7 Things Pittsburgh Did First

Sure, we all believe Pittsburgh is a pretty amazing city. We managed to find some pretty interesting new trivia for you all—Pittsburgh firsts. The next time you want to impress newcomers, or remind Pittsburgh veterans of how awesome we are, bust out these fun facts about the ‘burgh!  Here are just a few of the things Pittsburgh did first!



1. We have the first team to win six Super Bowls.

7-things-pittsburgh-did-first




That’s right, as the Steelers Polka says, “we’re from the town with that great football team.” The Steelers are the first team to earn six rings. Their sixth Super Bowl was back in 2009 versus the Arizona Cardinals, where they won 27 to 23.



2. The first Bingo game was played in the ‘burgh.

7-things-pittsburgh-did-first

You wonder why there are so many opportunities to play Bingo in Pittsburgh! The game was born in the 1920s and originally used dried beans as markers. It was called “Beano” at the time.



3. Those pull tabs on pop and beer cans? Thank Pittsburgh.

7-things-pittsburgh-did-first

In 1962 Alcoa invented pull tabs that we use on beer and pop cans today. They were then called “zip tops” and were first used by Pittsburgh’s own Iron City Brewery.



4. The first Big Macs were eaten here.

7-things-pittsburgh-did-first

Jim Delligatti wanted to get more customers into his McDonald’s franchise with a delicious new and juicy burger. He invented the Big Mac and the Pittsburgher tested it out on locals. The rest is history.



5. We were among the first to incorporate Daylight Savings Time.

7-things-pittsburgh-did-first

The extra daylight during these summer days is due to a Pittsburgh city councilman named Robert Garland. He came up with the country’s first Daylight Savings plan in the year 1918.



6. We are home to the first simultaneous heart, liver and kidney transplant.

7-things-pittsburgh-did-first

Believe it or not, the first transplant of a heart, liver and kidney in one single operation was done at Presbyterian University Hospital as recent as 1989.



7. The first Mr. Yuk sticker was created in Pittsburgh.

7-things-pittsburgh-did-first

Back in 1971, the Poison Center at Children’s Hospital said that the skull and crossbones symbol meant something adventurous to children. They ended up creating the bright sticker with a smiley face with its face in a “yuck” form.



31 thoughts on “7 Things Pittsburgh Did First”

      1. KDKA was 2nd
        WSAJ was first – right up the road at Grove City College
        Little known fact and often misreported

        1. KDKA was the first commercial station to be granted a license on October 27, 1920. WSAJ, was one of the earliest AM educational radio stations and was licensed November 29, 1922—January 30, 2006 (now defunct.)

  1. The Big Macs were first made in Uniontown, not the Burg. It was one of Jim Delligatti’s stores but that first Big Mac was consumed about 50 miles south.

        1. I remember when Winky’s opened next door to Eat ‘N’ Park in Bridgeville. One’s still there; the other went the way of the 15-cent hamburger (or whatever was in those things). I remember the Winky’s burgers had bread filler in the ground beef to make them cheaper, but I loved that! The only fast-food decision that was tougher in the late-1960s was Burger Chef or Roy Rogers on Cochran Road.

    1. According to Wikipedia (so take that for it’s worth)…

      “The Big Mac was created by Jim Delligatti, an early Ray Kroc franchisee, who was operating several restaurants in the Pittsburgh area. It was invented in the kitchen of Delligatti’s first McDonald’s franchise, located on McKnight Road in suburban Ross Township.”

      https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Mac

        1. Big Mac hamburger

          After the war, Delligatti owned a drive-through restaurant in Newport Beach, California and, after meeting Ray Kroc at a restaurant fair in 1955, Delligatti started as a McDonald’s franchisee in 1957.[5][6] His franchise was based in Uniontown, Pennsylvania, about 40 miles (64 km) south of Pittsburgh, and his holdings grew to 48 stores.[1][2]

          Delligatti thought up the concept for the Big Mac in 1965 and started serving it at his Uniontown McDonald’s in April 1967 for 45 cents.[2][3] By 1968, the Big Mac was on the menu of every American McDonald’s, and in 1969, it accounted for 19% of total sales.[

      1. Wow Anthony, you must be a stockholder of Eat’n Park. Lol! Nine out of ten times that I eat there, I get that burger with extra sauce. Yummy!

  2. Also the place where the first Ferris Wheel was constructed, although it was built for the 1893 World’s Fair in Chicago.

  3. Forgot emojis!

    The Banana Split came from Latrobe…. almost Pittsburgh… kinda.

  4. Pirates first major league team to field a starting lineup of all non-white players.

  5. Penguins are my most favorite team. I watch every televised game. I live in Kingston, MA but Pittsburgh is my hometown. Back to back Stanley Cups…..WOW!

  6. Alcoa did not invent the pull top tab. While it’s true Iron city beer was the first to use it. The tab was invented by Emil Frazer in Dayton Ohio.

  7. FOP is a Pittsburgh first. The FOP was founded in Pittsburgh.Check any out of town cop’s arm patch. You will see, if the police force are members of the FOP, the Pittsburgs logo, I noted this in Mobile AL 20 years ago.
    The Fraternal Order of Police was founded in 1915 by two Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania patrol officers, Martin Toole and Delbert Nagle. They and 21 other members of the Pittsburgh Police met on May 14, 1915, establishing the Fraternal Order of Police its first local, Fort Pitt Lodge #1

    How about the 1st gas station? A century ago today, the world’s first drive-in gas station opened in Pittsburgh at the intersection of Baum Boulevard and St. Clair Street in East Liberty.

  8. Roberto Clemente Bridge, also known as the 6th Street Bridge, is a first of it’s type:
    In a very unusual, self-anchored suspension design, instead of heavy anchorages to hold the cable ends, rigid towers hold the ends apart. First of this type in US.

    Sixth St was formerly St. Clair St in Pittsburgh; it aligns with Federal St in the former city of Allegheny (Northside).

Comments are closed.

Scroll to Top