[16][21] The development of the 1964 fair coincided with social upheavals of the early 1960s, including the civil rights movement, Vietnam War protests, and the aftermath of U.S. President John F. Kennedy's assassination.

[87] Early in 1961, Moses announced the Unisphere would be built as the fair's symbol,[88] and the WFC also hired the detective agency Pinkerton to provide security and first-aid services.

[124][81] Moses met with activists but he still did not appoint African Americans to leadership positions,[125][126] which attracted controversy amid the ongoing civil rights movement.

[205][9] The civil-rights group Congress of Racial Equality (CORE) proposed a "stall-in" to block roads leading to the fair,[206][207] but few activists participated.

[209] The WFC banned picketing on the grounds, prompting lawsuits from civil-rights groups;[194] a federal judge later ruled protesters could give out handbills to passers-by.

[250][251] The New York Times cited several reasons for the reduced attendance figures; these included fears of crime, lengthy queues, and high prices.

[265][257] In its balance sheet, the WFC counted profits from advance ticket sales as part of its income for 1964, which meant revenue would be much lower than expected during 1965.

[297][298] The WFC asked the New York City Transit Authority to increase subway service to the fair, and 26 exhibitors collaborated on a promotional campaign.

[10][306] The Ethiopian long-distance runners Abebe Bikila and Mamo Wolde participated in a ceremonial half marathon,[307] running from Central Park in Manhattan to Singer Bowl at the fairground.

[324][319] WFC officials also tried to invalidate their January 1964 agreement for disbursing the fair's profits,[165] and exhibitors continued to lose money due to lower-than-expected attendance.

[332] Beame's interim report, which was published at the end of August, found the WFC had squandered money by not awarding contracts through competitive bidding and by spending nearly everything it had on expenses it incurred before and during 1964.

[333][334] Despite Moses's denials of wrongdoing,[335] Queens district attorney Frank D. O'Connor opened a criminal inquiry into the WFC shortly afterward.

[421] The Fountain of the Planets (Pool of Industry), which is located at the far eastern end of Flushing Meadows–Corona Park, could spray water up to 625 feet (191 m) high,[422] and it hosted nightly fireworks displays and music performances.

[292][278] Cuisine sold at the fair included Belgian waffles, 7 Up drinks, dumplings, pizza, tacos, kimchi, Turkish coffee, tandoori chicken, and hummus.

[476] Spain displayed works from artists such as Francisco Goya, El Greco, Joan Miró, Pablo Picasso, and Diego Velázquez.

[476] During the 1965 season, the Mexico pavilion displayed art, including Mesoamerican pieces and works by José Clemente Orozco, Diego Rivera, David Alfaro Siqueiros, and Rufino Tamayo.

[490] Other innovations, such as thermonuclear fusion power plants, undersea hotels, underground houses,[487] jet packs, and Corfam synthetic leather, never became popular.

[517][523] The western side of the fairground site includes the Port Authority pavilion, which became the Terrace on the Park banquet hall; the Winston Churchill Tribute, which became an aviary for Queens Zoo; and the Flushing Meadows Carousel.

[528] Other structures were relocated after the fair closed;[19][529] among these were the Austria, Christian Science, Denmark, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Mormon, Parker Pen, Spain, Switzerland, Thailand, and Wisconsin pavilions.

[499] The LIRR, Mormon, Socony Mobil, and West Berlin pavilions, as well as the monorail, Poupees des Paris, and the wax museum, were preserved within New York.

[329] Citing the 1964 fair, Expo 67's organizers heavily invested in amusement attractions, sought and received BIE approval, and constructed pavilions ahead of schedule.

[546] Expo 67 officials also sought positive press coverage for their fair, a significant departure from Moses's negative reaction to every perceived criticism.

[355] After the fair's opening, Life and Ebony magazines called it one of mankind's largest expositions, and Newsweek wrote the attractions and pavilions were "hard to resist".

[549] During the second season, Time magazine wrote the fair was unsuccessful because of long queues, meager exhibits, high prices, and the overwhelmingly large number of attractions for visitors.

[550] When the fair closed, a Wall Street Journal reporter wrote it had failed because it "lacked coordination, a common purpose that could be transmitted to the community".

[344] David W. Dunlap wrote in 2001 the 1964 fair was still ingrained in the public imagination, even though it had been "a tailfin-tacky celebration of jet-age technological hubris" and an "unhappy final chapter" to Moses's career as New York City's main urban planner.

[563] In the same year, Joseph Tirella wrote although "peace through understanding continues to elude us", the United States had become more ethnically diverse due to the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965, which was enacted just before the fair ended.

[566] In 2018, The New York Times wrote the fair was a showcase for futuristic technology and a place where "foreigners could broadcast their best wares and fairgoers could catch a glimpse into their far-off cultures".

[568][100] Broadway theaters recorded increased ticket sales,[568] as did other visitor attractions such as the Empire State Building and Radio City Music Hall.

[580] The fair and its structures have been depicted in popular media; for example, the New York State Pavilion and the Unisphere appear in the films Men in Black and Iron Man 2.