Celebrating America’s 250 — Pittsburgh Style
Our unique stories are still what unites us.
PHOTO BY BECKY THURNER BRADDOCK
I recently had a surreal experience.
On the June 10 episode of “Jeopardy!” one of the categories was “Pittsburghers” — and one of the clues referenced Pittsburgh Magazine’s 2018 list of the 50 Greatest Pittsburghers of All Time. So cool!
The clue posed to contestants was, “Atop Pittsburgh Magazine’s “50 Greatest Pittsburghers,” this TV personality never left a letter from a child unanswered.”
The answer, as any true Pittsburgher knows, was Fred Rogers. He was No. 1 for obvious reasons, but my familiarity with how he, and the rest of the greatest Pittsburghers, arrived on the list brought a smile to my face.
I was part of the editorial team that sifted through the history of our city’s most notable figures to choose who belonged in the feature. Perhaps because we knew this list would have to be timeless, there was plenty of what I’ll call passionate debate. Mister Rogers was a shoo-in for No.1, but who should be No. 2? No. 10? No. 50?
Ultimately, our Top 5 were:
1. Fred Rogers
2. August Wilson
3. Andrew Carnegie
4. Rachel Carson
5. Jonas Salk
We took this task very seriously because we knew the list would reflect our community — and community also plays an important role in our July issue.
As part of our annual Best of the ’Burgh poll, we asked readers to vote for their favorite places, spaces and personalities in more than 100 categories. The results from your votes are published in the magazine.
This year, my fellow editors and I highlighted a few of the poll winners that happen to be our favorites as well. See how our community voted, starting here.
The July issue also recognizes America’s 250th birthday with a special look at our city’s role in the semiquincentennial celebration, including the journey of a single U.S. flag that has flown over every state (and overseas) before arriving at the National Flag Foundation headquarters in Pittsburgh.
Next, the 5-by-8-foot Stars and Stripes will head to Washington D.C., escorted by 250 motorcyclists. While the current political atmosphere is a divisive one, you’ll find in Mark Houser’s comprehensive piece that our unique stories, and the flag we stand under, is still what unites us.
