Thursday, August 06, 2020

Ask a Historian

USSR pavilion foreground, USA dome at rear

Do you get this from time to time, even in the era on online search?  "You are a historian, do you know....?"

My latest assignment of this type: "IF during Expo 67 in Montreal, a cosmonaut walked out of the Soviet pavilion and an astronaut walked out of the American pavilion and they met and shook hands on the bridge between the islands the two pavilions stood on, what were their names?"

It's not a joke or a riddle, it's a serious question. After a fair amount of searching around, I'm thinking the correct answer is, "That never happened." But the questioner has such a detailed memory of the event, I'm not yet ready to conclude absence of evidence here is the same as a proven no.

Anyone with a Expo '67 library or other knowledge, I'd welcome your expertise. (Email at right)

I was told I'm the Expo expert because I once wrote a piece about it. Well, I'm really not, but the piece is here, and I still like it.

Update, August 10:  The network delivers: we have new information.  More soon.
 
Follow @CmedMoore