The Panama-California Exposition was held in San Diego, California from January 1, 1915 to January 1, 1917. The exposition celebrated the completion of the Panama Canal and promoted San Diego as a port of call for ships traveling north.
After five years of unrelenting effort, San Diego celebrated the official opening of the Panama-California Exposition on January 1, 1915. At midnight, December 31, President Woodrow Wilson, in Washington, D.C., pressed a Western Union telegraph key. The signal turned on every light on the grounds and touched off a display of fireworks. The gates to the Exposition swung open. A crush of from 31,836 to 42,486 people on the grounds cheered, waved banners, threw confetti, sang “I Love You California,