Philadelphia

Some of the key events about Philadelphia

• 1682

  The city of Philadelphia was founded as the capital of Pennsylvania colony
• 1751

  The first hospital in the American colonies was established
• 1776

  The Declaration of Independence was adopted at Independence Hall
• 1787

  The U.S. Constitution was drafted and signed in Philadelphia
• 1790

  Philadelphia became the temporary capital of the United States
• 1793

  A yellow fever epidemic killed over 5,000 people, about 10% of the city's population
• 1844

  Anti-Catholic riots resulted in the burning of churches and homes in the city
• 1876

  The Centennial Exposition, America's first World's Fair, was held in Fairmount Park
• 1895

  The Philadelphia Museum of Art was founded
• 1918

  The Spanish flu pandemic killed over 12,000 Philadelphians in just six weeks
• 1933

  The Philadelphia Orchestra performed the first electrical recording of a symphony
• 1964

  Race riots erupted in North Philadelphia, lasting for three days
• 1976

  The city hosted major celebrations for the United States Bicentennial
• 1978

  The city government was forced to declare bankruptcy due to financial mismanagement
• 1985

  Police bombed a residential home occupied by the MOVE organization, killing 11 people and destroying 61 homes
• 1991

  Philadelphia experienced its highest annual homicide rate with 500 murders
• 2001

  A five-alarm fire destroyed several historic buildings in Old City
• 2013

  A building collapse in Center City killed six people and injured 14 others
• 2015

  Philadelphia became the first U.S. World Heritage City
• 2020

  COVID-19 pandemic caused over 5,000 deaths in Philadelphia by year's end

Disclaimer: This material is written based on information taken from open sources, including Wikipedia, news media, podcasts, and other public sources.