{{other uses, Centennial (disambiguation), Centenary (disambiguation) A centennial, or centenary in

British English British English (BrE, en-GB, or BE) is, according to Oxford Dictionaries, "English as used in Great Britain, as distinct from that used elsewhere". More narrowly, it can refer specifically to the English language in England, or, more broadly ...

, is a 100th

anniversary An anniversary is the date on which an event took place or an institution was founded in a previous year, and may also refer to the commemoration or celebration of that event. The word was first used for Catholic feasts to commemorate saints. ...

or otherwise relates to a

century A century is a period of 100 years. Centuries are numbered ordinally in English and many other languages. The word ''century'' comes from the Latin ''centum'', meaning ''one hundred''. ''Century'' is sometimes abbreviated as c. A centennial or ...

, a period of 100 years.

Notable events

Notable centennial events at a national or world-level include: *

Centennial Exhibition The Centennial International Exhibition of 1876, the first official World's Fair to be held in the United States, was held in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, from May 10 to November 10, 1876, to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the signing of the ...

, 1876, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. First official World's Fair in the United States, celebrating the 100th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence in Philadelphia. About 10 million visitors attended, equivalent to about 20% of the population of the United States at the time. The exhibition ran from May 10, 1876, to November 10, 1876. (It included a monorail.) *

New Zealand Centennial Exhibition The New Zealand Centennial Exhibition took place over six months from Wednesday 8 November 1939 until 4 May 1940. It celebrated one hundred years since the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840 and the subsequent mass European settlement of ...

, 1939–1940, celebrated one hundred years since the signing of the

Treaty of Waitangi The Treaty of Waitangi ( mi, Te Tiriti o Waitangi) is a document of central importance to the History of New Zealand, history, to the political constitution of the state, and to the national mythos of New Zealand. It has played a major role in ...

in 1840 and the subsequent mass European settlement of New Zealand. 2,641,043 (2.6 million) visitors attended the exhibition, which ran from 8 November 1939 until 4 May 1940. *

1967 International and Universal Exposition The 1967 International and Universal Exposition, commonly known as Expo 67, was a general exhibition from April 27 to October 29, 1967. It was a category One World's Fair held in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It is considered to be one of the most su ...

, better known as ''Expo 67'', celebrating Canada's centennial year. This "Category One" World's Fair held in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, from April 27 to October 29, 1967. Sixty-two nations participated, and it set the single-day attendance record for a world's fair, with 569,500 visitors on its third day. Official attendance was 50,306,648. Was endpoint of the

Centennial Voyageur Canoe Pageant The Centennial Voyageur Canoe Pageant was a canoe race started on May 24, 1967 in the Rocky Mountains by ten teams representing eight provinces and the Yukon Territory and Northwest Territories. Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland, the two rema ...

, the longest canoe race in history. (Its monorail was a major attraction.) *

1996 Summer Olympics The 1996 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXVI Olympiad, also known as Atlanta 1996 and commonly referred to as the Centennial Olympic Games) were an international multi-sport event held from July 19 to August 4, 1996, in Atlanta ...

, 100th anniversary of the 1st Summer Olympics in 1896. *

Philippine Centennial The Philippine Centennial was a series of celebrations by the Philippine government to primarily commemorate the 100th anniversary of the proclamation of Philippine Independence on June 12, 1898. Background The Philippine Centennial primarily c ...

, 100th anniversary of the proclamation of Philippine Independence. *

100th Anniversary of the Xinhai Revolution and Republic of China Celebrations of the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Republic of China were held on 10 October 2011, on the 100th anniversary of the Xinhai Revolution. It was celebrated in both mainland China and Taiwan, ruled by the People's Republic ...

100th Anniversary of the Independence of Albania The 100th Anniversary of the Independence of Albania was a yearlong celebration in 2012 when Albanians celebrated the 100th anniversary of establishing independent Albania, the first Albanian state in modern history. Celebration In Albania ...

* First World War centenary, started in 2014 with commemorations of the outbreak of the war and concluded in 2018 with Armistice centennial commemorations. * 100th Anniversary of the Independence of Finland * 100th Anniversary of the Chinese Communist Party (CPC)

Other events

Selected regional or other centennial events include:

Argentina

Argentina Centennial The Argentina Centennial was celebrated on May 25, 1910. It was the 100th anniversary of the May Revolution, when viceroy Baltasar Hidalgo de Cisneros was ousted from office and replaced with the Primera Junta, the first national government. Cont ...

(1910)

Australia

Centenary of Western Australia In 1929, Western Australia (WA) celebrated the centenary of the founding of Perth and the establishment of the Swan River Colony, the first permanent European settlement in WA. A variety of events were run in Perth, regional areas throughout the ...

, in 1929, which included the

Western Australian Centenary Air Race __NOTOC__ The Western Australian Centenary Air Race (also known as the East-West Air Race) was a air race held in 1929 from Sydney to Perth to commemorate the centenary of Western Australia. The £1000 handicap winner was Horrie Miller and t ...

across Australia. *

1934 Centenary of Melbourne The Melbourne Centenary was a 1934 centennial celebration of the founding of the city of Melbourne, Australia. As Victoria reeled from the severe economic and social fracturing of the Great Depression, its Centenary celebrated progress and co ...

Canada

Canadian Centennial The Canadian Centennial was a yearlong celebration held in 1967 to celebrate the 100th anniversary of Canadian Confederation. Celebrations in Canada occurred throughout the year but culminated on Dominion Day, July 1, 1967. Commemorative coins we ...

(1967) *

Centennial of the City of Toronto The Centennial of the City of Toronto was celebrated in 1934, commemorating the incorporation of York into the City of Toronto. The celebrations included numerous events, exhibitions, and commemorations. Of the most modern relevance is the "Toron ...

United States

American Civil War Centennial The American Civil War Centennial was the official United States commemoration of the American Civil War, also known as the ''War Between the States''. Commemoration activities began in 1957, four years prior to the 100th anniversary of the com ...

Oregon Centennial The Oregon Centennial was the 100th anniversary of the statehood of the U.S. state of Oregon. The day of the anniversary was February 14, 1959, but centennial events took place throughout the year. Festivities were held all over the state, with the ...

* Texas Centennial Exposition

Ireland

Decade of Centenaries The revolutionary period in Irish history was the period in the 1910s and early 1920s when Irish nationalist opinion shifted from the Home Rule-supporting Irish Parliamentary Party to the republican Sinn Féin movement. There were several w ...