Portal:Philadelphia/Selected anniversaries archive

Philadelphia Portal selected anniversaries archive

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January 1, 1848 - Girard College opened to students, 100 students are admitted.
January 1, 1901 - The first official Mummers Parade, a New Year's Day tradition, is held.
January 6, 1922 - Construction on the Benjamin Franklin Bridge, then called the Delaware River Bridge, begins.
January 26, 1857 - The Academy of Music, the future home of the Philadelphia Orchestra officially opens on Broad Street.

February 2, 1854 - The Act of Consolidation is passed, consolidating all of Philadelphia County into the City of Philadelphia.
February 5, 1824 - The Franklin Institute is founded by Samuel Vaughan Merrick and William H. Keating.
February 12, 1875 - The Roman Catholic Diocese of Philadelphia is elevated to level of Archdiocese of Philadelphia.
February 25, 1957 - The body of unsolved murder victim Joseph Augustus Zarelli, unidentified until December 2022 and dubbed the "Boy in the Box", is found.

March 4, 1681 - Charles II of England grants William Penn a charter for Pennsylvania.
March 17, 1922 - Philadelphia's first commercial radio station, WIP, is launched by Gimbels.
March 21, 2004 - Former home of the Philadelphia Eagles and Phillies, Veterans Stadium, is demolished.
March 26, 1928 - The Philadelphia Museum of Art officially opens on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway.

April 2, 1792 - The Philadelphia Mint is established by the United States Congress.
April 12, 1909 - Connie Mack Stadium, then known as Shibe Park, opened.
April 17, 1847 - The Evening Bulletin, which at one point would become the most circulated evening newspaper in the U.S., is founded.

May 6, 1844 - An anti-Catholic riot erupts in Kensington, the riots continue for three days.
May 10, 1876 - the Centennial Exposition opens with a ceremony attended by U.S. President Ulysses S. Grant and Brazilian Emperor Dom Pedro and their wives.
May 10, 1877 - Pennsylvania Museum and School of Industrial Art opens the museum which would eventually become the Philadelphia Museum of Art.
May 12, 1985 - After a gun battle with members of MOVE, Philadelphia police drop a bomb on the MOVE compound starting a fire that destroys 61 houses and kills eleven MOVE members.
May 16, 1957 - The Walt Whitman Bridge opens between Philadelphia and Camden, New Jersey.
May 18, 1778 - The Mischianza, an elaborate fête given in honor of British General Sir William Howe is held.
May 28, 1755 - Construction of Pennsylvania Hospital, the first hospital in the United States, begins.

June 1, 1829 - The Pennsylvania Inquirer, now called The Philadelphia Inquirer, is founded by John R. Walker and John Norvell.
June 6, 2008 - The Comcast Center, the tallest building in Philadelphia from 2008–2017, is officially opened.
June 18, 1778 - American Revolutionary War: British soldiers, under General Clinton, evacuate Philadelphia.
June 23, 1866 - The Chestnut Street Bridge, the second bridge to connect Center City Philadelphia and West Philadelphia, is opened.

July 1, 1874 - After being delayed by the American Civil War, the Philadelphia Zoo opens.
July 4, 1776 - The Declaration of Independence is adopted at Independence Hall.
July 7, 1844 - A deadly Nativist riot erupts outside a Catholic church in Southwark.
July 27, 1976 - The first recognized outbreak of Legionellosis begins at The Bellevue-Stratford Hotel.

August 1, 1944 - A five day Pennsylvania Transportation Company strike over the hiring of African American streetcar operators begins.
August 3, 2003 - Lincoln Financial Field, the home of the Philadelphia Eagles, is opened.
August 17, 1963 - The Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority is chartered.
August 28, 1964 - A race riot breaks out on West Columbia Avenue in North Philadelphia, and lasts for two days.

September 6, 1943 - 79 people are killed when a Pennsylvania Railroad train derails in Kensington.
September 15, 1855 - Philadelphia City Council dedicates Fairmount Park to the public.
September 22, 1734 - A large number of followers of the Schwenkfelder Church, a religious sect that follows the teachings of Kaspar Schwenkfeld von Ossig, arrive in Philadelphia.
September 26, 1777 - American Revolutionary War: British forces, led by General Howe, march into Philadelphia.

October 4, 1777 - American Revolutionary War: British troops repel an attack by General George Washington at the Battle of Germantown.
October 7, 1952 - Bandstand, later called American Bandstand, premieres on WFIL-TV.
October 25, 1701 – William Penn issues the Charter of 1701, establishing Philadelphia as a city.
October 25, 1918 - The Benjamin Franklin Parkway opens to automobile traffic for the first time.

November 1, 1701 - William Penn leaves Philadelphia for England for the last time.
November 10, 1876 - The Centennial Exposition in Fairmount Park ends after six months.
November 21, 1976 - The film Rocky, starring Sylvester Stallone, is released in U.S. theaters.
November 29, 1929 - The Rodin Museum opens.

December 9, 1981 - Police officer Daniel Faulkner is murdered, Mumia Abu-Jamal is later found guilty for the murder.
December 20, 1853 - A bill is presented to the Pennsylvania Assembly for the Consolidation of Philadelphia.
December 22, 1719 - Philadelphia's first newspaper, Andrew Bradford's American Weekly Mercury began publishing.
December 29, 1870 - Philadelphia City Council eliminates the volunteer fire companies and creates a paid fire department.