A Timeline of Philadelphia

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