The Future Remembered: The 1962 Seattle World’s Fair and Its Legacy is a new book about the history of the 1962 World’s Fair and Seattle Center. Developed in partnership with HistoryLink.org and written by Paula Becker and Alan J. Stein, this 300-page, image rich hardcover book will be released October 21, 2011.

Astronauts and space craft. Royalty and Cold War tension. Science and art. The Kennedys. Religion and sex. Fashion and futurist speculation. The Canadian Tattoo. Freakish weather and Belgian waffles. Elvis and his excitable fans. The 1962 Seattle World’s Fair had it all.

Officially named Century 21 Exposition, the fair drew 10 million visitors and even made a little money — remarkable success for an event staged in a little-known, geographically isolated city. But behind the commerce and entertainment was a larger vision. The civic leaders, businessmen, and publicists who made the fair a success were determined that when the lights went out and the tourists went home Seattle would be left with much-needed civic center. In the half-century since the fair, Seattle Center has become the artistic and cultural hub of the region — the remarkable legacy of a fondly remembered six months of fun long ago.