Making History Blog
Nicholas Cresswell’s Journey on the Ohio in 1775
Benjamin Henry Latrobe, View from the Packet Wharf at Frenchtown Looking Down Elk Creek. Though painted years later and many miles to the east, this watercolor provides a good…
A Message from Andy Masich
I’d like to express my sincere gratitude to the resilient people of our region (and beyond) for your unwavering support of the Senator John Heinz History Center and our…
Events Spotlight: Wedding Postponement in the Midst of COVID-19
Postponing a wedding is a daunting task that most couples never have to do. However, during the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s a scenario many couples are facing. The decision to…
Victory Half Won: Remembering V-E Day 75 Years Later
7th war Loan Fund Drive promotion on the grounds of Carnegie-Illinois Steel Corporation, May 8, 1945. Courtesy of the University of Pittsburgh, William J. Gaughan Collection. At first, not…
With Mercy and Compassion – National Nurse’s Day
Portrait of Catherine McAuley, c. 1835. Courtesy of Sisters of Mercy of Pittsburgh. In 1824, after inheriting the estate of distant relatives she had cared for over the course of 20…
Bells Across Pennsylvania Day
The Pennsylvania State Mayors’ Association is encouraging all residents and houses of worship to ring bells for three minutes at 7 p.m. on May 3, 2020, to recognize those…
Who is There to Mourn for Logan?
During the days preceding April 30th of 1774, a brutal massacre of American Indians was being plotted by about two dozen frontier malcontents roughly 40 miles northwest from Pittsburgh.…
Rules of Civility and Social Distancing
Statue of Washington and Guyasuta on Mt. Washington. Courtesy of Lynne Squilla. When George Washington was a boy, he copied into his notebook over one hundred Rules of Civility…
All-Out for Victory Gardens!
“Plant a Garden for Victory.” World War II poster by J. Howard Miller, for the Westinghouse War Production Co-Ordinating Committee, probably 1942. Like many Pittsburgh companies, Westinghouse encouraged their…
Bootleg Beef and Smuggled Sirloin: Black Market Meat During World War II
Ray Sprigle poses for a press photo with his black market meat, 1945. Ray Sprigle Papers and Photographs, MSS 799, Detre Library & Archives at the History Center. On…