America’s First Zoo--the Philadelphia Zoo--turned 150 on March 21, 2009!
The year was 1859, a truly historic year.
- Charles Darwin published On the Origin of Species
- Charles Dickens published A Tale of Two Cities
- The American oil industry was born in Titusville, Pennsylvania, when the first oil well was drilled
- London’s Big Ben rang for the first time
- Commonwealth of Pennsylvania signed the charter establishing the Zoological Society of Philadelphia--the very first of its kind in this country
To celebrate the Sesquicentennial, the Zoo launched a year-long celebration. For a look back,
click here.