Epcot Nugget Of The Day

[lugnut33]

In an obvious ripoff of the Photo Of The Day threads, I thought it might be fun to start an Epcot Nugget Of The Day thread (BTW, I did a search and if I missed a previous thread like this, sorry) where we post a little nugget of information every day about Epcot.

I thought about this idea as I was reading a book about EPCOT Center I got that was published before the park opened. It might be fun to put in one thread all the neat information there is about Epcot. And I'm not talking about touring tips, I'm talking about posting information that people might not know or would be interesting. One nugget a day please from a poster.

So, here's my first Epcot Nugget Of The Day (ENOTD):

EPCOT Center was to have an "innovative pyrolysis plant" that would operate 24 hours a day and burn waste material from the park and nearby cities in order to provide energy.

Unfortunately, it never came to fruition. In the late 70's Disney World dismantled a small one they had on-site, but never placed one at EPCOT Center.

 

[Jrabbit910]

Adding to the fun... Heres my nugget-

In 2007 Epcot hosted approximately 10.93 million guests, ranking it the third-most visited theme park in the United States, and sixth-most visited in the world!!

 

[stopher1]

Ok, I'll add that no rain water falls off of SE onto guests below, since it is all funneled out into the WS lagoon by specially designed gutters.

 

[CanadianGuy]

Moved per the original poster to the ThemeParks Community Board!

Knox

 

[lugnut33]

According to Marty Sklar when he was Vice President of Creative Development at WED:

(The concept for EPCOT Center) "was a public focus for new ideas and concepts, a "center" for the communication of new possibilities for the future - directly to the public. To answer this need, we are developing Epcot Center: A permanent world's fair of imagination, discovery, education, and exploration that combines the Disney entertainment and communication skills with the knowledge and predictions for the future of authorities from industry, the academic world, and the professions. Our goal is to inspire the visitors who come here, so they they will be turned on to the positive potential of the future and will want to participate in making the choices that will shape it."

 

[lugnut33]

Geometrically, Spaceship Earth is a pentakis dodecahedron http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pentakis_dodecahedron , with each of the 60 isosceles triangle faces divided into 16 smaller equilateral triangles (with a bit of fudging to make it rounder). Each of those 960 flat panels is sub-divided into four triangles, each of which is divided into three isosceles triangles to form each point. In theory, there are 11,520 total isosceles triangles forming 3840 points. In reality, some of those triangles are partially or fully nonexistent due to supports and doors; there are actually only 11,324 of them[4], with 954 partial or full flat panels.

 

[CanadianGuy]

Cool!

 

[lugnut33]

When Epcot opened up in 1982, the monorail system was expanded to 14.7 miles in length. Before opening of the park, people could ride the monorail to get a sneek-peek at the consturction going on.

 

[lugnut33]

The structure was designed with the help of science fiction writer Ray Bradbury (known for novels such as "Farenheit 451" and the "Martian Chronicles"), who also helped write the original storyline for the attraction. Ray also helped with the development of the original "golfball" that was used at the Montreal Worlds Fair in 1967.

Both the structure and the attraction's name were inspired by the work of Buckminster Fuller, though he was not given credit. Buckminster lends his name to a family of complex Carbon structures called Buckminsterfullerene also known as Bucky Balls. Not surprisingly, a Bucky Ball looks just like Spaceship Earth:

 

[lugnut33]

Come on people, I was hoping for a little more help!!

In a brochure from 1982 it states that the following World Showcase pavillions would be opening in the future:

Russia, Spain, and Equatorial Africa. The Equatorial Africa pavillion would have featured a large African presentation film hosted by Alex Haley. A small African themed refreshment stop is now in its place, known as the Outpost. After Disney's Animal Kingdom—an African-themed animal preserve and park—opened, any plans for an African Pavilion were dropped.

Other pavillions that were planned but never made it include Venezuela, United Arab Emirates, and Israel.

 

[lugnut33]

The reason there are so many gardens in the Canada pavillion is because the #1 impression the Imagineers wanted to give people was how beautiful nature is in Canada.

 

[lugnut33]

As you walk into the Mexico Pavillion you enter a plaza that is lined on two sides with shops like the ones found in almost any Mexican village or town:

The plaza itself is modeled after one of Mexico's most beautiful old settlements, Taxco.

 

[lugnut33]

Since I'll be busy on Sunday, I'll pre-post a nugget:

"The Africa Pavilion will offer a comprehensive view of the "dark continent". It's architectural motif is a tree house, in which visitors will overlook a jungle water hole in a simulated nighttime environment. The illusion of the jungle will be heightened by a remarkably authentic diorama of trees, vines, boulders, and rushing waters: even the scents of the forest will be re-created. These actual objects, sounds, and smells are blended skillfully with a rear-projected film of animals visiting the water hole to convince visitors that they are actually in the heart of Africa".

Sounds like this would have been interesting, but the whole pavilion was scrapped when the idea of Animal Kingdom came along.

 

[lugnut33]

At the opening of EPCOT Center one family was presented with lifetime passes to the Magic Kingdom and EPCOT Center by Card Walker, who at the time was the CEO of Walt Disney Productions.

 

[chessie]

I have the Imagineering Field Guide to EpCot somewhere. If I can put my hands on it I will post a nugget tomorrow

 

[lugnut33]

I have the Imagineering Field Guide to EpCot somewhere. If I can put my hands on it I will post a nugget tomorrow

Cool!! I'm hoping that guide is in my mailbox waiting since I bought one off e-bay last week (also came with Imag. Field Guide to the MK). There's one nugget that I'm really interested in persuing, but havn't found the answer... yet.

 

[ryley26]

The King of Morrocco sent his personel artisians to help with the design of the pavilion.

 

[chessie]

One of my favorite EpCot nuggets concerns the World Fellowship Fountain in the Millennium Plaza
23 representatives from 23 countries brought a jar of water from rivers and lakes around the world to pour into the fountain. The Ceremony was on opening day and was presided over by Lillian Disney, Walt's widow.

I understand that they repeated the ceremony on the 25th anniversary of EpCot

 

[lugnut33]

Staying with a Moroccan theme:

Some of the major defining structures of the Morocco pavilion include two prayer towers, the Chellah and the Koutoubia, which are replicas of the ones in the towns of Rabat and Marrakech, respectively. The Baboujaloud archway into the Bazaar area signals the entrance to the downtown replica of the pavilion called the Medina.

 

[lugnut33]

In the French Pavillion, if you're facing away from the lagoon, "You will find Paris on the righthand side of the tree-lined boulevard, called La Promenade, that bisects the pavilion grounds. To the left, up a little street aptly named Le Petite Rue, are the shops, not to mention the sounds and smells - of a provincial village".