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Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

"The Steel City"

Built at the confluence of three rivers where Andrew Carnegie forged the steel that built America — Pittsburgh endured the collapse of its industry and reinvented itself as a leader in healthcare, education, and technology.

Founded 1758 | Population 302,971 | Peak 676,806 (1950) | County Allegheny County

Top 10 Most Important Events for Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

1875 Carnegie Steel Empire: Andrew Carnegie built his steel empire centered on Pittsburgh, eventually producing more steel than all of Great Britain. Carnegie Steel became U.S. Steel in 1901, the world's first billion-dollar corporation.

1892 Homestead Strike: A violent confrontation between striking steelworkers and Pinkerton agents at Carnegie's Homestead Works left 16 dead. The strike's defeat set back the labor movement in steel for decades.

2018 Tree of Life Synagogue Shooting: A gunman killed 11 people at the Tree of Life synagogue in the Squirrel Hill neighborhood. It was the deadliest antisemitic attack in American history.

1889 Johnstown Flood: The South Fork Dam, maintained by a private club of Pittsburgh industrialists including Carnegie and Frick, failed catastrophically. The resulting flood killed 2,209 people in Johnstown, 60 miles downstream.

1758 Fort Pitt Established: The British captured French Fort Duquesne and built Fort Pitt at the strategic confluence of the Allegheny and Monongahela Rivers, founding what would become Pittsburgh.

1955 Salk Polio Vaccine: Dr. Jonas Salk developed the polio vaccine at the University of Pittsburgh, one of the most important medical breakthroughs of the 20th century.

1985 Steel Industry Collapses: The collapse of the American steel industry devastated Pittsburgh, eliminating over 150,000 jobs. The city was forced to reinvent itself around healthcare, education, and technology.

1877 Great Railroad Strike: Railroad workers in Pittsburgh rioted during the national rail strike, burning 39 buildings and over 1,000 railroad cars. State militia killed 20 people in the confrontation.

1920 KDKA First Commercial Radio: KDKA in Pittsburgh became one of the first commercial radio stations in America, broadcasting the 1920 presidential election results and launching the age of broadcast media.

2009 Steelers Win Sixth Super Bowl: The Pittsburgh Steelers won their record sixth Super Bowl, more than any other NFL franchise, cementing the city's identity as a championship sports town.

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Latest News in Pittsburgh

Jan 1, 1970

Reeses Peanut Butter Cups Seasonal Candy Becomes Epic Fail

HARRISBURG, Pennsylvania – Back in May 2016, what was supposed to be a fun twist on a classic American treat quickly soured for …

Jan 1, 1970

Anti Trade Message Trump Targets Reagan Democrats

Washington, D.C. – In the thick of the 2016 presidential race, Donald Trump zeroed in on a key group of voters with his shar…

Jan 1, 1970

Pennsylvania Cop Shoots 12 Year Old Girl While Serving Eviction Notice

PITTSBURGH, Pa. — On a tense April 17, 2016, a police officer shot a 12-year-old girl during a routine eviction notice delivery,…

Jan 1, 1970

Trump and Clinton Leading Super Tuesday Polls

Washington, April 6, 2016 – As the 2016 presidential primaries rolled on, recent polls painted a clear picture of Donald Trump a…

Jan 1, 1970

Man Threatens Congressman Backing Hillary Clinton

Washington, DC – On March 28, 2016, a man was arrested after making explicit threats against a congressman who had publicly endo…

Jan 1, 1970

Man Assumes he Just Shot Buck Then Gets Closer Look and Realizes what it

RURAL PENNSYLVANIA — It was supposed to be a routine hunting trip, but what started as excitement quickly turned into a nightmar…

Complete Historical Timeline

1758 Government

Fort Pitt built at the three rivers

1816 Government

Pittsburgh incorporated as a city

1875 Industry

Carnegie builds steel empire

1877 Labor

Great Railroad Strike violence

1889 Disaster

Johnstown Flood kills 2,209

1892 Labor

Homestead Strike at Carnegie Steel

1901 Business

U.S. Steel formed — first billion-dollar company

1920 Science

KDKA broadcasts election results

1950 Government

Population peaks at 677,000

1955 Science

Salk develops polio vaccine at Pitt

1975 Sports

Steelers begin dynasty with four Super Bowls

1985 Industry

Steel industry collapse

2009 Sports

Steelers win sixth Super Bowl

2018 Crime

Tree of Life synagogue shooting

Did You Know?

Pittsburgh has 446 bridges — more than any other city in the world, including Venice — which is why it's sometimes called the 'City of Bridges'.

The polio vaccine developed by Jonas Salk at the University of Pittsburgh was never patented — when asked who owned the patent, Salk famously said 'The people. Could you patent the sun?'.

Pittsburgh lost more than half its population between 1950 and 2020, but its reinvention around healthcare (UPMC), education (Carnegie Mellon, Pitt), and robotics has made it a model for post-industrial cities.