Thinking About 1974
We’re celebrating the 40th anniversary of the Spokane Expo! Spokane grabbed national attention in 1974 by being the smallest city to host a World’s Fair and we have the photos and souvenirs in the Downtown Library’s Ned M. Barnes Northwest Room. Take a walk down memory lane to look at the birthplace of Spokane’s Riverfront Park. If you were in Spokane, Expo was the in-thing for ‘74. What else what happening in 1974 – take a look at pop culture from that year:
The Sting – with Paul Newman and Robert Redford won the Oscar that year in the 46th Academy Awards. Billboard’s #1 song from the Top 100 chart was The Way We Were by Barbra Streisand (which you can download from Freegal) The National Book Award for fiction was shared by two books that year: Gravity’s Rainbow by Thomas Pynchon and A Crown of Feathers and Other Stories by Isaac Bashevis Singer. (Interested in A Crown of Feathers? Click here for information about interlibrary loans)
Michael and Jennifer were the most popular baby names in 1974. Two presidents served: Richard Nixon until August 9 and then Gerald Ford. The notorious Watergate scandal made that possible. The Rubik’s Cube was invented in 1974 and the famous Lucy skeleton was discovered.
What about the Library of 1974?
There were 10 branches of the Spokane Public Library. Between them they checked out about 1.2 million items to Spokane’s citizens. While many library services in 1974 were the same as those offered today, the libraries have changed dramatically. In 1973 the main library added a special new machine where you could view compiled job listings from a computer(!) so job seekers could see what was available in WA, OR and ID – it was a microfiche machine – very high tech. There was a coin-operated typewriter so customers could type letters and other documents. There was a fine arts department and a toy lending department. The library loaned records, reel-to-reel music and 16 mm films. Just as today, it was a place where people came for enrichment, community and culture.
And today’s libraries? Today, the breadth of knowledge is much wider with access to materials way beyond what can fit on the library’s shelves. We’re more wired (literally!) with fiber-optic cable bringing the Internet at lightning speed and electric outlets everywhere. Our customers confirm that the libraries are a portal to knowledge and services and an avenue for self-improvement. They check out over 2 million items and visit our buildings over 1.2 million times each year.
Stop by and check out the Expo exhibit and take a look at Riverfront Park from the windows of the Downtown Library – it’s mind-boggling to think of how VERY different the view would be if Expo ’74 hadn’t occurred!
Music. It’s everywhere. We dance to it, mediate to it, sing with it, exercise with it and even roller derby with it! 