Fun Facts About the ‘Burgh Historical Facts • Pittsburgh was named in 1758, by General John Forbes, in honor of British statesman William Pitt.
• Carnegie Museum of Natural History has the authentic Tyrannosaurus Rex holo bones on display, which are the original specimens upon which their respective species are based.
• One of Pittsburgh’s earliest industries was the manufacturing of boats for settlers to use to enter the Ohio country.
• During World War II Pittsburgh produced 95 million tons of steel towards the war effort.
• The University of Pittsburgh (Pitt) was chartered in 1787.
• President Obama selected Pittsburgh as the site for the world’s G-20 Summit in 2009 due to its resilient economy.
• George Washington’s only defeat was when French forces overwhelmed Fort Necessity, (near Uniontown) in 1754 to begin the French-Indian War. • Andrew Carnegie formed the Edgar Thompson Steel Works which later became the Carnegie Steel Company. Photo Information: Top left to right: The City of Pittsburgh Andrew Mellon; City Flag; Steel Workers; Mr. Yuk; Carnegie Museum of Natural History Tyrannosaurus Rex display; Bob Marley at The Stanley Theatre; The Bat Symbol during filming of The Dark Knight; Classic Bingo Spinner;
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• There used to be 17 inclines in Pittsburgh, horses were allowed on the incline, but no mules.
Fun Facts • More than 50 major films have been made in Pittsburgh including Wonder Boys, The Deer Hunter, Sudden Death, Inspector Gadget and The Dark Knight Rises. • Pittsburgh is within 500 flying miles of more than half the country’s population. • The emoticon (smiley faces used online and in text messages) was invented in 1980 by Carnegie Mellon University computer scientist Scott Fahlman. • Reggae superstar Bob Marley’s final concert was in Pittsburgh, at the Stanley Theater (now the Benedum Center for the Performing Arts) on September 23, 1980. • Pittsburgh is home to several highly respected universities including the University of Pittsburgh, Duquesne University, Carlow University and Carnegie Mellon University. • Pittsburgh has a total of 446 bridges in the city. Three more than Venice, Italy which is often referred to as the “City of Bridges.”
• Pittsburgh claims 24 sister cities around the world. A few of them are: Zagreb, Croatia; Sheffield, United Kingdom; Terrassa, Spain; Matanzas, Cuba; Misgav, Israel and Da Nang, Vietnam. • Tommy James came to Pittsburgh to recruit members of the Shondells after a KDKA disc jockey made a hit of Hanky Panky two years after he had recorded it. • Pittsburgh Steelers first theme song was a polka.
Famous Firsts • KDKA was the world’s first commercial radio station beginning broadcasts in November of 1920. • The Pittsburgh Gazette was the first newspaper west of the Allegheny Mountains and was founded in 1789.
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