History Archives - Pittsburgh Quarterly

History Opinion

Look at Your Fish: David McCullough’s History Matters

by Richard “Pete” Peterson

Historian and biographer David McCullough, winner of two Pulitzer Prizes, two National Book Awards, and the Presidential Medal of Freedom, said that his strength as a writer was his love of storytelling. Over his brilliant career, he wrote about remarkable events — the building of the Brooklyn Bridge and Panama Canal — and remarkable people …

Look at Your Fish: David McCullough’s History Matters Read More »

The Horseless Carriage Comes to Pittsburgh

by John G. Hennon

The weather in Pittsburgh was rather bleak during March 1896. Snow and sub-freezing temperatures were the norm. Nicer weather arrived on March 10, so two young men took that opportunity to test a remarkable new apparatus. Anyone who was on the streets of the East End that day caught a glimpse of the first automobile …

The Horseless Carriage Comes to Pittsburgh Read More »

American Spirit History

Elegy for an Irish American Catholic Family

My mother died in late November at the age of 95. She was the last surviving member of her Irish American Catholic family. Her passing closed the century-long story of a Pittsburgh archetype, once more familiar, now a faded shade of green. Her parents emigrated from rural County Kerry, separately and single, shortly before Ireland’s …

Elegy for an Irish American Catholic Family Read More »

Heavyweight Champion John L. Sullivan’s Wild Bouts in McKeesport and Allegheny City

by Clayton Trutor

“The air of Pittsburgh has been thicker today than at any time since the discovery and general use of natural gas,” intoned an unnamed editorialist for the Pittsburgh Post on September 19, 1886. “But not as in the old time with smoke however but with pugilism.” On the previous evening, heavyweight boxing champion John L. …

Heavyweight Champion John L. Sullivan’s Wild Bouts in McKeesport and Allegheny City Read More »

Steelers Cheerleaders?

Dedicated students of Steelers history are likely aware that Pittsburgh was the first NFL team to feature cheerleaders. The Steelerettes, composed of co-eds from what was then Robert Morris Junior College, were active from 1961 to 1969. But mention the Ingots — the Steelerettes’ male counterparts — to any Pittsburgh fan and the response is …

Steelers Cheerleaders? Read More »

Architecture & Neighborhoods History Homes

Gilded Not Golden

by Aakanksha Agarwal

By noon, the sky should have been bright. Instead, smoke turned it the color of tarnished brass. The smoke pressed into brick, clung to the damp wool of work shirts, and settled deeply into the lungs of the men leaving the mills. Many were immigrants, drawn by the promise of steady wages. Instead, they found …

Gilded Not Golden Read More »

Rebuilding Pittsburgh — the Story of RIDC

by Steven Alschuler

The first time I visited Pittsburgh for more than a couple of days was Christmas week about 20 years ago. I stayed at the Omni William Penn and the only vivid memory I have is walking around Downtown on a cold Saturday afternoon, not being able to find anyplace good to have lunch. It seems …

Rebuilding Pittsburgh — the Story of RIDC Read More »

75 Years Ago the Renaissance Began

by L.E. McCullough

The official start to Pittsburgh’s long-cherished ambition to become a Most Livable City took place on the grey-skied afternoon of May 18, 1950, and it was noisy. At a shouted signal from Pennsylvania Gov. James Duff, an 1,800-pound wrecking ball slammed into a 103-year-old vacant brick warehouse on Exchange Way between Liberty and Penn avenues …

75 Years Ago the Renaissance Began Read More »

Pittsburgh’s Contributions to the World, Pt. IX

To celebrate the beginning of our 20th year, we’ve set out to catalogue the contributions that Pittsburgh and western Pennsylvania have made to the world. The list has grown and grown, and despite our best efforts, we know we’ll leave out key contributors. I think you’ll find that this small city at the confluence of …

Pittsburgh’s Contributions to the World, Pt. IX Read More »

Pittsburgh’s Contributions to the World, Pt. VIII

To celebrate the beginning of our 20th year, we’ve set out to catalogue the contributions that Pittsburgh and western Pennsylvania have made to the world. The list has grown and grown, and despite our best efforts, we know we’ll leave out key contributors. I think you’ll find that this small city at the confluence of …

Pittsburgh’s Contributions to the World, Pt. VIII Read More »

Pittsburgh’s Contributions to the World, Pt. VII

To celebrate the beginning of our 20th year, we’ve set out to catalogue the contributions that Pittsburgh and western Pennsylvania have made to the world. The list has grown and grown, and despite our best efforts, we know we’ll leave out key contributors. I think you’ll find that this small city at the confluence of …

Pittsburgh’s Contributions to the World, Pt. VII Read More »

Pittsburgh’s Contributions to the World, Pt. VI

To celebrate the beginning of our 20th year, we’ve set out to catalogue the contributions that Pittsburgh and western Pennsylvania have made to the world. The list has grown and grown, and despite our best efforts, we know we’ll leave out key contributors. I think you’ll find that this small city at the confluence of …

Pittsburgh’s Contributions to the World, Pt. VI Read More »

Pittsburgh’s Contributions to the World, Pt. V

To celebrate the beginning of our 20th year, we’ve set out to catalogue the contributions that Pittsburgh and western Pennsylvania have made to the world. The list has grown and grown, and despite our best efforts, we know we’ll leave out key contributors. I think you’ll find that this small city at the confluence of …

Pittsburgh’s Contributions to the World, Pt. V Read More »

Pittsburgh’s Contributions to the World, Pt. IV

To celebrate the beginning of our 20th year, we’ve set out to catalogue the contributions that Pittsburgh and western Pennsylvania have made to the world. The list has grown and grown, and despite our best efforts, we know we’ll leave out key contributors. I think you’ll find that this small city at the confluence of …

Pittsburgh’s Contributions to the World, Pt. IV Read More »

Pittsburgh’s Contributions to the World, Pt. III

To celebrate the beginning of our 20th year, we’ve set out to catalogue the contributions that Pittsburgh and western Pennsylvania have made to the world. The list has grown and grown, and despite our best efforts, we know we’ll leave out key contributors. I think you’ll find that this small city at the confluence of …

Pittsburgh’s Contributions to the World, Pt. III Read More »

Pittsburgh’s Contributions to the World, Pt. II

To celebrate the beginning of our 20th year, we’ve set out to catalogue the contributions that Pittsburgh and western Pennsylvania have made to the world. The list has grown and grown, and despite our best efforts, we know we’ll leave out key contributors. I think you’ll find that this small city at the confluence of …

Pittsburgh’s Contributions to the World, Pt. II Read More »

Pittsburgh’s Contributions to the World

To celebrate the beginning of our 20th year, we’ve set out to catalogue the contributions that Pittsburgh and western Pennsylvania have made to the world. The list has grown and grown, and despite our best efforts, we know we’ll leave out key contributors. I think you’ll find that this small city at the confluence of …

Pittsburgh’s Contributions to the World Read More »

Books Culture History Profiles

Pittsburgh’s Mal Goode: Television’s First Black Broadcaster

by Richard “Pete” Peterson

On Oct. 28, 1962, the three major television networks interrupted their scheduled programs to broadcast a special report on what would become known as the Cuban Missile Crisis. This was a critical moment not only in American history, but also in the integration of American broadcasting. Just a few months earlier, ABC, at the urging …

Pittsburgh’s Mal Goode: Television’s First Black Broadcaster Read More »

You Can Go Home Again

In 2010, Forbes magazine ranked Pittsburgh as the “most livable city in the United States.” It has fluctuated from three to nine in the rankings since then, but it consistently is among the top 10 with respect to “friendliness, economic opportunity, civic pride” and other positives. In 2010, writers came from across the country — …

You Can Go Home Again Read More »

A Fascinating New Museum

by Barbara Eichenlaub

While you probably have never heard of David Karpeles, his accomplishments likely have affected your life. Born in Santa Barbara, Calif., he lived there until he was 6. In 1942, his mother saw a Japanese submarine in the water and decided that it would be safer to move the family to Duluth, Minn. He earned …

A Fascinating New Museum Read More »

Ye Olde Parking Meter?

Municipalities struggle with parking. Some have eliminated parking meters. Pittsburgh, Sewickley, Mt. Lebanon, and Carnegie have installed kiosks instead. The time for parking meters hasn’t expired, but in many communities, you’ll no longer need coins. In Pittsburgh, Greensburg, Dormont, McKeesport, and others, meters still exist, but thanks to the innovative Pittsburgh-based app company MeterFeeder, payments …

Ye Olde Parking Meter? Read More »

Renewing the Promise of Pittsburgh

by David McCullough

Editor’s note: Historian David McCullough delivered the following words on a Pittsburgh riverboat in a speech to a select group of local leaders at the launch of the Riverlife Task Force. We are publishing this essay for the first time with permission of The Heinz Endowments on the occasion of the launch of a new …

Renewing the Promise of Pittsburgh Read More »

Top