Unisphere
The Unisphere was the symbol of the 1964/1965 New York World's Fair. This 12 story high stainless steel model of the earth was designed and fabricated by the United States Steel Corporation and remains on the site at Flushing Meadow Park today, long after the fair had ended. During the fair it was located at the Fountain of the Continents, near the center of the fair. The view from the edge of the pool gave the observer a view of the world as it would appear from 6000 miles in space.
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The Unisphere is 140 feet high with a diameter of 120 feet, making it the largest representation of the earth that was ever constructed. The structure set on a tripod-like base weighs 900,000 pounds. The sphere was formed of an open grid of meridians and parallels. Curved sheets of stainless steel, representing the earth's land masses, were attached to them. The capitals of the major nations are marked in lights.
Designing and building the structure was a major engineering feat and required considerable computer computation. The problem was that the earth's continents aren't evenly distributed, and the Unisphere which stands on three slender prongs, is an unbalanced ball. The wind was also a problem since the metal land mass areas act as sails in the wind which build up enoromous unequal pressures against the curved surfaces.
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