Making History Blog
A Very Aluminum Christmas
An aluminum tree in the lobby of the Alcoa Building, 1966. Alcoa Company Photographs, MSP 282, Detre Library & Archives at the History Center. Emerging in the mid-1950s, aluminum Christmas…
Clothing the Royal Americans: Part Three
Part One | Part Two | Part Three Sergeant “Adam Samm” wearing a sergeant’s uniform of the Royal American Regiment on display at the Fort Pitt Museum. In this blog…
Nativity Scenes From Around the World
Presepio, 1930s-1950s, Italian American Collection at the Heinz History Center. The History Center Italian American Collection’s 33 piece presepio was originally amassed by the Albini family of Vandergrift, Pa. A…
Awaiting the Arrival of Old St. Nick
When does the Christmas season begin? For retailers these days, the answer seems to be “as soon as possible.” While the weekend after Thanksgiving has long served as the unofficial…
Riot Gear and Red Vests: Remembering 1968 with the Pittsburgh Police Collection
The topic of police-community relations seems to be constantly in the news these days. Many of the questions that we now ask regarding the role of the police and the…
Pittsburgh Aviator Calbraith Perry Rodgers
Calbraith Perry Rodgers in 1911. A young adventurer from Pittsburgh defied odds and changed aviation forever after completing the world’s first transcontinental flight in 1911. Calbraith Perry Rodgers Jr. was…
Mid-Century Modern: The Taylor Family Collection
The #Pixburgh: A Photographic Experience exhibition opens on Dec. 17, 2016 at the Heinz History Center. Read all posts related to the project by searching the #pixburgh tag on our…
Freedom and Coal Towns: A Portrait
Wandering the aisles of the Visible Storage exhibition at the Heinz History Center, a visitor can catch a glimpse into an almost-forgotten period of coal mining culture. In the back…
Whoooo Will You Be on Halloween?: The Changing Face of America’s Spookiest Holiday
Crisp air, fall leaves, and pumpkins everywhere? Halloween must be right around the corner. Kids rejoice at the upcoming candy bonanza. Retailers celebrate, too, and Halloween is expected to generate…
Book Reviews: Fall 2016
Pennsylvania: A Photographic Journey Photography by Richard Nowitz Farcountry Press, 2015 80 pp., 113 color photographs Paperback, $12.95 The crisp fall photo of the Allegheny Mountains on the cover of…