13 Moments Everyone Born In Pittsburgh Will Always Remember
By Beth Price-Williams|Published February 27, 2018
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Beth Price-Williams
Author
A professional writer for more than two decades, Beth has lived in nearly a dozen states – from Missouri and Virginia to Connecticut and Vermont – and Toronto, Canada. In addition to traveling extensively in the U.S. and the U.K., she has a BA in Journalism from Point Park University (PA), a MA in Holocaust & Genocide Studies from Stockton University (NJ), and a Master of Professional Writing from Chatham University (PA). A writer and editor for Only In Your State since 2016, Beth grew up in and currently lives outside of Pittsburgh and when she’s not writing or hanging out with her bunnies, budgies, and chinchilla, she and her daughter are out chasing waterfalls.
What are some of the defining moments you remember from growing up in Pittsburgh? The kind of memories that we, collectively, as Pittsburghers share? Maybe, for example, you remember exactly where you when the Space Shuttle Challenger exploded after take off. Or, what you were doing when you heard the news that a prominent Pittsburgher – like Fred Rogers – passed away. Here are just 13 moments everyone born in Pittsburgh – depending on when you were born – is likely to remember (or to have heard stories about.)
1. Bottom of the ninth inning, game seven of the 1960 World Series. Bill Mazeroski hits a game – and series – winning home run at Forbes Field, as the Pirates best the New York Yankees to become world champions.
3. Pittsburgh Pirates great Roberto Clemente dies in a plane crash on December 31, 1972. Clemente is on his way to deliver supplies to an earthquake ravaged Nicaragua when the plane crashes just after takeoff. All five on board perish.
5. Cherrie Ann Mahan gets off of a school bus in Butler County on February 22, 1985 and is never seen again. Pittsburgh-area news stations broadcast stories each year on the anniversary of her disappearance.
6. Television viewers tune in to Mr. Belvedere, a sitcom based near Pittsburgh. The series, which frequently mentions Pittsburgh and its landmarks, runs for five seasons.
7. Pittsburgh grinds to a halt on March 13, 1993. The Blizzard of ’93, which shuts down the parkway and just about everything else, dumps 23.6 inches of snow on the city and its suburbs.
8. USAir Flight 427, traveling from Chicago to Pittsburgh, crashes in Hopewell Township on September 8, 1994. All 132 passengers and crew on board die.
10. Passengers fight to regain control from hijackers aboard United Airlines Flight 93 on September 11, 2001. The plane crashes into a field near Shanksville, 79 miles from Pittsburgh, claiming the lives of all on board.
11. The Steelers claim their sixth Super Bowl Championship, more than any other NFL team in history, with a 27-23 win over the Arizona Cardinals on February 1, 2009.
This list, of course, is just the beginning of the many moments in Pittsburgh’s history we likely collectively remember. What else would you add to the list? Want a taste of Pittsburgh’s history? Click here to discover the seven best historical restaurants in the Burgh.
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