When it opened in 1965, the Houston Astrodome, nicknamed the Eighth
Wonder of the World, captured the attention of an entire nation,
bringing pride to the city and enhancing its reputation nationwide.
It was a Texas-sized vision of the future, an unthinkable feat of
engineering with premium luxury suites, theater-style seating, and
the first animated scoreboard. Yet there were memorable
problems such as outfielders' inability to see fly balls and
failed attempts to grow natural grass—which ultimately led to the
development of Astroturf. The Astrodome nonetheless changed
the way people viewed sports, putting casual fans at the forefront
of a user-experience approach that soon became the standard in all
American sports. The Eighth Wonder of the World tears
back the facade and details the Astrodome's role in transforming
Houston as a city while also chronicling the building's pivotal
fifty years in existence and the ongoing debate about its
preservation.