Philadelphia hosted the 1926 Sesqui-Centennial International Exposition celebrating 150 years of U.S. independence.
The exposition marked the sesquicentennial, or 150th anniversary, of the adoption of the Declaration of Independence. Philadelphia was a fitting location because the Second Continental Congress adopted the Declaration there in 1776, at the Pennsylvania State House, later called Independence Hall.
The 1926 event also looked back to the Centennial Exposition held in Philadelphia in 1876. That earlier world’s fair had celebrated the 100th anniversary of American independence, making Philadelphia the site of two major anniversary expositions before the 1976 Bicentennial.
Philadelphia’s role continues into America250 planning. The city is one of the historically significant locations specifically associated with national semiquincentennial observances, linking the 2026 celebration with earlier milestones.