Which city hosted the 1876 United States Centennial Exposition?

Philadelphia hosted the 1876 United States Centennial Exposition.

The exposition took place in Philadelphia from May 10 to November 10, 1876, marking the 100th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. Its principal grounds were in Fairmount Park, where the event displayed industrial products, machinery, agricultural equipment, art, and scientific innovations from the United States and other countries.

Philadelphia was a symbolic choice because the Declaration had been adopted there at the Pennsylvania State House, now Independence Hall. The exposition helped connect the centennial celebration with the city's Revolutionary-era history while also presenting the United States as an industrial and technological nation.

More than 9 million visits were recorded during the event, a remarkable figure for the period. Exhibits associated with the exposition included the Corliss Centennial Engine and early demonstrations of technologies such as Alexander Graham Bell's telephone. The 1876 event became an important model for later national anniversary celebrations, including the 1976 Bicentennial and America250.