What was the name of Philadelphia’s 1926 world’s fair celebrating 150 years of U.S. independence?

Philadelphia’s 1926 world’s fair celebrating 150 years of U.S. independence was the Sesquicentennial Exposition.

More formally called the Sesqui-Centennial International Exposition of 1926, the fair marked the 150th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. It also commemorated the 50th anniversary of Philadelphia’s 1876 Centennial Exposition, creating a direct link between two major American anniversary fairs.

The exposition opened on May 31, 1926, in South Philadelphia and continued through November. Its grounds included exhibition buildings, entertainment areas, a replica Liberty Bell, and the stadium later known as John F. Kennedy Stadium. Thirty foreign nations participated, making the event an international rather than purely local celebration.

The fair is sometimes confused with the Centennial Exposition of 1876 or the Bicentennial observances of 1976. “Sesquicentennial” means 150th anniversary, so the name identifies the 1926 milestone precisely. The next major national anniversary was the Bicentennial in 1976.