The Canadian Corporation for the 1967 World Exhibition opened on April 27, 1967 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, and closed on October 29 of that same year. It was considered the most successful World’s Fair of the 20th century with over 50 million visitors, 62 nations participating, and a record for single-day attendance for a world’s fair with 569,000 visitors on its third day.
It was originally to be held in Moscow to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Russian Revolution but the Soviet Union had to cancel and Canada was awarded it in the fall of 1962. It went on to become the country’s main celebration during its centennial year. The official opening ceremonies were held on Thursday afternoon in an invitation-only event held at the Place des Nations. Governor General of Canada Roland Michener proclaimed the fair open after the Expo flame was ignited by Prime Minister Lester B. Pearson. Over 1,000 reporters covered the event which was broadcast, via satellite, to a worldwide audience of over 700 million viewers and listeners. Expo 67 was officially opened to the public the next day with an estimated crowd of between 310,000 and 335,000 visitors.
The Expo featured 90 pavilions representing Man and His World themes with the Soviet Union’s being the most popular, attracting 13 million visitors. The Ed Sullivan Show was broadcast live twice from the Expo and notable people such as Queen Elizabeth II, Robert F. Kennedy, Bing Crosby, and Marlene Dietrich visited during the fair’s run.
