What is the history of the 76 Ball?

The 76 Ball was designed by Ray Pedersen, Union Oil’s ad executive at Young and Rubicam Agency, for the 1962 World’s Fair. It was a huge hit at the Fair, and soon was duplicated at every Union Oil station in the American West. In 1967, Union launched its popular antenna balls, giving away more than two million of the styrofoam spheres in a single year. In 2003, ConocoPhillips took over the 76 brand, and soon began removing 76 Balls, much to the dismay of consumers, designers, architectural historians and Ray Pedersen.