250 Aniversary series: Looking at the United States at 250 from the Centennial President

In 1876, the U.S. was in the centennial year of its founding, celebrating a century since the Declaration of Independence with a large exhibition in Philadelphia. President Ulysses S. Grant officially opened the 1876 Centennial Exposition in on May 10, 1876, the first World's Fair held in the United States by turning a wheel which engaged a Corliss engine that powered the electric lights in the Exhibition Hall. By 1876 the United States had changed a great deal since its founding. That year, the country had 37 states compared to the original 13. Within a month of the 4th of July, Colorado would enter the union as the 38th state. The nation was transforming into an industrial giant, with westward expansion, rapid railroad construction, and significant immigration contributing to urban growth and economic change. Significant technological developments that contributed to that were celebrated along with new inventions, like electric lights and the telephone...