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Pittsburgh has been home to many firsts in the United States. The first commercial radio station (1920), first Ferris wheel (1893), first Ice Capades (1940), first public TV station in the U.S. (1954), first retractable dome (1961), first aluminum building (1953), and first World Series Game to be held at night (1971).
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The first polio vaccine was developed by Dr. Jonas Salk in Pittsburgh in 1954.
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The smiley face emoticon was invented in Pittsburgh by a computer scientist at Carnegie Mellon University, named Scott Fahlman (1980s).
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There are more certified 'green' buildings in Pittsburgh then in any other U.S. city.
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There is a running and bike trail that spans 245 miles from Pittsburgh to Washington, D.C. It is called the Great Allegheny Passage.
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Pittsburgh has more bridges (446 in total) than any other city on earth, including Venice, Italy.
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The Carnegie Museum of Art opened in 1895 in Pittsburgh, making it the first modern art museum in the world.
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Many celebrities have been born and raised in Pittsburgh including Andy Warhol, Michael Keaton, Jeff Goldblum, Demi Moore, and Christina Aguilera.
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Pittsburgh has been known as the Steel City because it played a large part in producing steel early in America's history.
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Steel made in Pittsburgh was used to construct the Golden Gate Bridge in California and the Empire State Building in New York.
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The first Jeep was made in Pittsburgh.
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The Pittsburgh Steelers football team won six Super Bowls in their years in the league so far.
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Many tech firms are located in Pittsburgh including Apple, Intel, and Google.
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Pittsburgh is a popular tourist destination with many sports, entertainment, museums, theatre, and concert opportunities.
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Pittsburgh is home to many universities, colleges, and research institutions, including Penn State, Carnegie Mellon, and Slippery Rock University, among many others.
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Pittsburgh has been home to several important health discoveries and advancements, including the first polio vaccine, perfecting organ transplantation, discovery of vitamin C, liver resection, youngest heart-lung transplant, first liver-kidney-heart transplant, and many more.
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Many films have been shot in whole or in part in Pittsburgh, including The Dark Knight Rises, Jack Reacher, The Fault in Our Stars, Kingpin, The Mothman Prophecies, and Inspector Gadget.
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Many popular food inventions were created in Pittsburgh including the Big Mac, Heinz Ketchup, the Klondike Bar, chipped ham, and fried zucchini strips.
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In 1891 the city name Pittsburgh lost the 'h' at the end. After 20 years of protest it was restored by the U.S. Board on Geographic Names.
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