Today in Philadelphia History
Pennsylvania Topics: Pittsburgh
Historical Events
Results 1 - 100 of 124
1682-06-18 - William Penn founds Philadelphia, US
1682-10-27 - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania is founded.
1726-07-23 - Benjamin Franklin sails back to Philadelphia
1726-10-11 - Benjamin Franklin returns to Philadelphia from England
1731-11-08 - In Philadelphia, Benjamin Franklin opens 1st US library
1732-02-26 - 1st mass celebrated in 1st American Catholic church, Philadelphia
1743-02-03 - Philadelphia establishes a "pesthouse" to quarantine immigrants
1748-08-26 - The first Lutheran denomination in North America, the Pennsylvania Ministerium, is founded in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
1752-05-11 - 1st US fire insurance policy issued (Philadelphia)
1759-01-11 - 1st American life insurance company incorporated, Philadelphia
1765-05-03 - 1st US medical college opens in Philadelphia
1768-02-15 - 1st mustard manufactured in America advertised, Philadelphia
1770-06-28 - Quakers open a school for blacks in Philadelphia
1773-12-26 - Expulsion of tea ships from Philadelphia
1774-09-05 - 1st Continental Congress assembles, in Philadelphia
1774-10-26 - 1st Continental Congress adjourns in Philadelphia
1777-09-25 - English general William Howe conquers Philadelphia
1777-09-26 - British troops occupy Philadelphia during American Revolution
1777-09-27 - English General William Howe occupies Philadelphia
1778-06-24 - David Rittenhouse observes a total solar eclipse in Philadelphia
1781-05-26 - Bank of North America incorporates in Philadelphia
1782-01-07 - 1st US commercial bank, Bank of North America, opens in Philadelphia
1784-01-07 - 1st US seed business established by David Landreth, Philadelphia
1785-03-01 - Philadelphia Society for the Promotion of Agriculture organized
1787-01-28 - Philadelphia's Free Africa Society organizes
1787-04-12 - Philadelphia's Free African Society forms
1787-09-17 - US constitution adopted by Philadelphia convention
1790-03-13 - John Martin, 1st American-born actor, performs in Philadelphia
1790-06-09 - 1st book copyrighted under constitution, "Philadelphia Spelling Book"
1790-12-06 - The U.S. Congress moves from New York City to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
1792-04-02 - Congress establishes Philadelphia mint
1793-01-23 - Humane Society of Philadelphia (1st aid society) organized
1793-06-10 - Washington replaced Philadelphia as US capital
1794-07-17 - African Church of St Thomas in Philadelphia, dedicated
1804-02-16 - Lt Stephen Decatur raids Tripoli Harbor & burns Navy frigate "Philadelphia" after pirates seized it
1805-12-26 - Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts established, Philadelphia
1808-04-08 - The Roman Catholic Diocese of Baltimore was promoted to an archdiocese, with the founding of the dioceses of New York, Philadelphia, Boston, and Bardstown (now Louisville) by Pope Pius VII.
1810-02-28 - 1st US fire insurance joint-stock company organized, Philadelphia
1816-12-02 - 1st savings bank in US opens (Philadelphia Savings Fund Society)
1817-05-15 - Opening of the first private mental health hospital in the United States, the Asylum for the Relief of Persons Deprived of the Use of Their Reason (now Friends Hospital) in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
1828-03-24 - Philadelphia & Columbia Railway (1st state owned) authorized
1834-10-14 - In Philadelphia, Whigs and Democrats stage a gun, stone and brick battle for control of a Moyamensing Township election, resulting in one death, several injuries, and the burning down of a block of buildings.
1839-02-24 - Steam shovel patented by William Otis, Philadelphia
1847-05-05 - American Medical Association organized (Philadelphia)
1849-05-15 - Philadelphia Turngemeinde founded
1851-01-01 - City of Glasgow steamer inaugurates Philadelphia-Liverpool line
1851-09-15 - Saint Joseph's University is founded in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
1854-12-15 - 1st street-cleaning machine in US 1st used in Philadelphia
1856-02-18 - The American Party (Know-Nothings) convene in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to nominate their first Presidential candidate, former President Millard Fillmore.
1856-06-17 - Republican Party opens its 1st national convention in Philadelphia
1858-03-09 - Albert Potts of Philadelphia patents the street mailbox
1859-03-21 - Zoological Society of Philadelphia, 1st in US, incorporated
1869-12-09 - Noble Order of Knights of Labor founded, Philadelphia
1869-12-30 - Philadelphia Knights of Labor forms
1870-02-05 - 1st motion picture shown to a theater audience, Philadelphia
1874-07-01 - 1st US zoo opens (Philadelphia)
1876-02-02 - Baseball's National League forms with teams in Boston, Chicago, Cincinnati, Hartford, Louisville, New York, Philadelphia, St Louis
1876-04-02 - Philadelphia A's & Boston Red Caps play 1st NL game, in Phila
1876-05-10 - Centennial Fair opens in Philadelphia
1876-10-06 - American Library Association organized in Philadelphia
1878-12-26 - 1st US store to install electric lights, Philadelphia
1886-02-13 - Painter Thomas Eakins resigns from Philadelphia Academy of Art after controversial over use of male nudes in a coed art class
1887-04-30 - 1st game played at Broad & Huntingdon St Park (Baker Bowl) in Philadelphia; Phillies beat Giants 19-10
1888-12-25 - 1st indoor baseball game played at fairgrounds in Philadelphia
1908-04-13 - Groundbreaking on Philadelphia's Shibe Park (home of A's & Phillies)
1909-04-12 - Philadelphia's Shibe Park (later Connie Mack Stadium) opens
1910-02-23 - 1st radio contest held (Philadelphia)
1915-06-17 - League to Enforce Peace forms in Philadelphia
1917-11-18 - Sigma Alpha Rho, a Jewish high school fraternity, is founded in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
1918-07-26 - Race riot in Philadelphia (3 whites & 1 black killed)
1921-11-15 - KYW-AM in Philadelphia PA begins radio transmissions
1922-03-20 - WIP-AM in Philadelphia PA begins radio transmissions
1924-09-13 - 19th Davis Cup: USA beats Australia in Philadelphia (5-0)
1925-09-12 - 20th Davis Cup: USA beats France in Philadelphia (5-0)
1926-05-31 - Sesquicentennial Exposition opens in Philadelphia
1926-09-11 - 21st Davis Cup: USA beats France in Philadelphia (4-1)
1927-09-10 - 22nd Davis Cup: France beats USA in Philadelphia (3-2)
1929-10-14 - Philadelphia A's set World Series record of 10 runs in an inning
1930-06-23 - Chicago Cubs beat Philadelphia Phillies 21-8
1933-11-12 - 1st Sunday football game in Philadelphia (previously illegal)
1935-01-21 - WFI-AM in Philadelphia Penn merges with WLIT as WFIL (now WEAZ)
1936-06-11 - Presbyterian Church of America founded at Philadelphia
1937-02-04 - Jim Margie, Philadelphia, bowls 900 in 3 (unsanctioned) games
1938-08-05 - 33rd Davis Cup: USA beats Australia in Philadelphia (3-2)
1938-12-14 - AL permits Cleveland & Philadelphia to play night games
1939-03-28 - Philip Barry's "Philadelphia Story," premieres in NYC
1940-04-14 - RCA demonstrated its new electron microscope in Philadelphia
1940-04-20 - 1st electron microscope demonstrated (RCA), Philadelphia, Pa
1941-01-03 - Sergei Rachmaninov's "Symphonic Dances" premieres in Philadelphia
1941-01-04 - Sergey Rachmaninov's "Symphonie Dances," premieres in Philadelphia
1941-09-03 - KYW TV channel 3 in Philadelphia, PA (NBC) begins broadcasting
1942-02-09 - Philadelphia "Phillies" change nickname (temporarily) to "Phils"
1943-07-13 - 11th All Star Baseball Game: AL wins 5-3 at Shibe Park, Philadelphia
1943-08-12 - Alleged date of the first Philadelphia Experiment test on United States Navy ship USS Eldridge.
1946-02-08 - Béla Bartók's 3rd Concert for piano/orchestra premieres in Philadelphia, PA, US
1947-09-13 - WPVI TV channel 6 in Philadelphia, PA (ABC) begins broadcasting
1948-03-15 - WCAU TV channel 10 in Philadelphia, PA (CBS) begins broadcasting
1952-10-07 - 1st "Bandstand" broadcast in Philadelphia on WFIL-TV (Dick Clark joins in 1955 as a substitute-host)
1954-11-04 - Philadelphia A's move to Kansas City
1954-11-08 - AL approves Philadelphia A's move to Kansas City
Famous Birthdays
Results 1 - 22 of 22
1896-06-18 - Philip Barry, US, dramatist (Philadelphia Story)
1898-04-09 - Paul Robeson, Philadelphia, singer (Old Man River)/actor/footballer
1899-07-07 - George Cukor, producer/director (Adam's Rib, Philadelphia Story)
1906-10-06 - Janet Gaynor, Philadelphia, actress (Sunrise, A Star Is Born)
1909-06-04 - Paul Nordoff, Philadelphia, composer (Frog Prince)
1910-10-26 - John "Cardinal" Krol, former archbishop (Philadelphia)
1915-07-17 - Cass Daley, Philadelphia PA, actress (Red Garters)
1917-04-05 - Richard Yardumian, Philadelphia, composer (Come Creator Spirit)
1919-11-17 - Hershy Kay, Philadelphia Penn, composer/arranger (Olympic Hymn)
1924-05-21 - Robert Parris, Philadelphia, composer (Book of Imaginery Beings)
1928-06-26 - Jacob Druckman, Philadelphia, composer (Animus I Auerole)
1929-06-03 - Howard Yanks, founder (Philadelphia folk festival)
1930-11-17 - David Werner Amram, Philadelphia Pa, composer (Splendor in the Grass)
1936-11-21 - James De Preist, Philadelphia Penn, conductor (Mitropolos 1964)
1941-07-28 - Riccardo Muti, Napoli Italy, conductor (Philadelphia Orch)
1948-02-19 - Mark Andes, Philadelphia Pa, rock bassist (Spirit, Heart, Fireball)
1948-12-09 - Ron Vawter, Latham NY, actor (Philadelphia, Empire City, Twister)
1952-02-22 - James Philip Bagian, Philadelphia, MDPE/astronaut (STS 29, STS 40)
1963-02-14 - John Marzano, Philadelphia PA, catcher (Seattle Mariners)
1967-07-19 - Dale Hurley Jr, Philadelphia, rower (Olympics-1996)
1971-09-14 - Jonathan "Adam" Holland, Philadelphia, rower (Olympics-1996)
1982-06-10 - Tara Lipinski, Philadelphia Pa, figure skater (1997 World Champ)
Famous Deaths
Results 1 - 4 of 4
1968-07-02 - Francis Brennan, US cardinal of Philadelphia, dies at 74
1976-01-23 - Paul Robeson, athlete/lawyer/singer, dies in Philadelphia at 77
1981-12-09 - Daniel Faulkner, Philadelphia police officer (b. 1955)
1995-03-03 - Howard Yanks, founder of the Philadelphia folk festival, dies at 65
