By Tim Lambert
1682 William Penn founds the city of Philadelphia
1701 William Penn gives Philadelphia a charter
1723 Benjamin Franklin moved to Philadelphia
1728 Bartram’s Garden is founded
1731 A library is founded in Philadelphia
1751 Pennsylvania hospital is built
1753 Independence Hall is built in Philadelphia
1761 St Peters Church is built
1766 A theater is built in Philadelphia
1774 The first Continental Congress meets in Philadelphia. Tom Paine arrives in Philadelphia.
1775 The Second Continental Congress meets in Philadelphia
1776 The Declaration of Independence is signed in Philadelphia
1777 British troops occupy Philadelphia
1778 The British withdraw from Philadelphia
1786 Physick House is built
1787 The Constitutional Convention is held in Philadelphia
1793 Philadelphia is struck by yellow fever
1797 The First United States Bank is built
1800 Philadelphia is the largest town in the USA with a population of 41,000
1801 Philadelphia gains a piped water supply
1824 The Franklin Institute is founded
1832 Cholera strikes Philadelphia
1836 Philadelphia gains a gas supply
1849 Cholera strikes Philadelphia again
1850 The population of Philadelphia has risen to 121,000
1854 Philadelphia is incorporated
1874 Philadelphia Zoo opens
1876 Philadelphia Museum of Art opens
1900 The population of Philadelphia is 1.3 million
1901 City Hall is built in Philadelphia
1926 Benjamin Franklin Parkway is completed
1929 Rodin Museum is built in Philadelphia
1932 PSFS building is built
1933 30th Street Station opens. The first Pulaski Parade is held.
1938 Philadelphia History Museum is founded
1950 The population of Philadelphia reaches 2.1 million
1964 Race riots take place in Philadelphia
1965 JFK Plaza is built
1967 Independence Mall is completed
1976 The African American Museum opens in Philadelphia. Valley Forge becomes a historical park. The Please Touch Museum is founded. The National Museum of American Jewish History is founded.
1987 One Liberty Place is built In Philadelphia
1993 Philadelphia Convention Center opens
2000 The National Liberty Museum opens
2003 National Constitution Center opens in Philadelphia
2008 Comcast Center is built