Starting in 1955, the challenge is to have Walt Disney's Tomorrowland in Southern California become a national hub of scientifc research and technology
How might it's retro-futuristist aestetic effect the innovation of the 50s, 60s, 70s, etc.
I think the biggest challenge for this is that, for Tomorrowland to really become an innovation hub, one of two things must happen -- either:
1) Disney has to share control and allow a wide range of inventors/entrepreneurs develop/field there. It could be, in part, like a technology conference that never ends. Various companies could get their stuff demo'd there, perhaps with multiple companies working together. This could work, but it'd mean that Disney wouldn't have sole control and would lose space that it IOTL uses for rides or to sale merchandise.
2) Disney would have to develop its own science division or give grants to promote various scientists/developers. Then, it would need to use Tomorrowland as a way of promoting those ideas/technologies. Again, that would mean they could do less rides/sales.
A lot of Science Fiction and artwork became reality in OTL; the motocycle sidecar was first put in a comic book and someone said "Hey I can build that for real!" and it was invented. The cell phone at least partially owes its existence to Star Trek. GE has admitted some of their research goals in health care technology is based on "make Star Trek technology real". SciFi is a real innovator on pushing the envelope of technology. To me it would have been a no brainer for Walt to push to commercialize the genius of his animators and imagination. GE's tagline is "Imagination at work", I can see Walt coming up with that slogan 50 years earlier and out-innovating GE, GM, IBM, AT&T, and the other big companies of the time in numerous fields of electronics, consumer goods, etc. Imagine if some Disney tech person came up with "hey, we could communicate with these computers and share information quicker, and expand on what DARPA is doing and commercialize it as well! We could use it to send Disney annimation to people's homes directly and bypass movie theaters and TV!" Imagine a world where the internet was "given" to the public by Disney!
If you look at what Disney charges at its parks and for its souvenirs, coupled with how zealously they guard their intellectual property, it's hard to see them GIVING anyone anything. Now, they might 'give' you internet IF you sign up for an expensive monthly service, but that's it and it'd be limited to Disney content.