Philadelphia
Historic Toilets Tell the Tale of Philadelphia’s Revolutionary History
In the summer of 2014, archaeologists from the Commonwealth Heritage Group were excavating a site located at the corner of South Third and Chestnut Streets in Philadelphia, the future home of the new Museum of the American Revolution. In the course of the work, they found a dozen ...read more
Liberty Bell tolls to announce Declaration of Independence
On July 8, 1776, a 2,000-pound copper-and-tin bell now known as the “Liberty Bell” rings out from the tower of the Pennsylvania State House (now Independence Hall) in Philadelphia, summoning citizens to the first public reading of the Declaration of Independence. Four days ...read more
Yellow fever breaks out in Philadelphia
The death toll from a yellow fever epidemic in Philadelphia hits 100 on October 11, 1793. By the time it ended, 5,000 people were dead. Yellow fever, or American plague as it was known at the time, is a viral disease that begins with fever and muscle pain. Next, victims often ...read more
Philadelphia parade exposes thousands to Spanish flu
On September 28, 1918, a Liberty Loan parade in Philadelphia prompts a huge outbreak of Spanish flu in the city. By the time the pandemic ended, an estimated 20 million to 50 million people were dead worldwide. Influenza is a highly contagious virus that attacks the respiratory ...read more
British abandon Philadelphia
On June 18, 1778, after almost nine months of occupation, 15,000 British troops under General Sir Henry Clinton evacuate Philadelphia, the former U.S. capital. The British had captured Philadelphia on September 26, 1777, following General George Washington’s defeats at the Battle ...read more