Making History Blog
John Brashear’s Forgotten Time Capsule
The simple box has a shallow lid and was soldered shut. Etched into the underside of the lid is the name E. Miller, likely Edward Miller, who was one of…
#Pixburgh: Be a Part of History!
This post is part of an ongoing series seeking images and documents in connection with the upcoming #Pixburgh: A Photographic Experience exhibition opening this fall at the Heinz History Center.…
West Middletown Photography and “America’s National Game”
1912 was quite a year for baseball—at least according to the Spalding Base Ball Guide. The Red Sox beat the New York Giants, 4-3, in the World Series. The Pittsburgh…
John Woodruff at the 1936 Olympics in Berlin
University of Pittsburgh freshman and Connellsville, Pa., native John Woodruff won the 800-meter gold medal with a time of 1:52.9 in the 1936 Summer Olympics in Adolf Hitler’s Berlin, Germany.…
Interview With Golf Great Carol Semple Thompson
In anticipation of the History Center’s Annual Celebrity Golf Tournament on Monday, Sept. 26, we spoke with tournament co-chair and multiple Curtis Cup winner Carol Semple Thompson about Western Pennsylvania,…
What a Political Ribbon Shows About the Political Process
Large silk ribbon with the text of Pennsylvania Governor Joseph Hiester’s inaugural address. 2015.22.857 Krasik Collection of Pennsylvania and Presidential Political Memorabilia, Heinz History Center. This large silk ribbon displays…
Book Reviews: Summer 2016
The Pittsburgh Anthology Edited by Eric Boyd Belt Publishing, 2015 236 pp., b&w and color photos Paperback, $20 Made up of essays, poems, short stories, and visual and graphic artwork…
The Steelworker’s Work Whistle on VE Day: Three Dots and a Dash
“Preliminary advices indicate that within the next 24 hours, the Chiefs of State of the Principled Allied Powers will proclaim the Day of Victory in Europe and the end of…
The Sole Surviving Colonel – Thomas Dunbar
19th century engraving of Braddock’s march for Fort Duquesne. Col. Thomas Dunbar was a career soldier who rose through the ranks and was appointed commander of the 48th Regiment of…
Hurricane Agnes and the Fort Pitt Museum
City police rescued a Fort Pitt Museum watchman last night when flood waters trapped him inside the building. They had to break a glass in the door before he could…