Knoxville World's Fair

While I was in Knoxville this week I learned something I did not know or do not remember. Knoxville was host to the 1982 World's Fair. It was known as the Knoxville International Energy Exposition and the theme was "Energy Turns The World". It opened May 1, 1982 and ran through October 31, 1982. There were over 11 million visitors with 16 countries participating. The fair was constructed on a 70 acre site between downtown Knoxville and the Univeristy of Tennessee. This was the second World's Fair to be held in Tennessee the first one was the Tennessee Centennial Exposition of 1897 in Nashville, TN. The Sunsphere was built for the 1982 World's Fair. It is 266 foot high hexagonal steel truss structure topped with a 76 ft gold colored glass sphere and today it remains a symbol for the city of Knoxville. Some of the new inventions that came from the 1982 World's Fair was touch screen display screens, boxed milk and the Cherry Coke flavor by Coca Cola. Also the local fast food chain in Knoxville Petro's Chili & Chips. Today the fair grounds is now the site of th Knoxville Convention Center and is also where the Knoxville Museum of Art is located. The rest of the fair grounds was taken over by the University of Tennessee. The Sunsphere is still in operation today with a 4th floor observation deck and the 5th and 6th floors used to host special events. On my next trip to Knoxville, if weather permits, I will be visiting the area where the 1982 World's Fair was and going up into the Sunsphere.