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Printing and Publishing (to 1950)
Poor Richard’s Almanac, first published by Benjamin Franklin in 1736, contained a wealth of information for its nearly 10,000 readers. Eighteenth-century Philadelphians turned to the almanac for...
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Paints and Varnishes
From colonial times to the nationwide deindustrialization trend starting in the 1950s, Philadelphia played a leading role in providing American and overseas markets with quality paints and varnishes....
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Great Depression
The Great Depression, which lasted from 1929 to 1941, was characterized in both the Philadelphia region and the nation by a severe contraction in all levels of economic activity, massive unemployment,...
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Streetcars
For more than 150 years streetcars have served the Philadelphia area and helped Center City Philadelphia retain its commercial, retail, and entertainment supremacy in an ever-expanding region. Although...
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Immigration (1790-1860)
The revival of immigration to Philadelphia and its surrounding region in the early nineteenth century provided one of the most powerful elements in reshaping the city’s society. After a decline in...
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Knights of Labor
The Knights of Labor, the first national industrial union in the United States, was founded in Philadelphia on December 9, 1869, by Uriah Stephens (1821-82) and eight other Philadelphia garment...
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Recording Industry
The Victor Talking Machine Company of Camden recorded orchestras (as shown here in 1902) for its Red Label disks. (Camden County Historical Society) The birthplace of the American “record” industry,...
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Insurance
Insurance is sometimes called an “invisible” element of commerce, but in Philadelphia, it has never been far from view. From the eighteenth century through the twenty-first, Philadelphia’s leadership...
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Sullivan Principles
The Global Sullivan Principles, launched in 1977 by Philadelphia civil rights leader Leon H. Sullivan (1922-2001), represent one of the twentieth century’s most powerful attempts to effect social...
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African American Migration
People of African descent have migrated to Philadelphia since the seventeenth century. First arriving in bondage, either directly from Africa or by way of the Caribbean, they soon developed a small but...
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March of the Mill Children
Mary Harris “Mother” Jones was a relentless champion of workers’ rights and led the fight against child labor. (Library of Congress) The March of the Mill Children, the three-week trek from...
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Philadelphia Plan
Even as it underwent a painful process of economic restructuring in the years after World War II, Philadelphia garnered national attention from efforts to integrate historically white building trades....
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Paints and Varnishes
From colonial times to the nationwide deindustrialization trend starting in the 1950s, Philadelphia played a leading role in providing American and overseas markets with quality paints and varnishes....
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Medical Publishing
The U.S. medical publishing industry got its start in Philadelphia in the early nineteenth century, and the Philadelphia region has maintained its preeminence in the industry ever since. The industry...
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Pine Barrens
New Jersey’s Pine Barrens, the forest and wetlands area also known as the Pinelands or the Pines, have played a varied but vital role in the region’s cultural and economic history. The Pine Barrens...
View ArticleWalking Encyclopedia: Harrowgate
Like many neighborhoods in Philadelphia, Harrowgate, located just northwest of Kensington, experienced dramatic changes as a result of the industrial boom in the nineteenth century. Prior to...
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Industrial Neighborhoods
The growth and decline of industry in the Philadelphia region in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries also shaped the character of many of its neighborhoods. Compact industrial neighborhoods...
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Labor Day
Labor Day, celebrated the first Monday of September, has been observed in the Philadelphia region since the 1880s, before it became a nationwide holiday. New Jersey was one of the first states to grant...
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Philadelphia Industrial Development Corporation (PIDC)
The Market East Shopping Center (known also as the Gallery) was part of PIDC’s efforts to attract shoppers back into the heart of Philadelphia. When the Gallery opened in 1977, it was one of the first...
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Hog Island
Hog Island was one of a series of islands in the Delaware River that changed size and shape over the twentieth century because of the intentional dumping of river dredge spoils. Eventually Hog Island...
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