America's Sesquicentennial Celebration in 1926 Was a Colossal Flop (opens in new tab)

The US goes all out for historical anniversaries, but the Sesquicentennial International Exposition in Philadelphia to celebrate 150 years since the signing of the Declaration of Independence left a bad taste in many mouths. Called the Sesqui for short, the world's fair opened in May of 1926 while still under construction and closed on December 31st with a whimper instead of a bang. Early visitors were not impressed, and word of mouth kept crowds away the rest of the year. The project nearly ...