Philadelphia hosted the 1876 Centennial Exhibition, the United States’ major celebration of its first 100 years.
The exposition took place from May 10 to November 10, 1876, in Philadelphia's Fairmount Park. It commemorated the centennial of the Declaration of Independence and attracted millions of visitors to displays of technology, manufacturing, agriculture, and culture.
Philadelphia was a particularly meaningful location because the city served as the meeting place of the Continental Congress when independence was declared. The exhibition was not held at Independence Hall itself; its grounds were in Fairmount Park, including the area now associated with the Please Touch Museum.
The event introduced many visitors to innovations such as Alexander Graham Bell's telephone and the Corliss steam engine. It is often confused with the 1976 Bicentennial, which involved celebrations across the country rather than one single exposition.