by the electric utilities of Washington, shows how this great power is harnessed.

Symbolizing Washington's hydro-electric potential is a fourty-foot high dam forming the backdrop to the exhibit.  Three thousand gallons of water a minute, sweeping over six spillways, fall into a large pond.  A twenty-two foot relief map of Washington floats in the pond.  The state's major cities, sixty present and proposed dams and the regional electrical transmission system flash on the map.

The main entrance to the exhibit is through a nine-foot tunnel at the base of the dam.  A ramp leads across the pond and up to a covered platform, where audience controlled consoles activate a narration of low-cost hydro power.

Nearby, an old fashioned water wheel re-creates early attempts at using water power.

One group of displays shows how electricity is produced now and how it may be produced in the future.  In a simplified version of present methods, water jets turn an impulse wheel which then activates a generator.

Nature's water cycle is described.  The sun lifts water from the earth by evaporation and returns it in rain and snow.  The display shows how dams collect this potential and release it as power as needed.

The lower level of the pavilion shows other benefits: irrigation to reclaim arid lands, backwaters to form recreation areas, flood control -- all made possible by dam construction.

The electrical utilities of Washington constantly are developing newer and better methods of producing low-cost electricity.  Here at the Seattle World's Fair is a panorama of electricity's past and future.

GENERAL ELECTRIC PAVILION

General Electric Living is the theme of the General Electric Company's fascinating exhibit in its pavilion at the corner of American Way and Boulevard 21.

While many homeowners have read of the pushbutton conveniences to be available in homes of the future, made possible by research and development projects, few have had the opportunity to witness such advanced living.  The General Electric Company exhibit offers this rare opportunity to the visitor.

Any housewife who has been faced with the problem of a blown fuse at dinner time is aware of the importance of electricity in the efficient management of a home.  That electrical power and products will become even more important in the home of the future is dramatically underlined in the exhibit.

The General Electric Pavilion's design suggests a contemporary West Coast home.  Inside, the story of General Electric Living unfold through the activities of a typical American family.  They are the Larsons -- Gerry and Ellen and their children, Cathy, Tom and Billy.

While the Larsons lead typical lives, they have advantages not yet enjoyed by most families.  Not only do they have the benefits provided by General Electric products available now, they also possess products soon to arrive on the market and others still under development and consigned for delivery in the world of tomorrow.

Among the Larsons' electronic household advantages are such advanced features as colored television projected onto large wall surfaces, an electronic home library, movies that can be shown immediately after they are filmed, a cool-wall pantry, pushbutton electric sink, electronic bakery drawer, clothes conditioning closet, and the home computer for record-keeping, shopping and check-writing.

Visitors are invited on a tour of General Electric Living which takes them to three living areas in the Larson home.  Each room contains its own unique products, all designed to make the home truly a castle of ease, convenience and relaxation.  The visitor steps into the family's den, through the kitchen-dining room and finally to the atmosphere-conditioned indoor patio.

The functions of the various appliances are demonstrated by the Larsons as they prepare a party for their daughter and her finance.

There are such devices as the "outsider," the electrical vacationer and playmate of tomorrow, as well as other interesting displays designed to give today's home-owner a look into the future.

Visitors are free to browse through the patio exhibit and to ask questions of General Electric representatives about the many products.

The General Electric Pavilion is next to the Electric Power Pavilion, which demonstrates the production of electricity that makes possible the labor-saving products shown by General Electric