Jan. 1, 1962: ”Gus Brickner prepares to swim the icy Allegheny River”
If you’re making a list of the toughest dudes in Pittsburgh history, Gus Brickner certainly has to be near the top. Brickner was a steelworker from Charleroi who gained fame as an endurance swimmer unaffected by cold weather. He’s probably best known for his annual New Year’s Day plunge into the Monongahela River, a tradition continued by our city’s Polar Bear Club.
But Brickner’s most amazing feat occurred on January 24, 1963. On that day, as temperatures dipped to 18 degrees below zero, Brickner swam the width of the Monongahela River at Dunlevy. A towboat ahead of him smashed a path through ice 10-inches thick. ”My whole body was encased in ice as soon as I got out of the water,” Brickner told a reporter.
The effort set a cold-weather swimming record will stand forever. Guinness closed the category for safety reasons after several people died trying to surpass Brickner.
Twice Brickner attempted to swim the English Channel. In 1957, he was pulled from the water 4 1/2 miles from his goal. He came closer in 1960, but lost consciousness 400 yards from shore. The swim took 18 hours. Gus lost 18 pounds.
Brickner swam every day except Christmas. By 1985, he had logged more than 38,000 miles. After tacking on 500 more, he stopped counting. That was in 1986. Brickner was 75 years old. He kept swimming for pleasure until his death at age 79 in 1991.
(Photo credit: Unknown)
![Steel and Holly: Christmas in Pittsburgh (1925)
By Frances Lester Warner [Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh]
To know what Pittsburgh is really like at Christmas-time, you should be at least eight different persons besides yourself, each with a separate geography and point of view.
First, you should be the traffic officer at the corner of Liberty and Sixth, near Penn, with ‘The Store Ahead’ at the right of you, the ‘Five and Ten’ at the left of you, and the cross-town cars shuttling past you, at the very vortex where the parcel-bearing shoppers from Squirrel Hill and Soho, Shadyside, Mars, and the Panhandle all convene. (more)](http://24.media.tumblr.com/edbf5bda297c395ad95d2e559be2807f/tumblr_mfaeho9bsA1qakblyo1_500.png)
Steel and Holly: Christmas in Pittsburgh (1925)
By Frances Lester Warner [Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh]
To know what Pittsburgh is really like at Christmas-time, you should be at least eight different persons besides yourself, each with a separate geography and point of view.
First, you should be the traffic officer at the corner of Liberty and Sixth, near Penn, with ‘The Store Ahead’ at the right of you, the ‘Five and Ten’ at the left of you, and the cross-town cars shuttling past you, at the very vortex where the parcel-bearing shoppers from Squirrel Hill and Soho, Shadyside, Mars, and the Panhandle all convene. (more)
![Santa and elves exiting airplane, 1960s. Teenie Harris. Carnegie Museum of Art.
“Men and women dressed in Santa and elf costumes exit an airplane on a landing strip, as the pilot and landing crew watch with excitement. To the right of the door, the plane has painted on its side ‘10 tons of toys given by, Santa’s Workshop, North Pole N.Y., Flown By, …so Sky Reindeer, Operation Toylift,’ with a Christmas tree next to it. This was probably a charity toy drive that brought toys to children in Pittsburgh.” [Historic Pittsburgh]](http://24.media.tumblr.com/b7a35173a0e70cad769aae37762f5a7c/tumblr_mfadhsWwaM1qakblyo1_500.png)
Santa and elves exiting airplane, 1960s. Teenie Harris. Carnegie Museum of Art.
“Men and women dressed in Santa and elf costumes exit an airplane on a landing strip, as the pilot and landing crew watch with excitement. To the right of the door, the plane has painted on its side ‘10 tons of toys given by, Santa’s Workshop, North Pole N.Y., Flown By, …so Sky Reindeer, Operation Toylift,’ with a Christmas tree next to it. This was probably a charity toy drive that brought toys to children in Pittsburgh.” [Historic Pittsburgh]
![Girl with Christmas tree, 1930. Dorsey-Turfley Family Photographs, Senator John Heinz History Center. [Historic Pittsburgh]](http://25.media.tumblr.com/b926d0661d1898934389eddd46154e02/tumblr_mfad90RTu71qakblyo1_500.png)
Girl with Christmas tree, 1930. Dorsey-Turfley Family Photographs, Senator John Heinz History Center. [Historic Pittsburgh]
![Children’s Christmas party at the Lewis Center, 1925. Pittsburgh City Photographer Collection, Archives Service Center, University of Pittsburgh [Historic Pittsburgh]](http://24.media.tumblr.com/98f2516aa31b2b27ce9258f943c5ce82/tumblr_mfadns4P4B1qakblyo1_500.png)
Children’s Christmas party at the Lewis Center, 1925. Pittsburgh City Photographer Collection, Archives Service Center, University of Pittsburgh [Historic Pittsburgh]
Dec. 5, 1976: “Sunday Christmas Shoppers”
Cash registers rang out a Merry Christmas tune in the three biggest stores in the Golden Triangle on this particular Sunday. Retailers that had been banned from conducting Sunday sales for years by Pennsylvania’s Blue Laws finally opened their doors on that day to Christmas shoppers.
According to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, stores opened for Sunday business after the state Supreme Court issued orders prohibiting prosecution of Blue Law violators “until the validity of the controversial statutes can be tested in the courts.”
Downtown streets, particularly Grant and Smithfield streets and Liberty and Sixth avenues, were jammed with cars most of the afternoon. Shoppers crowded the main sales floors of Gimbels and Kaufmann’s. And people seemed to be buying, not just looking, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported.
(Photo by Anthony Kaminski, The Pittsburgh Press)
![On This Day in Pittsburgh History: December 11, 1944
Thousands of Monday night Christmas shoppers were stranded Downtown by a 15-inch snowfall; all hotels were filled to capacity and lobbies were pressed into service as shelter; mills, schools, and many other activities were forced to suspend for two days. [Historic Pittsburgh; The Pittsburgh Press]](http://24.media.tumblr.com/e91f75296cde3fb83cb7b32d6f5c1dfd/tumblr_metkh0JJpa1qakblyo1_500.png)
On This Day in Pittsburgh History: December 11, 1944
Thousands of Monday night Christmas shoppers were stranded Downtown by a 15-inch snowfall; all hotels were filled to capacity and lobbies were pressed into service as shelter; mills, schools, and many other activities were forced to suspend for two days. [Historic Pittsburgh; The Pittsburgh Press]
![Chatham College sophomores make decorations for the Christmas Dance, 1955 [University of Pittsburgh Digital Archives]](http://25.media.tumblr.com/8ed254bba5d1c4e2098d4188b2d6e62c/tumblr_meo2ojuq4f1qakblyo1_500.png)
Chatham College sophomores make decorations for the Christmas Dance, 1955 [University of Pittsburgh Digital Archives]
![Window display at Uptown Sales in Chambersburg, Pa., c. 1950. Manufactured by Gardner Displays in Pittsburgh, Pa. [Flickr]](http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_me5kfv6ODr1qakblyo1_500.png)
Window display at Uptown Sales in Chambersburg, Pa., c. 1950. Manufactured by Gardner Displays in Pittsburgh, Pa. [Flickr]
Nov. 25, 1960: “The Day after Thanksgiving”
Black Friday in 1960 was not the busiest shopping day of the year. Although people did go shopping, this part of Downtown photographed on Forbes Avenue, near Stanwix Street was quiet. The Downtown streets were deserted but for a nearly empty bus, a couple of automobiles, a trolley at far right and a lone street cleaner. For many, it was a family day spent at home.
(Post-Gazette photo)
Jan. 1, 1962: ”Gus Brickner prepares to swim the icy Allegheny River”
If you’re making a list of the toughest dudes in Pittsburgh history, Gus Brickner certainly has to be near the top. Brickner was a steelworker from Charleroi who gained fame as an endurance swimmer unaffected by cold weather. He’s probably best known for his annual New Year’s Day plunge into the Monongahela River, a tradition continued by our city’s Polar Bear Club.
But Brickner’s most amazing feat occurred on January 24, 1963. On that day, as temperatures dipped to 18 degrees below zero, Brickner swam the width of the Monongahela River at Dunlevy. A towboat ahead of him smashed a path through ice 10-inches thick. ”My whole body was encased in ice as soon as I got out of the water,” Brickner told a reporter.
The effort set a cold-weather swimming record will stand forever. Guinness closed the category for safety reasons after several people died trying to surpass Brickner.
Twice Brickner attempted to swim the English Channel. In 1957, he was pulled from the water 4 1/2 miles from his goal. He came closer in 1960, but lost consciousness 400 yards from shore. The swim took 18 hours. Gus lost 18 pounds.
Brickner swam every day except Christmas. By 1985, he had logged more than 38,000 miles. After tacking on 500 more, he stopped counting. That was in 1986. Brickner was 75 years old. He kept swimming for pleasure until his death at age 79 in 1991.
(Photo credit: Unknown)
![New Year’s Eve party, 1964. Teenie Harris. [Carnegie Museum of Art]](http://25.media.tumblr.com/c68811949aa762da508ded1d2941c363/tumblr_mfpchxrhxp1qakblyo1_500.jpg)
![Steel and Holly: Christmas in Pittsburgh (1925)
By Frances Lester Warner [Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh]
To know what Pittsburgh is really like at Christmas-time, you should be at least eight different persons besides yourself, each with a separate geography and point of view.
First, you should be the traffic officer at the corner of Liberty and Sixth, near Penn, with ‘The Store Ahead’ at the right of you, the ‘Five and Ten’ at the left of you, and the cross-town cars shuttling past you, at the very vortex where the parcel-bearing shoppers from Squirrel Hill and Soho, Shadyside, Mars, and the Panhandle all convene. (more)](http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lwz2idHRmR1qakblyo1_500.png)
Steel and Holly: Christmas in Pittsburgh (1925)
By Frances Lester Warner [Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh]
To know what Pittsburgh is really like at Christmas-time, you should be at least eight different persons besides yourself, each with a separate geography and point of view.
First, you should be the traffic officer at the corner of Liberty and Sixth, near Penn, with ‘The Store Ahead’ at the right of you, the ‘Five and Ten’ at the left of you, and the cross-town cars shuttling past you, at the very vortex where the parcel-bearing shoppers from Squirrel Hill and Soho, Shadyside, Mars, and the Panhandle all convene. (more)
![Santa and elves exiting airplane, 1960s. Teenie Harris. Carnegie Museum of Art.
“Men and women dressed in Santa and elf costumes exit an airplane on a landing strip, as the pilot and landing crew watch with excitement. To the right of the door, the plane has painted on its side ‘10 tons of toys given by, Santa’s Workshop, North Pole N.Y., Flown By, …so Sky Reindeer, Operation Toylift,’ with a Christmas tree next to it. This was probably a charity toy drive that brought toys to children in Pittsburgh.” [Historic Pittsburgh]](http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lwz53qMiSG1qakblyo1_1280.png)
Santa and elves exiting airplane, 1960s. Teenie Harris. Carnegie Museum of Art.
“Men and women dressed in Santa and elf costumes exit an airplane on a landing strip, as the pilot and landing crew watch with excitement. To the right of the door, the plane has painted on its side ‘10 tons of toys given by, Santa’s Workshop, North Pole N.Y., Flown By, …so Sky Reindeer, Operation Toylift,’ with a Christmas tree next to it. This was probably a charity toy drive that brought toys to children in Pittsburgh.” [Historic Pittsburgh]
![Girl with Christmas tree, 1930. Dorsey-Turfley Family Photographs, Senator John Heinz History Center. [Historic Pittsburgh]](http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lwz213D0hm1qakblyo1_1280.png)
Girl with Christmas tree, 1930. Dorsey-Turfley Family Photographs, Senator John Heinz History Center. [Historic Pittsburgh]
![Children’s Christmas party at the Lewis Center, 1925. Pittsburgh City Photographer Collection, Archives Service Center, University of Pittsburgh [Historic Pittsburgh]](http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lwz4fdlNCv1qakblyo1_r1_1280.png)
Children’s Christmas party at the Lewis Center, 1925. Pittsburgh City Photographer Collection, Archives Service Center, University of Pittsburgh [Historic Pittsburgh]
Dec. 5, 1976: “Sunday Christmas Shoppers”
Cash registers rang out a Merry Christmas tune in the three biggest stores in the Golden Triangle on this particular Sunday. Retailers that had been banned from conducting Sunday sales for years by Pennsylvania’s Blue Laws finally opened their doors on that day to Christmas shoppers.
According to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, stores opened for Sunday business after the state Supreme Court issued orders prohibiting prosecution of Blue Law violators “until the validity of the controversial statutes can be tested in the courts.”
Downtown streets, particularly Grant and Smithfield streets and Liberty and Sixth avenues, were jammed with cars most of the afternoon. Shoppers crowded the main sales floors of Gimbels and Kaufmann’s. And people seemed to be buying, not just looking, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported.
(Photo by Anthony Kaminski, The Pittsburgh Press)
![Christmas entertainment at H.J. Heinz Company, 1912 [Historic Pittsburgh]](http://24.media.tumblr.com/8972102743321c4431e774f8df6de095/tumblr_mf8kc5f98a1qakblyo1_500.png)
On This Day in Pittsburgh History: December 11, 1944
Thousands of Monday night Christmas shoppers were stranded Downtown by a 15-inch snowfall; all hotels were filled to capacity and lobbies were pressed into service as shelter; mills, schools, and many other activities were forced to suspend for two days. [Historic Pittsburgh; The Pittsburgh Press]
Chatham College sophomores make decorations for the Christmas Dance, 1955 [University of Pittsburgh Digital Archives]
Window display at Uptown Sales in Chambersburg, Pa., c. 1950. Manufactured by Gardner Displays in Pittsburgh, Pa. [Flickr]
Nov. 25, 1960: “The Day after Thanksgiving”
Black Friday in 1960 was not the busiest shopping day of the year. Although people did go shopping, this part of Downtown photographed on Forbes Avenue, near Stanwix Street was quiet. The Downtown streets were deserted but for a nearly empty bus, a couple of automobiles, a trolley at far right and a lone street cleaner. For many, it was a family day spent at home.
(Post-Gazette photo)
