The World's Fair Still Exists?

I wonder how many people, like me, thought the last World's Fair was many decades ago if not longer. I vaguely remembered that there was a World's Fair in Queens, NY in the sixties thanks to Men In Black, but never heard of anything more recent.

Here are some notes from the research I've done on this subject.

1. The last World's Fair (now called Expo) in the US was 1984 in New Orleans
2. The 2012 World's Fair is in Yeosu, South Korea http://www.worldexpo2012.com/
3. There seems to be no rule to the amount of years in between each Expo. Some are four years apart, some are only one year apart. Sometimes you even have two in the same year!
4. The next Expo is in Milan, Italy 2017 (I suggest a book club field trip. Let's start those fundraising car washes now!)
5. Unlike 160 other nations, the United States is no longer a member of the Bureau of International Expositions. Congress withdrew funding in 2001.

6. This is the logo of the B.I.E. Don't ask.

Bradbury Landing

via the LA Times

Ray Bradbury touches down on Mars. One of Ray Bradbury's most enduring books explores a future version of Mars colonized by humans. Sixty-two years after the publication of The Martian Chronicles, the late author's fiction came one step closer to becoming fact when the the Curiosity rover touched down on Mars. Now, NASA has announced that they will name Curiosity's landing site Bradbury Landing after the science fiction writer. The news of Bradbury's enshrinement on the red planet came through Curiosity's Twitter feed. "In tribute, I dedicate my landing spot on Mars to you, Ray Bradbury. Greetings from Bradbury Landing!" the rover tweeted yesterday, on what would've been Bradbury's 92nd birthday.

August Book of the Month: Devil in the White City by Erik Larson

via goodreads.com

Author Erik Larson imbues the incredible events surrounding the 1893 Chicago World's Fair with such drama that readers may find themselves checking the book's categorization to be sure that 'The Devil in the White City' is not, in fact, a highly imaginative novel. Larson tells the stories of two men: Daniel H. Burnham, the architect responsible for the fair's construction, and H.H. Holmes, a serial killer masquerading as a charming doctor.

Burnham's challenge was immense. In a short period of time, he was forced to overcome the death of his partner and numerous other obstacles to construct the famous "White City" around which the fair was built. His efforts to complete the project, and the fair's incredible success, are skillfully related along with entertaining appearances by such notables as Buffalo Bill Cody, Susan B. Anthony, and Thomas Edison.

The activities of the sinister Dr. Holmes, who is believed to be responsible for scores of murders around the time of the fair, are equally remarkable. He devised and erected the World's Fair Hotel, complete with crematorium and gas chamber, near the fairgrounds and used the event as well as his own charismatic personality to lure victims.