On July 17, 1955, the world was finally introduced to Walt Disney's Magic Kingdom. Nearly every television in existence at the time was tuned to DISNEYLAND's opening celebration. Tens of thousands of people got to experience it in person.
The park was expecting much smaller crowds, but the tickets had been counterfeited, plus others who were given passes that allowed them to bring as many guests as they wanted brought much more guests along than expected. The park was overwhelmed with guests, running out of food and drink.
Even more interesting- since nothing like DISNEYLAND had ever existed, the crowds were a bit confused. How does one act inside this place? Do you have to ride everything from the map in order?
While the day was later viewed negatively by some, the majority of the people in attendance loved what they saw. They came back and brought friends and family, making new memories that would last a lifetime.
"Yesterday, a man walked up to me and said, ‘Isn’t it a shame that Walt Disney couldn’t be here to see this?’ and I said, 'He did see this, that’s why it’s here.'"
-Art Linkletter
