About Pittsburgh
The Pittsburgh
region has been nicknamed "Roboburgh" by the Wall Street Journal. This
region
has over 100 firms involved in the Robotics Industry. The long established Robotics Institute
at
Carnegie Mellon helped define this "Robo Corridor" which involves a
wide range of robotics-related organizations.
Robot Hall of Fall
Other
interesting firsts of Pittsburgh
Long-Distance Electricity - 1885
Westinghouse Electric developed alternating current, allowing long-distance
transmission of electricity for the first time.
First Air Brake - 1869
The first practical air brake for railroads was invented by George
Westinghouse in the 1860s and patented in 1869. In the same year he organized
the Westinghouse Air Brake Company. With additional automatic features
incorporated into its design, the air brake became widely accepted, and
the Railroad Safety Appliance Act of 1893 made air brakes compulsory on
all American trains.
Library, Carnegie: Allegheny -- 13 February 1890
The Carnegie Library in Allegheny City, the first library given under the
Carnegie formula, was opened to the public after being dedicated
by President Benjamin Harrison.
First Ferris Wheel - 1892/1893
The first Ferris Wheel, invented by Pittsburgh native and civil engineer,
George Washington Gale Ferris (1859-1896) was in operation at the World's
Fair (Columbian Exposition) in Chicago. It was over 264 feet high and was
capable of carrying more than 2,000 passengers at a time.
First Museum of Modern Art - 1895
The Carnegie Museum of Art opened as the world's first museum of modern art - 1895
The First World Series - 1903
The Boston Pilgrims defeated the Pittsburgh Pirates five games to three
in baseball's first modern World Series in 1903. The Pirates lost the final
game 4-3, before a crowd of 7,455 in Boston. Four of the series' games
were played in Pittsburgh.
First Banana Split - 1904
The banana split was invented by Dr. David Strickler, a pharmacist, at
Strickler's Drug Store in Latrobe, Pennsylvania.
Motion Picture Theater -- 19 June 1905
The first theater in the world devoted exclusively to the exhibition of
motion pictures was the "Nickelodeon," which was opened by Harry Davis in an
empty store at 433-435 Smithfield Street, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It had
96 seats taken from Davis' theaters. Among the first films
were "Poor But Honest" and "The Baffled Burglar."
The First Baseball Stadium in the U.S. - 1909
In 1909 the first baseball stadium, Forbes Field, was built in Pittsburgh,
followed soon by similar stadiums in Chicago, Cleveland, Boston, and New York.
Forbes Field closed in 1970 when Three Rivers Stadium opened. PNC Park is the
newest replacement with opening set for 2001.
The First Gas Station - December, 1913
In 1913 the first automobile service station, built by Gulf Refining Company,
opened in Pittsburgh at Baum Boulevard and St. Clair Street in East Liberty.
It was designed by J. H.Giesey.
Daylight Saving Time -- 31 March 1918
Daylight Saving Time, promoted by Robert Garland, of Pittsburgh, went into effect.
First U.S. Commercial Radio Station - KDKA - November 2, 1920
Dr. Frank Conrad, assistant chief engineer of Westinghouse Electric, first
constructed a transmitter and installed it in a garage near his home in
Wilkinsburg in 1916. The station was licensed as 8XK. At 6 p.m. on Nov. 2, 1920,
8KX became KDKA Radio and began broadcasting at 100 watts from a make-shift
shack atop one of the Westinghouse manufacturing buildings in East Pittsburgh.
The world's first broadcast by a commercially licensed radio station
was the Harding-Cox presidential election returns of November 2, 1920,
on KDKA Radio, Pittsburgh.
First Bingo Game - early 1920's
Hugh J. Ward first came up with the concept of bingo in Pittsburgh and began
running the game at carnivals in the early 1920s, taking it nationwide in 1924.
He secured a copyright on the game and wrote a book of Bingo rules in 1933.
Klondikes ice cream - 1929
Another Isaly's original, is a vanilla ice cream bar dipped in
chocolate and packaged in a silver wrapper. When Sam Isaly invented them
in 1929, klondikes sold for a nickel each.
First Zippo Lighter - 1932
George G. Blaisdell invented the Zippo lighter in 1932 in Bradford, Pennsylvania.
You can even find the name of the manufacturing location, either Bradford or
Niagara Falls, Canada, stamped on the bottom of every Zippo lighter. The name
Zippo was chosen by Blaisdell because he liked the sound of the word "zipper" -
which was patented around the same time in nearby Meadville, PA.
Polio Vaccine -- 26 March 1953
Dr. Jonas E. Salk, a 38-year-old University of Pittsburgh researcher and
professor, reported success of a new polio vaccine tried on human beings;
the vaccine was developed by him and his staff at Pitt.
First All-Aluminum Building - ALCOA - August 1953
The first aluminum-faced skyscraper was the Alcoa Building, a 30-story, 410 foot
structure with thin stamped aluminum panels forming the exterior walls.
Atomic-Powered Electric Plant: Shippingport -- December 1957
The world's first full-scale atomic-powered plant for production of
electricity was opened at Shippingport, Pennsylvania, for the Duquesne Light Company.
First Retractable Dome - September 1961
Pittsburgh's Civic Arena boasts the world's first auditorium with a retractable roof.
First Pull-Tab on Cans - 1962
The pull-tab was developed by Alcoa and was first used by Iron City Brewery
in 1962. For many years, pull-tabs were only used in this area.
First Big Mac - 1967
Created by Jim Delligatti at his Uniontown McDonald's, the Big Mac debuted
and was test marketed in three other Pittsburgh-area McDonald's restaurants
in 1967. By 1968 it was a mainstay on McDonald's menus throughout the
country and, eventually, the world.
Mr. Yuk Sticker - 1971
First Mr. Yuk Sticker was created at the Poison Center at Children's
Hospital of Pittsburgh after research indicated that the skull and crossbones
previously used to identify poisons had little meaning to the children of today - 1971
First Night World Series Game - 1971
Game 4 of the 1971 World Series was the first night game in Series history.
Pittsburgh tied the series in that game with a 4-3 win and went on to win
the series, 4 games to 3. This was one of the last big moments in the career
of well-loved Pirate, Roberto Clemente. Fourteen and a half months after
the 1971 World Series, he died in a plane crash off the coast of his native
Puerto Rico as he attempted to take food, clothing and medical supplies
to earthquake victims in Nicaragua.
Robotics Institute - 1979
Carnegie Mellon University established First Robotics Institute - 1979
The Smiley :-) was the first Internet emoticon - 1980
The first emoticon was created by Carnegie Mellon University computer scientist, Scott Fahlman, in 1980
Point State Park's fountain:
This is right at the tip of the golden triangle (downtown)
is fed by a glacial formation and sprays 6,000 gallons per minute.
Pittsburgh Steelers:
First NFL Team To Win Four Super Bowls: In a six year period between the
1974-76 and 1979-80 seasons, the Steelers won Super Bowls IX, X, XIII, and XIV.
Long-Distance Electricity - 1885
Westinghouse Electric developed alternating current, allowing long-distance
transmission of electricity for the first time.
First Air Brake - 1869
The first practical air brake for railroads was invented by George
Westinghouse in the 1860s and patented in 1869. In the same year he organized
the Westinghouse Air Brake Company. With additional automatic features
incorporated into its design, the air brake became widely accepted, and
the Railroad Safety Appliance Act of 1893 made air brakes compulsory on
all American trains.
Library, Carnegie: Allegheny -- 13 February 1890
The Carnegie Library in Allegheny City, the first library given under the
Carnegie formula, was opened to the public after being dedicated
by President Benjamin Harrison.
First Ferris Wheel - 1892/1893
The first Ferris Wheel, invented by Pittsburgh native and civil engineer,
George Washington Gale Ferris (1859-1896) was in operation at the World's
Fair (Columbian Exposition) in Chicago. It was over 264 feet high and was
capable of carrying more than 2,000 passengers at a time.
First Museum of Modern Art - 1895
The Carnegie Museum of Art opened as the world's first museum of modern art - 1895
The First World Series - 1903
The Boston Pilgrims defeated the Pittsburgh Pirates five games to three
in baseball's first modern World Series in 1903. The Pirates lost the final
game 4-3, before a crowd of 7,455 in Boston. Four of the series' games
were played in Pittsburgh.
First Banana Split - 1904
The banana split was invented by Dr. David Strickler, a pharmacist, at
Strickler's Drug Store in Latrobe, Pennsylvania.
Motion Picture Theater -- 19 June 1905
The first theater in the world devoted exclusively to the exhibition of
motion pictures was the "Nickelodeon," which was opened by Harry Davis in an
empty store at 433-435 Smithfield Street, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It had
96 seats taken from Davis' theaters. Among the first films
were "Poor But Honest" and "The Baffled Burglar."
The First Baseball Stadium in the U.S. - 1909
In 1909 the first baseball stadium, Forbes Field, was built in Pittsburgh,
followed soon by similar stadiums in Chicago, Cleveland, Boston, and New York.
Forbes Field closed in 1970 when Three Rivers Stadium opened. PNC Park is the
newest replacement with opening set for 2001.
The First Gas Station - December, 1913
In 1913 the first automobile service station, built by Gulf Refining Company,
opened in Pittsburgh at Baum Boulevard and St. Clair Street in East Liberty.
It was designed by J. H.Giesey.
Daylight Saving Time -- 31 March 1918
Daylight Saving Time, promoted by Robert Garland, of Pittsburgh, went into effect.
First U.S. Commercial Radio Station - KDKA - November 2, 1920
Dr. Frank Conrad, assistant chief engineer of Westinghouse Electric, first
constructed a transmitter and installed it in a garage near his home in
Wilkinsburg in 1916. The station was licensed as 8XK. At 6 p.m. on Nov. 2, 1920,
8KX became KDKA Radio and began broadcasting at 100 watts from a make-shift
shack atop one of the Westinghouse manufacturing buildings in East Pittsburgh.
The world's first broadcast by a commercially licensed radio station
was the Harding-Cox presidential election returns of November 2, 1920,
on KDKA Radio, Pittsburgh.
First Bingo Game - early 1920's
Hugh J. Ward first came up with the concept of bingo in Pittsburgh and began
running the game at carnivals in the early 1920s, taking it nationwide in 1924.
He secured a copyright on the game and wrote a book of Bingo rules in 1933.
Klondikes ice cream - 1929
Another Isaly's original, is a vanilla ice cream bar dipped in
chocolate and packaged in a silver wrapper. When Sam Isaly invented them
in 1929, klondikes sold for a nickel each.
First Zippo Lighter - 1932
George G. Blaisdell invented the Zippo lighter in 1932 in Bradford, Pennsylvania.
You can even find the name of the manufacturing location, either Bradford or
Niagara Falls, Canada, stamped on the bottom of every Zippo lighter. The name
Zippo was chosen by Blaisdell because he liked the sound of the word "zipper" -
which was patented around the same time in nearby Meadville, PA.
Polio Vaccine -- 26 March 1953
Dr. Jonas E. Salk, a 38-year-old University of Pittsburgh researcher and
professor, reported success of a new polio vaccine tried on human beings;
the vaccine was developed by him and his staff at Pitt.
First All-Aluminum Building - ALCOA - August 1953
The first aluminum-faced skyscraper was the Alcoa Building, a 30-story, 410 foot
structure with thin stamped aluminum panels forming the exterior walls.
Atomic-Powered Electric Plant: Shippingport -- December 1957
The world's first full-scale atomic-powered plant for production of
electricity was opened at Shippingport, Pennsylvania, for the Duquesne Light Company.
First Retractable Dome - September 1961
Pittsburgh's Civic Arena boasts the world's first auditorium with a retractable roof.
First Pull-Tab on Cans - 1962
The pull-tab was developed by Alcoa and was first used by Iron City Brewery
in 1962. For many years, pull-tabs were only used in this area.
First Big Mac - 1967
Created by Jim Delligatti at his Uniontown McDonald's, the Big Mac debuted
and was test marketed in three other Pittsburgh-area McDonald's restaurants
in 1967. By 1968 it was a mainstay on McDonald's menus throughout the
country and, eventually, the world.
Mr. Yuk Sticker - 1971
First Mr. Yuk Sticker was created at the Poison Center at Children's
Hospital of Pittsburgh after research indicated that the skull and crossbones
previously used to identify poisons had little meaning to the children of today - 1971
First Night World Series Game - 1971
Game 4 of the 1971 World Series was the first night game in Series history.
Pittsburgh tied the series in that game with a 4-3 win and went on to win
the series, 4 games to 3. This was one of the last big moments in the career
of well-loved Pirate, Roberto Clemente. Fourteen and a half months after
the 1971 World Series, he died in a plane crash off the coast of his native
Puerto Rico as he attempted to take food, clothing and medical supplies
to earthquake victims in Nicaragua.
Robotics Institute - 1979
Carnegie Mellon University established First Robotics Institute - 1979
The Smiley :-) was the first Internet emoticon - 1980
The first emoticon was created by Carnegie Mellon University computer scientist, Scott Fahlman, in 1980
Point State Park's fountain:
This is right at the tip of the golden triangle (downtown)
is fed by a glacial formation and sprays 6,000 gallons per minute.
Pittsburgh Steelers:
First NFL Team To Win Four Super Bowls: In a six year period between the
1974-76 and 1979-80 seasons, the Steelers won Super Bowls IX, X, XIII, and XIV.
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Updated Apr. 4, 2005
CopyRight © 2005, Pittsburgh Robotics Society - All Rights Reserved
CopyRight © 2005, Pittsburgh Robotics Society - All Rights Reserved
