Sunday, October 2, 2011

Week 4: Technological Advances

As with most World Fairs, the Golden Gate International Exposition sought to showcase the latest technological advances, especially at this time in which the world needed reasons to celebrate. This expo featured a variety of technological achievements. Among these, a miniature cyclotron (which enabled visitors to push a button and smash atoms on a small scale), Hoover vacuum cleaners, Remington-Rand typewriters, and Addressograph-Multigraph business machines were displayed. The mechanics exhibit showed a bullet and ball meeting without fail, which revealed some insight on muzzle velocities of guns and the math exhibit highlighted the new idea that curved surfaces might be generated by a system of straight lines. While the aforementioned components were indeed revolutionary, there are two very notable contributions to the Golden Gate International Exposition in terms of technology.


The first one is General Electric Company’s powerful international broadcasting system that was originally known as W6XBE and later changed to KGEI to stand for GE International. This was a high frequency, short wave station that had a profound impact on the world fair; this transmitter allowed unprecedented international interactions. Millions of people across the world – from Latin America to Asia to South Africa – were able to tune in to the fair and listen to different bands, shows, and comments from world dignitaries. This device was thus very much aligned with the goal of universally uniting people and trying to promote world peace during this turbulent time.


The second major element that distinguished the Golden Gate International Expo was that of light. The expo housed the largest light in the world, which was used to showcase a “phantom house” built of plate glass and part of the General Electric exhibit. Additionally, the advanced lighting fixtures on the exterior of the buildings made Treasure Island look as if it were an “iridescent jewel” as they lighted it up in a manner that made it look like quite the spectacle.





Works Cited:

Bowman, Jim . "International Broadcast Station KGEI." San Francisco Radio - KGEI History. Bay Area Radio Museum , n.d. Web. 2 Oct 2011. .

Dickerson, A.F., and H.E. Mahan. "Painting the Golden Gate International Exposition with Light." Transactions of the American Institute of Electrical Engineers. 59.12 (1940): 738-746. Web. 2 Oct. 2011.

James, Jack, and Earle Weller. Treasure Island : "The Magic City". San Francisco, CA: Pisani Printing and Publishing Company, 1941. Print.

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