America's 'flop' of a sesquicentennial

NPR | By Rachel Treisman

Published July 3, 2026 at 3:15 PM CDT

Philadelphia hosted a hugely successful World's Fair to mark the U.S. centennial in 1876. The city hosted another one 50 years later for the sesquicentennial, but things didn't go smoothly.

Rachel Treisman

Rachel Treisman (she/her) is a writer and editor for the Morning Edition live blog, which she helped launch in early 2021.

See stories by Rachel Treisman