Iconic Pittsburgh

The Steel City has boasted some of the most famous figures, landmarks and innovations in the country’s history. Pittsburgh’s past is littered with dozens of fascinating stories behind the icons that define it. Mary Schenley was the city’s biggest benefactress of the 19th century, gifting the site of the 425-acre park in her name, but her fortune was almost lost when she eloped at the age of 15. The first ever call-in radio talk show began at famed KDKA in 1951, inspiring the birth of an entire industry. Mount Washington offers tourists sweeping views of the city today, but it once supplied coal to Pittsburghers and was the site of a 16-year underground mine fire. In this first book, I identify and profile the best people, places and things in Pittsburgh’s grand history.