When you hear the word “futurama,” you probably think of Matt Groening’s cartoon robots, cyborgs, and aliens. This is unfortunate for two reasons. One, the animated TV series by the Simpsons creator, Futurama, is neither interesting nor funny. Two, its presence has totally eclipsed the existence of an exhibit with the same name that played a very important role in transforming the American city and way of life. That Futurama was an installation at the 1939 New York World’s Fair. Designed by Norman Bel Geddes and bankrolled by General Motors, it was a massive model of the future to come. An estimated 15 million Americans entered the exhibit at the General Motors Pavilion and saw a glimpse of what their lives would be like by the 1960s. They would live in cities that were designed for cars and a few helicopters. Traffic jams were not of this world. Cars had all the room they needed on expressways that flew across the countryside and cut through the heart of towns. Every problem you experienced or could imagine would be solved by fast cars.
