Dubai: When the USA played host to more than 10 million visitors at the 1876 Expo in Philadelphia, it expertly learned the ropes and went on to host six more. Landmarks and inventions – think Alexander Graham Bell’s telephone and Heinz tomato ketchup – so markedly evident of the time have always signalled American values of ‘Liberty, Life and the Pursuit of the Future’.
“I grew up in St Louis, where the 1904 World’s Fair had occurred. If you can imagine that 20 million visitors came to the site with the lack of the tech and modern transportation that we have today. People in St. Louis still talk about it,” Robert Clark, Commissioner General of the USA Pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai, told Gulf News at a press conference on Tuesday.
With nearly 150 years of expertise under its belt, the USA is now “trying to recreate some of that magic [in Dubai],” added Matthew K. Asada, Deputy Commissioner General of the pavilion.
Touch the moon, see Martian meteorite
Aptly located in the Opportunity District, the country pavilion houses six exhibits, among them one of the most magical experiences perhaps is the lunar touchstone. You may not be able to literally reach for the stars in this lifetime, but it sure is possible to touch the Moon.
Plucked straight from the skies and brought back to Earth in the last Apollo mission of 1972, a triangular fragment of the celestial body, which dates back to 3.8 billion years, is up for a stroke.
Other jaw-dropping artefacts include a Martian meteorite, a scale-by-scale model of the Mars Opportunity Rover built by the students of Cornell University and another imitation of the towering Space X Falcon 9 rocket.
Message-driven pavilion
“One of the things that is really exciting is that the exhibition is really message-driven here,” said Asada. “The theme of ‘Liberty, Life and the Pursuit of the Future’ comes through in what you see downstairs – that’s something a little bit different from last couple of USA Pavilions.”
As visitors marvel at the recreation of Lady Liberty’s torch on the moving ramp, what they don’t expect is former US President Thomas Jefferson’s copy of the Holy Quran on display up ahead.
“On the first day, we received a high-level delegation to the pavilion. It has been amazing to see His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, engage with our exhibits here, including the Quran,” said Asada.
Meet Charles Pappas, a World Expo historian
The USA Pavilion’s extensive cultural programme will see more than 30 speakers deliver talks on climate, space, agriculture and more, aligned with Expo 2020’s 10 Thematic Weeks.
Among them, a World Expo expert is touching down in Dubai. Charles Pappas, a world exposition historian, is expected share some of his rare enchanting stories in October, teased Asada.
Clark also shared that the USA has submitted its bid to host the next Specialised Expo in Minnesota for the year 2027.
