One of the most striking architectural accomplishments in the western United States is the Space Needle in Seattle. Originally inspired by the Stuttgart Tower in Germany, Edward E. Carlson first sketched out his version for the 1962 World’s Fair on a napkin. Of course, since it’s hard to get all the necessary details out of a napkin, an architect, John Graham, changed the original “tethered balloon” appearance to the flying saucer that has become so famous.