PHOTO: AP IMAGES

After Congress passed a bill to help increase the number of nuclear power plants, the Atomic Energy Commission built the Atomsville, U.S.A. exhibit for the 1964 – 1965 New York World's Fair. Aimed at convincing children of atomic energy's benign benefits, the exhibit used science-oriented entertainments. In one, children learned how to handle radioactive substances safely. In another, shown here, they pedaled stationary bicycles while a monitor on the wall showed how much energy 1 pound of uranium contained and how many years of continuous pedaling it would take to generate that amount.