What was the name of Philadelphia’s 1926 exposition commemorating 150 years of U.S. independence?

Philadelphia’s 1926 exposition commemorating 150 years of U.S. independence was the Sesquicentennial Exposition. “Sesquicentennial” means a 150th anniversary, so the event marked the anniversary between the 1876 Centennial and the 1976 Bicentennial.

Philadelphia was selected in keeping with its revolutionary significance. The city had hosted the Continental Congress and was home to Independence Hall, where the Declaration of Independence was adopted in 1776.

The exposition is part of the historical background used to place America250 in a longer sequence of American anniversary celebrations. The 1876 Centennial Exposition marked 100 years, while the 1926 event marked 150 years. The 1976 Bicentennial then marked 200 years.

A common mistake is to call the 1926 event a centennial or bicentennial. Those terms describe 100 and 200 years, respectively. “Sesquicentennial” is the precise term for 150 years, making it the correct name for Philadelphia’s 1926 anniversary exposition.