Philadelphia hosted the 1876 Centennial Exposition, the United States’ previous major independence anniversary fair.
Officially called the International Exhibition of Arts, Manufactures, and Products of the Soil and Mine, the exposition ran from May 10 through November 10, 1876. It commemorated the 100th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, adopted in Philadelphia in 1776.
The fair occupied grounds in Fairmount Park along the Schuylkill River. It was the first official world’s fair held in the United States and attracted nearly 10 million visitors. Thirty-seven countries participated, displaying industrial products, inventions, artworks, and agricultural goods.
The exposition helped showcase technologies including the telephone, typewriter, and sewing machine. Its main buildings included Memorial Hall, which still stands and later became part of the Please Touch Museum. Philadelphia’s role in the 1876 Centennial also helped make it a prominent setting for later anniversary observances, including the 1926 Sesquicentennial.