Pittsburgh. It’s the ‘City of Champions’ and the ‘City of Bridges’, but did you know that Pittsburgh could also, for many things, be considered the ‘City of Firsts’? It’s true. In all of its ups and downs, Pittsburgh has continued to be a leader in original content! Pittsburgh is the city that developed the first Polio vaccination, the first banana split, the first emoticon :o and much, much more. So, living in such an original and innovative city, we here at Vibrant Pittsburgh decided to create a short ‘Did You Know’ list of three awesome things that originated in Pittsburgh!
Did You Know?
1. Zombies. While the concept of zombies may date back hundreds of years, because of its rich culture and history of zombie folklore, Pittsburgh is considered the “home of the zombie”. Carnegie Mellon alumni, George A. Romero, chose the city of Pittsburgh as the setting for “Day of the Dead” and Pittsburgh’s Monroeville Mall as the setting for “Dawn of the Dead”. In addition, Pittsburgh is known for hosting the largest ‘Walk of the Dead’ every October.
2. The Big Mac. Invented in 1967 by Pittsburgh’s very own, Jim Delligatti, the McDonald’s Big Mac was first created and distributed at Dellegatti’s south-east Uniontown, Pennsylvania restaurant. Designed to compete with the Big Boy, the Big Mac caught on like wild-fire and by 1968 was added to all U.S. McDonald’s menus.
3. The Ferris Wheel. Making its debut at the 1893 Chicago World Fair, the Ferris wheel was invented by Pittsburgh local, George Washington Gale Ferris, Jr. Ferris, who lived at 1318 Arch Street on the Central North Side, was an engineer working in the Pittsburgh Railroad industry when he first heard of the coming World Fair. After receiving backing from many famous Pittsburgh engineering companies, Ferris took his idea and began construction of the world’s first Ferris Wheel.
While at times Pittsburgh may seem like a small city, there is no doubt that it is filled with big ideas! Home to many innovative and globally impacting inventors, Pittsburgh is a city with a rich history and an even more promising future. If you’re interested in seeing some more of Pittsburgh’s firsts, stop by the Heinz History Center and check out the greatness that is the city of Pittsburgh.
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