The 1876 Centennial Exposition was held Philadelphia's Fairmount Park to celebrate a hundred years of independence, America's recovery from Civil War and to advertise America industrial ingenuity. In 1871, the United States Congress passed an act to establish the Centennial Commission to organize the fair, but not rely on money from the Federal Government. German born architect, Hermann J Scwarzmann, was hired to design the grounds which included five grand edifices and some 250 structures, covering more than 450 acres on the west bank of the Schuylkill River, built for more than eleven million dollars. The Fair's main pavilions were the Main Exhibition Building, Agricultural Hall, Horticultural Hall, Machinery Hall and Memorial Hall. - AsNotedIn
| Y/M/D | Description | Place |
|---|---|---|
| 1875/00/00 | Memorial Hall is built to be the art pavilion of Centennial Exposition, 1875-1876. | Memorial Hall, Philadelphia, PA |
| 1875/09/00 | The Centennial Commission appoints John Sartain as Chief of the Bureau of Arts. As "Superintendent of the Fine Arts Department ... including allotment of space to exhibitors". | Memorial Hall, Philadelphia, PA |
| 1876/05/10 | Opening ceremonies for the Centennial International Exhibition | Memorial Hall, Philadelphia, PA |
| 1876/05/10 | At the center of the Machinery Hall, US Grant and Emperor Pedro II of Brazil turn on the Corliss Engine. The 45 ft (14 m) tall steam engine with a 30 ft (9.1 m) flywheel, powered 800 machines across the Exposition via a system of shafts in tunnels. | |
| 1876/05/10 | At Bell's telephone exhibit at The Centennial Exposition, Emperor Dom Pedro of Brazil listens to Alexander Bell reading Hamlet's Soliloquy. "My God, it talks!" - Emperor Pedro. | |
| 1876/06/00 | Right arm of Statue of Liberty, holding the torch, is exhibited at the Centennial Exposition to raise money for its completion. | Statue of Liberty, Statue of Liberty National Monument |
| 1876/06/00 | Francis Millet reports on the Centennial Exposition for the Boston Daily Advertiser. | |
| 1876/07/00 | "Keying Up - The Court Jester" wins a medal at the Philadelphia Centennial Exhibition. | Memorial Hall, Philadelphia, PA |
| 1876/07/00 | Sharpless and Watts win a Medal for Progress at Philadelphia Centennial. | Memorial Hall, Philadelphia, PA |
| 1876/07/00 | Heinz introduces its ketchup at the Centennial Exhibition | |
| 1876/07/00 | Thomas Edison exhibits his telegraph at the Philadelphia Centennial Exhibition. | |
| 1876/07/00 | Bartholdi exhibits the bronze statues of "The Young Vine-Grower", "Genie Funebre", "Peace" and "Genius in the Grasp of Misery" and receives a bronze medal. | Memorial Hall, Philadelphia, PA |
| 1876/07/00 | Berkey and Gay win an award for its display at the Philadelphia Centennial Exposition. | |
| 1876/07/00 | Baldwin's Tally Ho carriage is purchased at the Philadelphia Centennial Exposition, now displayed in the Coach Barn. | Queen Anne Cottage and Coach Barn, Arcadia |
| 1876/09/21 | US Centennial Commission and Board of Finance host a banquet at St George's Hall, Philadelphia. US Grant presides with Gen Hayley and Sir Edward Thornton seated to the right and B of F President John Welsh and Director-General Goshorn on the left. | Mercer Manor Colonnade, Princeton Battlefield |
| 1876/10/00 | Pabst's Best Select lager wins a gold medal at the Centennial Celebration, marking the first of many awards the beer will win throughout its history. | |
| 1876/10/00 | D Appleton and Company win various medals in Education and Science at the Philadelphia Centennial Exhibition | |
| 1876/10/00 | Tiffany and Co wins an award for Silver and Iron in the Plastic and Graphic Art Category at the Philadelphia Centennial Exhibition | |
| 1876/10/00 | Rejected by the Committee of Selection to be displayed in the Fine Arts Section of the Centennial Exhibitio, Thomas Eakins' "The Gross Clinic" is hung in the US Army Post Hospital Exhibit. | |
| 1876/11/10 | Centennial Exposition closes. One fifth of the total US population at the time passed through its gates. | |
| 1877/00/00 | The east end of the 1st floor is renovated in the Oriental style. An eclectic mixture of Japanese, Chinese, middle-eastern and Persian motifs popularized by the Japanese Pavilion at the Centennial Expo which the Mitchell's likely attended. | Alexander Mitchell House, Milwaukee |
| Data | |
|---|---|
| Area of Significance: | World's Expositions |
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.