Sesquicentennial Exposition
[1] At the time Philadelphia was a booming city, in terms of size and opportunity; however, it suffered from corruption on political and financial fronts.
In 1917 the United States found itself involved in World War I, which caused the planning for the Sesquicentennial Exposition to be placed on hold.
From this interview, he received the support of other notable Philadelphians as well as the Franklin Institute and Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce, who encouraged Mayor Moore to participate in immediate planning.
By November 1920, Moore hosted an event to discuss and develop plans for the Sesquicentennial Exposition, resulting in the establishment of the Committee of 100.
[4] His replacement, Captain Asher C. Baker, retired due to illness days before the festival opened, leaving things in the hands of E. L.
[8] Organizers constructed an 80-foot (24 m) replica of the Exposition's symbol, the Liberty Bell, covered in 26,000 light bulbs, at the gateway to the festival.
One of the most infamous events was the September 23rd championship boxing match between Gene Tunney and Jack Dempsey, which drew a crowd of 125,000 people standing in the rain to witness the occasion.
[10] At the center of the exposition along the main thoroughfare on a segment of south Broad Street known as the Southern Boulevard Parkway was the Forum of Founders consisting of the Court of Honor, the Liberal Arts and Agriculture Buildings, a group of sculptures and the Stairway of Nations facing on the opposing side the spectacular Tower of Light.
Included were a replica of the Canadian Rockies, a miniature railroad, mountain slide, Robinson Crusoe's Beach, a pirate's lair, boat rides and Noah's Ark complete with animals.
11, who recorded the first catapult launch from a moving vessel on November 5, 1915, when he flew off of USS North Carolina in a Curtiss Model AB-2.
Gen. Douglas MacArthur, Rear Adm. William Moffett, and Philadelphia Mayor W. Freeland Kendrick, who had been a childhood friend of Capt.
Thirty foreign nations attended the Sesqui, and all the planes from the exhibition flew in formation with aircraft of the Army, Navy, and Marine Corps to honor Mustin.
[16] Benito Mussolini commemorated the Sesquicentennial by giving a $800,000 replica of Bernini's Fountain of Sea Horses to the city, which arrived after the fair closed.
The fifty cent coin shows the heads of George Washington and Calvin Coolidge on the obverse, and the Liberty Bell on the reverse.
