Sixty-five years ago, Dr. Jonas Salk saved countless lives around the world with the development of an effective vaccine for polio. Dr. Jonas Salk (center) and his team of researchers…

This post is an edited excerpt of “Nellie Bly: Pioneer Journalist Extraordinaire,” which appeared in the summer 2017 issue of Western Pennsylvania History Magazine. Learn more about Western Pennsylvania native…

  Sometimes the research for one story naturally leads into another. While working through collections related to a recent post about lost amusement parks, I came across this great image…

  Through centuries of American storytelling, the name Johnny Appleseed has become synonymous with the fortitude and bravery attributed to early American pioneers. While there are many conflicting versions of…

  Mister Rogers changing his shoes, which he did at the start of every episode. Photo courtesy of The Fred Rogers Company. For more than 50 years, Mister Rogers’ messages…

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…

The Allegheny Observatory, founded in 1859, has been integral to plenty of advancements in astronomical research. However, one of its most interesting contributions – accurate timekeeping – primarily benefited another…

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…

Billy Strayhorn, Westinghouse High School yearbook, 1934. Pittsburgh’s Jazz legacy includes some of the greatest musicians, composers, arrangers, and singers in the history of the music. One of the greatest…

Women’s History Month: Bertha Lamme Trailblazer with a Slide Rule Bertha Lamme, at work at Westinghouse Electric & Manufacturing Company, 1895. Image courtesy of Dorothy Boyer. As recently as 1980,…