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Western Pennsylvania Sports Museum

“It’ll Take an Army” Franco’s Italian Army Fifty Years Later

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Making History Blog

33 Results found for: Women Forging the Way

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From the WPIAL to the WNBA: Swin Cash’s Basketball Legacy

She has more than lived up to the promise of her first name, Swintayla, which means astounding woman in Swahili. Swin Cash has achieved at every level in the sport of basketball, both on the court and now in the front office. Born in McKeesport, she grew up in Harrison Village as a self-described, “skinny, bowlegged girl with a dream about playing basketball.”

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.

Rock for Change: Anne Feeney and the Pittsburgh Riot Grrrls

“I think music is a fantastic way of empowering people and giving them strength and energy. I’ve spent a good part of my life trying to find and write music that will empower people to resist and stand up for what’s right.” -Anne Feeney in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette April 24, 2008.

Title IX at 50

  “Title IX has done more for women than anything since the 19th Amendment…I thought from the very beginning the most valuable results of Title IX would come through academic…

From Pickles to Planes: Women Lead Glider Production for Heinz During WWII

They came from all walks of life. Margaret Evans was an artist’s model from Greentree. Mrs. Grace Winters was a widow with three small children. Mrs. Louise Hamilton came from…

The McGinnis Sisters Special Food Stores: Remembering a Connection Between Mother and Daughters

Local businesses become part of the fabric of a community, especially those related to food and groceries. Customers sample new products, exchange recipes, and pick up ingredients needed for cherished…

Celebrating National Nurses Week

  A photograph in the collection of the History Center’s Detre Library & Archives captures a moment in the life of an operating room nurse from Montefiore Hospital, c. 1910.…

Daisy Lampkin

  Born in Washington, D.C. and educated in Reading, Pa., Daisy Lampkin was a suffragette, civil rights activist, organization executive, business woman, orator, and community leader. Gift of Earl L.…

Meet Winnie the Welder

  “No. We were not Rosie the Riveter. We welded ships. Rosie got all the attention. No one even gave us a name. Anne Jurjevic Thomas, welder at Dravo during…