I've only been to one world's fair, and boy was it a doozy. Back in 1970, my mom and I flew from Seoul, Korea to Osaka, Japan and spent a week dragging ourselves around the splendidly retro-futuristic grounds of Expo '70. I was dazzled by the architecture; everything looked like flying saucers and alien artifacts made of chrome and concrete. You can see several of these wonderful structures in the video clip of the Expo's opening ceremonies above.

However, my mom was not having much fun. She was in great pain and had trouble walking more than a couple hundred steps without having to stop and rest. For an over-sugared 11-year old kid who wanted to run around and see and touch everything, it was like hell for me. I selfishly whined and complained until Mom finally grabbed me by the throat and started choking. The look on her face was truly frightening. I really thought she was going to kill me. She finally let go, and believe me, I behaved like an angel for the rest of the trip!

Unbeknownst to us, she had a huge benign tumor pressing on her spinal column which went undiagnosed until we returned to the US later that year. After it was removed, the back and leg pain disappeared. She's always felt terrible about the choking incident, but I tell her that I deserved it, and since it didn't leave any permanent fingerprints on my throat, it's all good.

Here are some great Expo '70 links, courtesy of Things Magazine:

[Link: Expo '70 opening ceremonies]
[Link: Expo Museum Expo '70 Entry]
[Link: Expo '70 Time Capsule Contents]