Page 155 - Demo

155and rebuilt after sitting in storage during the war and were retitled as 1950 models. Fred Huddle%u2019s Aer-O-Dome tent, a signature component of the Parade of Progress, with its external aluminum arches and vinyl-canvas skin, was enlarged to hold 1,500 people. New exhibits featured jet propulsion, the atom, stereo technology and metal-powder-forming, alongside exhibits retained from previous parades.The postwar Parade of Progress struggled to attract the same level of attention as before, largely due to the invention and rise of television, which had been one of the scientific advancements the parade had showcased years before. This shift in entertainment preferences led to the demise of the parade, prompting GM to disband the caravan permanently in 1956.Despite their popularity during the Parade of Progress tour, the fate of the Futurliners varied over the years. Some were donated to the Michigan State Police, while others were sold to private collectors or museums. A few were even abandoned or scrapped. Today, only nine Futurliners are known to exist, scattered across the world. It is important to note that most of the remaining Futurliners don%u2019t have their data plates, making it extremely difficult to correlate them with the exhibits they originally hauled. According to Bruce Berghoff%u2019s book, %u201cGeneral Motors Parade of Progress & A Futurliner Returns,%u201d the identification plates seen in many of the old photos were swapped around during the Parade of Progress for different placements and setups in small towns. One of the Parade of Progress Futurliners donated to the Michigan State Police was used as a %u201cSafetyliner%u201d display, educating the public about traffic safety and police department activities. After its time of service there came to an end, the Futurliner was driven to a junkyard, where it resided for a few years before ending up in Chicago, Illinois. In 1997, the