The Atomium

In 1958 there was a World’s Fair called Expo 58 or Brussels World Fair that took place in Brussels, Belgium. This first significant World’s Fair since World War II took place from April 17, 1958 to October 19, 1958. The site of Expo 58 is located seven kilometers northwest of Brussels, Belgium.
It took almost 15,000 workers approximately three years to build up the site. The most notable structure on this site is the Atomium designed by engineer André Waterkeyn. It signifies an iron of crystal that is magnified 165 billion times. The nine large spheres connected by tubes stands on three gigantic bipods and is made completely of steel clad and aluminum. The structure itself has a height of 102 meters and each sphere has a diameter of 18 meters. The Atomium was not supposed to survive the Exhibition of 1958, but it had such success and popularity that they kept it as a permanent structure.
There was a call for peace and economic and social progress issued at the opening of the Brussels World Fair. Over 42 million people visited the World’s Fair in Brussels during its six-month duration. According the Atomium’s website this fair represented a “faith in technical progress (despite fears about the atom bomb) and optimism about the future of a modern world that promised to enhance people’s lives.” In the end, Expo 58 was a huge success.
For more information on the Atomium or Expo 58 check out http://www.atomium.be/ or http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Expo_%2758 .