It was on this day in 1876 that the Centennial Exposition opened in Philadelphia, PA. It was the first “World’s Fair” in the United States, and was held to celebrate the 100th Anniversary of the birth of the country. President Grant & the Emperor of Brazil (along with their spouses) were the honored guests on opening day, which saw over 180,000 people admitted to the fair. 26 states and 11 different nations had showcases and exhibits. Some of the products shown to the public for the first time include the telephone, the typewriter, Heinz ketchup, an earlier version of the light bulb, and the arm & torch from the (still being built at the time) Statute of Liberty. The Expo would remain open until November, with over 10 million visitors attending overall.
The first event that Wiki lists for this day is “70 – Siege of Jerusalem: Titus, son of emperor Vespasian, opens a full-scale assault on Jerusalem and attacks the city’s Third Wall to the northwest” and the most recent is “2008 – An EF4 tornado strikes the Oklahoma-Kansas state line, killing 21 people and injuring over 100.“
A few other things that also happened on this day are:
1869 – The first transcontinental railroad in the US completed.
1893 – The US Supreme Court rules that a tomato is a vegetable rather than a fruit…at least as far as tariffs are concerned.
1924 – J. Edgar Hoover is appointed the Director of the FBI, a position he’ll hold until 1972.
Happy birthday goes to Dave Mason, Donovan, Pat Summerall, Jim Abrahams, and Bono.