That’s right- two posts this week! I missed my weekly adventure last week, but guess what, after a (hopefully) successful Econ exam and acing a history essay, I deserve a nice adventure, right? The weather’s also starting to feel like fall (43F low??!!!), so it’s high time to get going before things really get cold. The weather sure thought so!

Where to go? I aced a history test, why not a the Heinz History Museum! Let’s get learning!

Heinz History Center

The Heinz History Center started as a passion project of the Historical Society of Western Pennsylvania, the oldest cultural institution in Western Pennsylvania. It’s actually one of a system of museums that includes the Western Pennsylvania Sports Museum, Detre Library & Archives, Fort Pitt Museum and Meadowcroft Rockshelter and Historical Village. Oh yeah, I almost forgot, it’s technically a Smithsonian Museum.

The Museum has is 6 floors, but like any sandwich, the meat is in the middle.  I admit, American history isn’t my thing, but my the end I was pretty proud to live in Pittsburgh.

Pittsburg Innovations

This exhibit celebrates Pittsburg’s rich history from small colonial fort to steel city to the center of tech it is today.

As usual, location is key. Pittsburgh sits right on HUGE deposits of coal, iron, gas and steel- basically the building blocks of industry

But… before that, it’s thick woods and rich soil made it prime military territory. The Iriquois made good use of the land, then the French built a fort. Well, France and Britain got into a “bit of a spat” known as the French and Indian War and the British captured it. Who was in charge? Governor William Pitt- hence Pittsburgh (well, Fort Pitt for a while)!

This isolated fort got its act together and really started making use of it natural gifts:

coal mining => rail and steel => Industry => innovation

.. and who can forget Old Andrew Carnegie….

Among other things, Pittsburgh pioneered

Aluminium (used for the Space program)

The polio Vaccine

and…

the Jeep!

…and how can I forget the culture!

After an eye opening intro, I moved on to some highlight reels

Exhibit 2: Heinz Exhibit

Ever ask dip fries into ketchup or put relish on a hot dog? If so, thank Heinz. Given that I’m addicted to mustard, this exhibit really hit a deep note Henry John Heinz turned a family gardening and pickling business into a global empire. How? Well, to quote Heinz himself: by “do[ing] the common thing uncommonly”

So… what did this entail:

First, a focus on quality.

Sure, Heinz is associated with cheap canned food, but cheap doesn’t mean bad. Seriously, I’ve tried many types of fru- fru mustard and still haven’t one that beats Heinz.

Second (and probably more importantly), some seriously innovative marketing. To start, they came up with the “57” campaign. Baskin Robins took a page out of that book 😉 Then, there’s :

first electric sign in NYC, targeted ads

– even charms! I’d totally buy this!

Heinz is a truly inspiring and delicious story! Check it out!

Exhibit 3: Glass

Pittsburgh isn’t just a steel city; it’s also famous for its glass work.

The exhibit goes through the process and evolution of glassblowing.

Absolutely mind- Blowing (pun intended)

Exhibit 4: Clash of Empires

I know… this is quite a long post. I promise this is the last exhibit. To be honest, I was getting pretty close to my limit for American History, but why quit at the last one. I’m sure glad I didn’t:

The exhibit goes over the history of the French and Indian War, which laid the foundations of Pittsburgh as a city. The coolest part was hearing the perspective of the Indians.

While history is fascination, it’s not for everyone. Luckily, there’s an Innovation Lab where more STEM inclined visitors can have fun building away!

I thoroughly enjoyed the museum and recommend it to everyone, regardless of interest in history. The open setup, bright displays and interactive exhibits make it an engaging experiences for all ages.

Well, that’s it for this adventure. I had an amazing time and look forward to a great week ahead. I hope everyone does the same! Until next time, Bye!

 

 

 

 

• Pittsburgh