Philadelphia hosted the 1876 Centennial Exposition, the earlier national celebration of American independence.
Also called the Centennial International Exhibition, the event commemorated the 100th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. It occupied Fairmount Park beside the Schuylkill River and ran from May 10 through November 10, 1876.
The exposition was the first official world's fair held in the United States. Its enormous grounds contained exhibition buildings, state houses, industrial displays, and international exhibits designed to showcase American manufacturing, science, agriculture, and culture. Memorial Hall served as the principal art gallery.
The fair attracted nearly 10 million visitors and introduced many people to notable technologies, including Alexander Graham Bell's telephone. Philadelphia was a natural symbolic choice because the Declaration of Independence had been adopted there in 1776. The 1876 centennial therefore linked the city's Revolutionary-era history with a display of the nation's modern achievements, a precedent relevant to the United States' 250th-anniversary observances in 2026.