Century 21 Exposition Souvenir Button; " I Was There"

Souvenir button from 1962's Century 21 Exposition, also known as the Seattle World's Fair. The Fair, whose motto was "Living in the Space Age," emphasized better living through technology. Its themes were heavily influenced by America's escalating Cold War with Russia, as well as the state of Washington's aerospace Industry.

Between April and October, the Exposition was visited by almost ten million people, over seven million of whom travelled to or from fairgrounds via the city's new monorail line, built for that purpose.

This button features an image of the monorail, as well as the Fair's other signature feature, the Space Needle, a 605 foot antenna and observation tower. In addition to spectacular views, the top platform of the $6.5 million dollar architectural marvel also featured a rotating restaurant. The two attractions quickly became two of Seattle's most iconic landmarks, and remain operational today.

Also featured on the button is an image of the United States Science Pavilion, a seven acre site designed by Washingtonian Minoru Yamasaki. The Pavilion is now home to the city's Pacific Science Center.

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