Making History Blog
Esther Bubley Goes Greyhound: Photographing Pittsburgh’s Streamline Station in 1943
In 1943, photographer Esther Bubley snapped some of the only known interior views of Pittsburgh’s Greyhound bus station.
Pioneers on Ice
Most of the Pittsburgh Pennies weren’t looking to break barriers or change the world when they laced up their skates and took to the ice in 1973, but now 50 years later, they are seen as trailblazers. The Pennies came of age in the era of Title IX when opportunities for girls and women to participate in organized athletics began to expand. The team was homegrown, formed by a small group of young women and some of their parents who came to know each other at the Alpine Arena in Swissvale. A love of the game and a desire to compete initially brought them together. What they created is now recognized as integral to the establishment of competitive hockey for girls in the region.
Crandall-McKenzie & Henderson: Keeping Pittsburghers Clean
In a report on Pittsburgh’s “smoke nuisance” in the early 20th century, academic researchers attempted to calculate the economic burden caused by the city’s air pollution. They found that Pittsburghers,…
Damar Hamlin and the Freedom House Ambulance Service
On Monday, Jan. 2, National Football League fans in Pittsburgh and around the world witnessed a traumatic event unfold before their eyes during ESPN’s Monday Night Football telecast of the Buffalo Bills vs. Cincinnati Bengals game.
Pittsburgh’s First (and Peculiar) Park
It was an ash dump, a firehall, a market for butchers, a place to relax for Chinese residents, and home to an alligator that roamed the city at night. Most oddly, it was in the middle of a street. It was Pittsburgh’s first park—erased for the past century, though you can still easily find its location.
Stepping Through History: Pittsburghers Reflect on City Steps
Steps and steam hammers. Steps and polio. The Titanic. Porky Chedwick, and the World Series. These are a few associations Pittsburghers made when recalling their memories for my article, “Stepping…
Personal Connections to a Hero Named Roberto Clemente
An autograph often becomes a fan’s first cherished keepsake, a way to commemorate a personal meeting with a hero. As we mature, few people we meet rise to the level…
“It’ll Take an Army” Franco’s Italian Army Fifty Years Later
Franco’s Italian Army, a Pittsburgh Steelers fan group that cheered on rookie running back Franco Harris, recruited an Italian “army of support” to cheer on the Black and Gold in 1972.
Christopher Candycane: Santa’s Pittsburgh Sidekick
In 1950, the venerable Joseph Horne Company Department Store introduced a special character to elevate its holiday advertising. An “impish, loveable elf” named Christopher Candycane debuted in December 1950 in a high concept Christmas window display. Twenty revolving vignettes illustrated his accidental creation by Santa’s cook, Aunt Samantha Snowball.
Was the World’s First Gas Station in Pittsburgh? It’s Complicated.
Every December 1, posts celebrate the anniversary of Gulf opening the first drive-in gas station in 1913. That small, somewhat circular building on Baum Boulevard in East Liberty was a game-changer in automotive history, but was it the world’s first?