Government
How San Francisco Proved to the World It Had Recovered From the 1906 Earthquake
100 years ago today, the Panama-Pacific International Exposition opened its doors.
On February 20, 1915, the city of San Francisco intended to show the world it had emerged from its greatest catastrophe stronger than ever.
That was the date of the grand opening of the Panama-Pacific International Exposition, which occurred not quite a full decade after the 1906 San Francisco earthquake. The resulting fires had destroyed nearly 80 percent of the city and killed thousands, and San Francisco was eager to rid itself of its image as a city destroyed. Through the exposition, it got exactly that.