[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 57 (Thursday, April 19, 2012)]
[Senate]
[Pages S2553-S2554]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  SENATE RESOLUTION 431--CELEBRATING THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE 1962 
                          SEATTLE WORLD'S FAIR

  Ms. CANTWELL submitted the following resolution; which was referred 
to the Committee on the Judiciary:

                              S. Res. 431

       Whereas, on April 21, 2012, the City of Seattle will 
     celebrate the 50th anniversary of the 1962 Seattle World's 
     Fair (referred to in

[[Page S2554]]

     this preamble as the ``Seattle World's Fair''), which 
     showcased the optimism, energy, and innovative spirit of 
     Seattle;
       Whereas more than 9,000,000 people visited the Seattle 
     World's Fair, a number that represents roughly 3 times the 
     total population of the State of Washington at the time;
       Whereas the Seattle World's Fair brought together the most 
     talented architects of the Pacific Northwest to create a 
     civic legacy and the treasured Seattle Center public space, 
     which includes the Space Needle, the Seattle Center Armory, 
     the Pacific Science Center, the Coliseum (now known as ``Key 
     Arena''), Memorial Stadium, the International Fountain, and 
     the Opera House;
       Whereas the Seattle World's Fair facilitated the 
     construction of key transportation infrastructure, including 
     the SR 520 floating bridge, the portion of Interstate 5 that 
     traverses downtown Seattle, and the Monorail;
       Whereas, to officially open the Seattle World's Fair, 
     President John F. Kennedy used the same historic telegraphic 
     key that had been used to open the Alaska-Yukon-Pacific 
     Exposition in Seattle 53 years earlier;
       Whereas the attendance of music icon Elvis Presley in 
     Seattle during the filming of the movie ``It Happened at the 
     World's Fair'' further elevated the City of Seattle as an 
     international city for the arts;
       Whereas the theme of the Seattle World's Fair, ``science'', 
     foreshadowed regional innovations in technology and advanced 
     manufacturing that now support world leading companies and 
     tens of thousands of high-paying jobs;
       Whereas some of the earliest satellite transmissions of 
     telephone calls and television broadcasts occurred at the 
     Seattle World's Fair, and the Seattle area is now home to 
     global information and communications technology companies; 
     and
       Whereas the Seattle World's Fair celebrated aviation and 
     the new Space Age, and the aerospace industry in the Seattle 
     area now employs 82,000 people (including 7,000 engineers), 
     generates a combined annual revenue of $32,000,000,000, and 
     includes a cluster of 650 companies: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) celebrates the 50th anniversary of the 1962 Seattle 
     World's Fair;
       (2) commends the City of Seattle for its innovation, 
     growth, and entrepreneurial spirit during the past 50 years;
       (3) supports the ``Next Fifty'' initiative to develop a 
     blueprint for success in Seattle for the next half-century; 
     and
       (4) requests that the Secretary of the Senate transmit an 
     enrolled copy of this resolution to the City of Seattle for 
     appropriate display.

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