BACK WHEN WORLD’S FAIRS WERE HONKIN’ BIG DEALS: On this day in 1876, the Centennial International Exhibition—celebrating the 100th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence—opened in Fairmount Park in Philadelphia. President Ulysses Grant, accompanied by Brazilian Emperor Dom Pedro II, gave the opening address. Thirty-seven countries and 14,420 businesses participated.
Among the many amazing new inventions one could view was Alexander Graham Bell’s telephone. Upon being shown how it works, Dom Pedro is said to have exclaimed, “My God, it talks!”
Steam power was king in 1876, so a rock drill, grinding machines, screw-making machines, and a whole host of other steam-powered wonders were on display. But so were recently introduced consumer products like Hires Root Beer, Heinz ketchup, and a funny yellow fruit that comes in a bunch from Central America. And popcorn!
Don’t underestimate how important international expositions like this one were to the dissemination of knowledge about technology and the arts. In a day before the various 20th and 21st century methods of mass communication we’ve come to know, these events mattered a lot. Almost 10 million people attended the Centennial International Exhibition in 1876. The most recent census (1870) had put the American population at only 39 million.
Just as important, the event was an opportunity for the United States, having just recently shaken off its war weariness, to shine on the international stage. The government of the people, by the people, for the people had not perished from the earth. And her highly inventive and entrepreneurial citizens were prospering and optimistic about their future.