Science History Institute Joins Philadelphia’s 52 Weeks of Firsts Celebration Honoring America’s 250th Birthday

The Science History Institute is proud to partner with the Philadelphia Historic District for 52 Weeks of Firsts, a yearlong celebration taking place in 2026 during America’s Semiquincentennial. In addition to commemorating our nation’s 250th birthday, this citywide series of events also honors 250 years of pioneering inventions, institutions, and traditions that started right here in Philadelphia.

The public is invited to join us for a special Stories of Science program on Saturday, March 21, 2026, from 10am to 5pm to celebrate the invention of the first paper match folder in 1892. Explore how this small but mighty innovation—the precursor to the modern matchbook—lit the way for advertising, science, and everyday convenience. Highlights of this free, family-friendly “First-ival” include interactive collections, giveaways, gift shop discounts, special drop-in tours, and historical tales told by expert storytellers from Once Upon a Nation.

We are especially excited to feature this fiery invention as the perfect complement to Flash! Bang! Boom! A History of Fireworks, our upcoming exhibition opening April 10, 2026. From now through December 2026, museum visitors will also be able to view a “#1” sculpture designed and hand painted by West Philadelphia-based multimedia artist Malachi Floyd. On display Wednesday through Saturday from 10am to 5pm, this unique piece depicts the invention of the matchbook and is one of 52 sculptures being created by local artists through Mural Arts Philadelphia as part of the 52 Weeks of Firsts celebration. “I’ve always collected match folders while traveling—they’re small objects, but they hold memories of where you’ve been,” notes Floyd, whose work blends realism, spiritual themes, and personal storytelling, while incorporating found and recycled materials to create pieces rooted in lived experience.

Additionally, a special calendar will guide participants through the celebrations and a citywide scavenger hunt will encourage exploration of all “#1” sculptures. Events, including monthly marquee events, take place weekly in more than a dozen neighborhoods across the city at the locations (or places representing the locations) where these significant milestones occurred. Visitors can expect live performances, pop-up experiences, guest speakers, family fun, and plenty of Philly flavor.

Other featured Philadelphia “firsts” include the first American flag (1777), the first women’s medical college (1850), the first Mother’s Day (1908), the first public lending library (1731), the first Thanksgiving Day parade (1920), the first postmaster (1737), the first zoo (1874), the first African Methodist Episcopal congregation (1794), the first slinky (1945), the first ice cream soda (1874), the first hospital (1751), and the first folk parade (1901)—or as any true Philadelphian knows it: the annual Mummers Parade, which takes place on New Year’s Day.

Plan your trip, grab your crew, and be part of the celebration that could only happen here—in the city that was first in everything worth celebrating.

Featured image: A Burning Match, illustration from Real Fairy Folks, or, Fairy Land of Chemistry: Explorations in the World of Atoms, 1887.