One might wonder about the connection between the Apollo space program and the town of Apollo, Pa. The simple answer is just the name, but this small town made sure to make the most of that connection.

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A commitment to innovation and a willingness to fund new ideas has made Western Pennsylvania a center for innovation. Regional industries supplied settlers going West, armed the Union Army and the Allies of WWII, and left their marks on the built landscape of the nation. Individual and corporate leaders encouraged research and development that fed future technological development. From the Wright brothers to the Apollo mission, new ideas from this region played a crucial role in the country’s technological advancement.

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For kids in the 1960s and 1970s, the Christmas season didn’t really begin until a new round of holiday television specials made their appearance. December 2018 marks the anniversary of two Rankin/Bass products that are less seen today. “The Little Drummer Boy” debuted 50 years ago in 1968, a religious tale of an orphan whose dying lamb is saved when the lad plays his drum for the newborn baby Jesus. And a rarely aired cartoon from 1978, “The Stingiest Man in Town,” marks its 40th anniversary. In theme and content, both shows connected to the earliest years of the TV holiday special, a history that involved multiple Pittsburgh companies.

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