RiverQuestion of the Month

November 2009

 

Question:

Brooklyn Bridge. Ferris Wheel. What's the Pittsburgh connection?

Answer:

The connection is two brilliant inventors with Pittsburgh histories.

Located on Smallman Street in Pittsburgh's Strip District, Senator John Heinz Regional History Center, in association with the Smithsonian Institution, features a fascinating long-term exhibit on "Pittsburgh: A Tradition of Innovation." 

Among HUNDREDS of examples of Pittsburgh innovations, the exhibit helps bring to life a variety of historical models from Pittsburgh's 250-year history, including a movable model of George Ferris' amazing revolving wheel, showcased as part of the 1893 Columbian Exposition in an effort to eclipse the Eiffel Tower, and a detailed, 1/8-scale model of John Roebling's Monongahela Bridge, the first bridge to successfully use wire cables for support

As a Smithsonian-affiliated museum, the History Center was able to borrow several items directly from the Smithsonian Institution that showcase the worldwide influence of local innovators, including John Roebling's 1846 wire cable patent model.

For more information on how to visit our friends at the History Center,

visit their website at www.heinzhistorycenter.org.

Comment?  Question?  Invention?

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