![Lady Bird Johnson, left, with Paul and Rachel “Bunny” Mellon at the National Gallery of Art, created through gifts from the Mellon family. [The New York Times]](http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m41adkGqCa1qakblyo1_500.jpg)
Lady Bird Johnson, left, with Paul and Rachel “Bunny” Mellon at the National Gallery of Art, created through gifts from the Mellon family. [The New York Times]
![On This Day in Pittsburgh History: May 13, 1929
Pittsburgh county detectives and the homicide squad began a joint probe into the death of Rose Collins, 25, the first woman to be granted an aviator’s license in Pennsylvania. [The Pittsburgh Press]
She helped to host Pittsburgh’s Aero Club ball in March and was in the news in April as part of a photoessay The Pittsburgh Press had done on the increasing numbers of women aspiring to be pilots.
In July 1929, The Pittsburgh Press reported that Collins had died of peritonitis several days following “an operation.” Before she died hospital attendants and physicians made attempts to divulge the name of the person who performed it, but she refused. Her fiance testified to investigators that he had urged Collins “to marry him and not undergo the operation.” No arrests were made. Rose Collins was a clerk at the Pittsburgh Country Club in Beechwood, where she resided.](http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m39gr03Da71qakblyo1_500.png)
On This Day in Pittsburgh History: May 13, 1929
Pittsburgh county detectives and the homicide squad began a joint probe into the death of Rose Collins, 25, the first woman to be granted an aviator’s license in Pennsylvania. [The Pittsburgh Press]
She helped to host Pittsburgh’s Aero Club ball in March and was in the news in April as part of a photoessay The Pittsburgh Press had done on the increasing numbers of women aspiring to be pilots.
In July 1929, The Pittsburgh Press reported that Collins had died of peritonitis several days following “an operation.” Before she died hospital attendants and physicians made attempts to divulge the name of the person who performed it, but she refused. Her fiance testified to investigators that he had urged Collins “to marry him and not undergo the operation.” No arrests were made. Rose Collins was a clerk at the Pittsburgh Country Club in Beechwood, where she resided.
![Webb and Mother: John Wilson Webb, in Pittsburgh, weighs 120 lbs. at 34 months, 1909. From the George Grantham Bain Collection. [Shorpy]](http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m3xfg8pHAt1qakblyo1_500.png)
Webb and Mother: John Wilson Webb, in Pittsburgh, weighs 120 lbs. at 34 months, 1909. From the George Grantham Bain Collection. [Shorpy]
On This Day in Pittsburgh History: May 1, 1969
Fred Rogers, host of “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood,” appeared before the U.S. Senate Subcommittee on Communications to oppose significant proposed cuts to funding for PBS and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. [Youtube]
Sen. Pastore: All right, Rogers, you’ve got the floor.
Mr. Rogers: Sen. Pastore, this is a philosophical statement and would take about ten minutes to read, so I’ll not do that. One of the first things that a child learns in a healthy family is trust, and I trust what you have said that you will read this. It’s very important to me. I care deeply about children.
Sen. Pastore: Will it make you happy if you read it?
Mr. Rogers: I’d just like to talk about it, if it’s alright. My first children’s program was on WQED fifteen years ago, and its budget was $30. Now, with the help of the Sears-Roebuck Foundation and National Educational Television, as well as all of the affiliated stations — each station pays to show our program. It’s a unique kind of funding in educational television. With this help, now our program has a budget of $6000. It may sound like quite a difference, but $6000 pays for less than two minutes of cartoons. Two minutes of animated, what I sometimes say, bombardment. I’m very much concerned, as I know you are, about what’s being delivered to our children in this country. And I’ve worked in the field of child development for six years now, trying to understand the inner needs of children. We deal with such things as — as the inner drama of childhood. We don’t have to bop somebody over the head to…make drama on the screen. We deal with such things as getting a haircut, or the feelings about brothers and sisters, and the kind of anger that arises in simple family situations. And we speak to it constructively. (more)
![Pittsburgh Crawfords, 1932 (via)
On This Day in Pittsburgh History: April 29, 1932
The first Negro League ballpark in the world is constructed by Gus Greenlee. The Pittsburgh Crawfords will call Greenlee Field home until they disband in 1938. Today’s Josh Gibson Field carries on the field’s legacy. [Wikipedia]](http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m32ih7rUnn1qakblyo1_500.jpg)
Pittsburgh Crawfords, 1932 (via)
On This Day in Pittsburgh History: April 29, 1932
The first Negro League ballpark in the world is constructed by Gus Greenlee. The Pittsburgh Crawfords will call Greenlee Field home until they disband in 1938. Today’s Josh Gibson Field carries on the field’s legacy. [Wikipedia]
![Two girls with former slave Sabre “Mother” Washington, Pittsburgh, early 1950s. Teenie Harris. [Carnegie Museum of Art]
One of the girls, a neighbor of Washington’s, discovered the photograph years later. Washington, who grew up in South Carolina before moving to Pittsburgh, passed away in 1960 at the age of 113.](http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m2119h1q9S1qakblyo1_500.jpg)
Two girls with former slave Sabre “Mother” Washington, Pittsburgh, early 1950s. Teenie Harris. [Carnegie Museum of Art]
One of the girls, a neighbor of Washington’s, discovered the photograph years later. Washington, who grew up in South Carolina before moving to Pittsburgh, passed away in 1960 at the age of 113.
On This Day in Pittsburgh History: April 1, 1954
WQED, PBS channel 13, begins broadcasting as the first community-sponsored television station in the nation, and the city’s fifth TV station. [Wikipedia; Penn State University]
![Civic Arena, 1961-2012 [Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh]
“Last two panels of former Civic Arena dome demolished,” Pittsburgh Post-Gazette](http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m0dwodP8vY1qakblyo1_r1_500.png)
Civic Arena, 1961-2012 [Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh]
“Last two panels of former Civic Arena dome demolished,” Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Federal Street, Pittsburgh, 1963 (via)
UPDATE: This was originally identified as Penn Avenue. Thank you to Matt for pointing out that it is more likely to be Federal Street. Apologies for the mistake, and truly guys, please never hesitate to send a correction. Thanks again!
On This Day in Pittsburgh History: March 20, 1893
Ground was broken for the first Ferris wheel, invented by George Washington Gale Ferris, Jr., of Pittsburgh. [Historic Pittsburgh]
Ferris was the founder of G.W.G. Ferris & Co. in Pittsburgh. Later that year, the world’s first Ferris wheel debuted at the World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago, Illinois.
From “George Ferris, Inventor of the Week” (1999) by the Lemelson-MIT Program at the MIT School of Engineering:
Ferris found civil engineering work in Pittsburgh, where he specialized in constructing steel frameworks for bridges and tunnels.
When the World’s Columbian Exhibition of 1893 was being planned in Chicago, the 33-year old Ferris arrived hoping to help build a structure to outdo the Eiffel Tower, the centerpiece of the Paris Exhibition of 1889. The Exhibition’s planners wanted something “original, daring and unique.” Inspired, Ferris sketched a huge, revolving “observation wheel” on some scrap paper that same night, in detail down to the ticket price. The next day, he presented his idea to the committee. They had heard of the smaller, wooden “pleasure wheels” that had begun to appear at various vacation spots about twenty-five years before; but, seeing the sheer size of Ferris’ wheel, the committee dismissed him as a crackpot. A few weeks later, Ferris returned to the committee. He had convinced several fellow engineers to endorse his structure as both buildable and safe; more importantly, he had found local investors to cover the $400,000 cost to construct. This time, Ferris’ plan was approved. (more)
On This Day in Pittsburgh History: March 17, 1936
Regional flood controls fail as downtown is inudated with water, in what will become known as the infamous St. Patrick’s Day flood, claiming at least 150 lives. Floodwaters reached a crest of 46.4 feet, highest in the city’s history.
![Lady Bird Johnson, left, with Paul and Rachel “Bunny” Mellon at the National Gallery of Art, created through gifts from the Mellon family. [The New York Times]](http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m41adkGqCa1qakblyo1_1280.jpg)
Lady Bird Johnson, left, with Paul and Rachel “Bunny” Mellon at the National Gallery of Art, created through gifts from the Mellon family. [The New York Times]
On This Day in Pittsburgh History: May 13, 1929
Pittsburgh county detectives and the homicide squad began a joint probe into the death of Rose Collins, 25, the first woman to be granted an aviator’s license in Pennsylvania. [The Pittsburgh Press]
She helped to host Pittsburgh’s Aero Club ball in March and was in the news in April as part of a photoessay The Pittsburgh Press had done on the increasing numbers of women aspiring to be pilots.
In July 1929, The Pittsburgh Press reported that Collins had died of peritonitis several days following “an operation.” Before she died hospital attendants and physicians made attempts to divulge the name of the person who performed it, but she refused. Her fiance testified to investigators that he had urged Collins “to marry him and not undergo the operation.” No arrests were made. Rose Collins was a clerk at the Pittsburgh Country Club in Beechwood, where she resided.
![Webb and Mother: John Wilson Webb, in Pittsburgh, weighs 120 lbs. at 34 months, 1909. From the George Grantham Bain Collection. [Shorpy]](http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m3xfg8pHAt1qakblyo1_1280.png)
Webb and Mother: John Wilson Webb, in Pittsburgh, weighs 120 lbs. at 34 months, 1909. From the George Grantham Bain Collection. [Shorpy]
On This Day in Pittsburgh History: May 1, 1969
Fred Rogers, host of “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood,” appeared before the U.S. Senate Subcommittee on Communications to oppose significant proposed cuts to funding for PBS and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. [Youtube]
Sen. Pastore: All right, Rogers, you’ve got the floor.
Mr. Rogers: Sen. Pastore, this is a philosophical statement and would take about ten minutes to read, so I’ll not do that. One of the first things that a child learns in a healthy family is trust, and I trust what you have said that you will read this. It’s very important to me. I care deeply about children.
Sen. Pastore: Will it make you happy if you read it?
Mr. Rogers: I’d just like to talk about it, if it’s alright. My first children’s program was on WQED fifteen years ago, and its budget was $30. Now, with the help of the Sears-Roebuck Foundation and National Educational Television, as well as all of the affiliated stations — each station pays to show our program. It’s a unique kind of funding in educational television. With this help, now our program has a budget of $6000. It may sound like quite a difference, but $6000 pays for less than two minutes of cartoons. Two minutes of animated, what I sometimes say, bombardment. I’m very much concerned, as I know you are, about what’s being delivered to our children in this country. And I’ve worked in the field of child development for six years now, trying to understand the inner needs of children. We deal with such things as — as the inner drama of childhood. We don’t have to bop somebody over the head to…make drama on the screen. We deal with such things as getting a haircut, or the feelings about brothers and sisters, and the kind of anger that arises in simple family situations. And we speak to it constructively. (more)
![Pittsburgh Crawfords, 1932 (via)
On This Day in Pittsburgh History: April 29, 1932
The first Negro League ballpark in the world is constructed by Gus Greenlee. The Pittsburgh Crawfords will call Greenlee Field home until they disband in 1938. Today’s Josh Gibson Field carries on the field’s legacy. [Wikipedia]](http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m32ih7rUnn1qakblyo1_1280.jpg)
Pittsburgh Crawfords, 1932 (via)
On This Day in Pittsburgh History: April 29, 1932
The first Negro League ballpark in the world is constructed by Gus Greenlee. The Pittsburgh Crawfords will call Greenlee Field home until they disband in 1938. Today’s Josh Gibson Field carries on the field’s legacy. [Wikipedia]
![Pittsburgh, 1959. Teenie Harris. [Carnegie Museum of Art]](http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m1kk5txqdJ1qakblyo1_r1_500.jpg)
![Two girls with former slave Sabre “Mother” Washington, Pittsburgh, early 1950s. Teenie Harris. [Carnegie Museum of Art]
One of the girls, a neighbor of Washington’s, discovered the photograph years later. Washington, who grew up in South Carolina before moving to Pittsburgh, passed away in 1960 at the age of 113.](http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m2119h1q9S1qakblyo1_1280.jpg)
Two girls with former slave Sabre “Mother” Washington, Pittsburgh, early 1950s. Teenie Harris. [Carnegie Museum of Art]
One of the girls, a neighbor of Washington’s, discovered the photograph years later. Washington, who grew up in South Carolina before moving to Pittsburgh, passed away in 1960 at the age of 113.
On This Day in Pittsburgh History: April 1, 1954
WQED, PBS channel 13, begins broadcasting as the first community-sponsored television station in the nation, and the city’s fifth TV station. [Wikipedia; Penn State University]
![Civic Arena, 1961-2012 [Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh]
“Last two panels of former Civic Arena dome demolished,” Pittsburgh Post-Gazette](http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m0dwodP8vY1qakblyo1_r1_1280.png)
Civic Arena, 1961-2012 [Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh]
“Last two panels of former Civic Arena dome demolished,” Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
![Downtown Pittsburgh, 1952 [University of Pittsburgh Digital Archives]](http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m1itogtWJN1qakblyo1_1280.png)
Federal Street, Pittsburgh, 1963 (via)
UPDATE: This was originally identified as Penn Avenue. Thank you to Matt for pointing out that it is more likely to be Federal Street. Apologies for the mistake, and truly guys, please never hesitate to send a correction. Thanks again!
On This Day in Pittsburgh History: March 20, 1893
Ground was broken for the first Ferris wheel, invented by George Washington Gale Ferris, Jr., of Pittsburgh. [Historic Pittsburgh]
Ferris was the founder of G.W.G. Ferris & Co. in Pittsburgh. Later that year, the world’s first Ferris wheel debuted at the World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago, Illinois.
From “George Ferris, Inventor of the Week” (1999) by the Lemelson-MIT Program at the MIT School of Engineering:
Ferris found civil engineering work in Pittsburgh, where he specialized in constructing steel frameworks for bridges and tunnels.
When the World’s Columbian Exhibition of 1893 was being planned in Chicago, the 33-year old Ferris arrived hoping to help build a structure to outdo the Eiffel Tower, the centerpiece of the Paris Exhibition of 1889. The Exhibition’s planners wanted something “original, daring and unique.” Inspired, Ferris sketched a huge, revolving “observation wheel” on some scrap paper that same night, in detail down to the ticket price. The next day, he presented his idea to the committee. They had heard of the smaller, wooden “pleasure wheels” that had begun to appear at various vacation spots about twenty-five years before; but, seeing the sheer size of Ferris’ wheel, the committee dismissed him as a crackpot. A few weeks later, Ferris returned to the committee. He had convinced several fellow engineers to endorse his structure as both buildable and safe; more importantly, he had found local investors to cover the $400,000 cost to construct. This time, Ferris’ plan was approved. (more)
On This Day in Pittsburgh History: March 17, 1936
Regional flood controls fail as downtown is inudated with water, in what will become known as the infamous St. Patrick’s Day flood, claiming at least 150 lives. Floodwaters reached a crest of 46.4 feet, highest in the city’s history.
