definitives postal stationery - United Nations Postal Administration

The League of Nations at the New YorkWorld’s Fair of 1939-1940(An article written by UNPA collector B. S. Kaufman)On a very warm Sunday afternoon at 2 p.m., PresidentFranklin Delano Roosevelt stood and welcomed constructionworkers and fair-goers to the 1939 New York World’s Fairwith the following words: “Officially open to all mankind”.Two-hundred-six thousand people strolled the Fair, located on1,200 acres of parkland in Flushing Meadows, Queens. Itwas a very exciting time.Not far from where the President spoke that afternoonstood the League of Nations Pavilion. The League of Nationsbuilding with its large circular turret was located in what wasreferred to then as the “Government Zone”. It was nestledbetween the pavilions of Chile and Portugal. The turretshapedstructure, representing a symbol of unity, rested on apentagonal-shaped roof representing the five races of man.The exterior of the building was painted pure white, withdiagrams illustrating the League’s achievements in such diversefields as economics, finance, communications, health,nutrition, drug control, cultural advancement, medicine anddisarmament.Located in the “Court of States” zone, directly in front ofthe Arizona Pavilion, was the Paul Manship sculpture entitled“Celestial Sphere”. This sphere was a replica of the original,which was created as a memorial to the founder of theLeague of Nations, President Woodrow Wilson. The original,which is located on the grounds of UN Headquarters inGeneva, Switzerland (formerly the League of Nations), wascast in 1939 and has appeared on both a stamp and a postcard.It is 13 feet, 6 inches, in diameter. Both sculptures arecast upon four bronze turtles. The sphere made for the 1939World’s Fair was made out of plaster and destroyed once thefair ended.Trylon and Perisphere were two modernistic structuresthat became the central symbols of the 1939 World’s Fairand stood at its centre, which became known as the “ThemeCenter”. Paul Manship was commissioned to make the sundialfor the 1939 Fair and wrote, “The Perisphere and Trylonat the World’s Fair suggest to me measurements of time andspace, so my sundial … relates to the background of thecentral motif of the Fair.” His white plaster sculpture was thebiggest sundial in the world, standing 80 feet tall.On the opposite end of the Government Zone, built nextto the Trylon and Perisphere, stands the City of New Yorkbuilding. Saved from the wrecking ball at the end of the Fair,this building would be temporarily used by the United NationsGeneral Assembly after the Second World War. From1946 to 1951, 51 Member nations met there until movinginto their new Headquarters in Manhattan.UNPA is not responsible for the factual content of this article.Happy sixty-fifth birthday!UNOP (UNO-Philatelie), the world’s largest associationfor United Nations stamp collecting, congratulates the UnitedNations on its 65th anniversary and wishes it many happyreturns. An international collectors’ association for UnitedNations stamps, UNOP has been supporting the goals ofthe United Nations for 55 years at national and internationalstamp collection exhibitions, with its own publications.17UNOP offers help and guidance on the extensive collectionof United Nations stamps under the slogan: “EveryUN collector is an UN philatelist, every UN philatelist is aUN expert”. Information on the association can be found onthe last page of the Michel specialized catalogue for 2011(Spezialkatalog 2011) of the United Nations Postal Administration,or at www.uno-philatelie.de (in German only).