What was the name of Philadelphia’s 1876 exposition celebrating the centennial of American independence?

Philadelphia’s 1876 exposition celebrating the centennial of American independence was the Centennial Exposition.

Officially called the International Exhibition of Arts, Manufactures and Products of the Soil and Mine, the event opened in Philadelphia’s Fairmount Park on May 10, 1876. It commemorated the 100th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence and became the first official world’s fair held in the United States.

The exposition included five main buildings and displayed industrial machinery, agricultural products, art, and scientific innovations. Alexander Graham Bell demonstrated an early telephone there, while visitors also saw products such as the Corliss steam engine and Heinz ketchup. The event attracted nearly 10 million visits during its run.

The Centennial Exposition helped present the United States as an industrial and technological power after the Civil War. It also influenced the design of later exhibitions and left permanent structures, including Memorial Hall and Horticultural Hall, in Philadelphia’s Fairmount Park. It is distinct from Chicago’s 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition and St. Louis’s 1904 Louisiana Purchase Exposition.