The Carousel of Progress had it's beginning as part of the General Electric "Progressland"  Exhibit at the 1964/65 New York World's Fair. It was called the Carousel Theatre at the time and was developed by Walt Disney.

It featured a "revolving audience". The stage was a circular hub, and was divided into sections representing a different era in each. The audience sat on a moving stage like a wheel around the hub. It would rotate the audience, around the hub, stopping at each era while the "Father" narrated the show, telling about all the "modern" conveniences found in the home at that time.

After the World's Fair, the exhibit was moved to Disneyland in California and eventually was moved to Disney World in Orlando. It has been closed and reopened several times over the years.

Rex Allen was the original voice of the Father, and was replaced by Shep around 1994 when the Carousel was updated to include the more modern era.

Some interesting sites regarding the Carousel are here:

http://www.nywf64.com/index.htm

http://www.carouselofprogress.com/main.htm