Disneyland opened on July 17th, 1955 and not everything went according to plan. It was over 100 degrees, there were many counterfeit tickets despite it being invite-only which meant more people were in attendance than they had initially planned and due to the scorching heat, the asphalt hadn’t fully dried and women’s heels were sinking into the streets.
On top of that, there was a plumbers strike and Walt Disney was left to choose between finishing the bathrooms and the water fountains… he chose the bathrooms of course, (phew!) but then was accused to trying to make more money selling drinks rather than having free water fountains available.
As if that wasn’t enough, even The Mark Twain Riverboat became overcrowded with guests, taking on water and beginning to sink. And on top of even that, if you think the restaurants today are overbooked, Opening Day saw only three working restaurants that were all slammed to well over capacity.
On opening day, Walt Disney broadcasted the event live on television to 90 million viewers… his speech has continued to resonate with fans of Disneyland ever since:
To all who come to this happy place: Welcome. Disneyland is your land. Here, age relives fond memories of the past, and here youth may savor the challenge and promise of the future. Disneyland is dedicated to the ideals, the dreams, and the hard facts that have created America, with the hope that it will be a source of joy and inspiration to all the world.
Happy Birthday Disneyland! While I’m not entirely sure how Walt would feel about the park today (positively or negatively) I do know that he believed Disneyland would never be complete as long as there’s imagination left in the world. And with all that went wrong on what is known as Disneyland’s Darkest Day or Black Sunday, something went right as it continues to welcome guests from all over the world.
I love you, Disneyland, thanks for all the magic.
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