The Pittsburgh Oddcast

EPISODE XLVIII of the #PittsburghOddcast Inspiration and update When the world we live in can change so quickly, I seek out inspiration from the words of Fred Rogers. Enjoy this quick update on the status of the #PittsburghOddcast and #ThatsItFortPitt. See omnystudio.com/policies/listener for privacy information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this episode, we discuss Pittsburgh's reaction to the 1918 Influenza Pandemic that encapsulated the city by something only seen before in the medieval days of the Black Death! Many moves are being taken now by government, local sports teams and colleges but they are not unprecedented! We then tell tales from S. Trevor Hadley's book “Only In Pittsburgh” including a story from 1909 that drives fear into the heart of every yinzer – plummeting to your certain doom, backward while on the Incline.  We also share some unusual prophecies written in 1928 predicting “Pittsburgh of the Future”.   #ThatsItFortPitt See omnystudio.com/policies/listener for privacy information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week we decided to add an extra story to our Trilogy of Tales and added a fourth one. Learn about the meteor that nearly destroyed Pittsburgh, The FBI's file on Roberto Clemente, the “Strange Genius” who composed over 1,500 works that he kept under lock and key and tales of Pittsburgh's mafia past! See omnystudio.com/policies/listener for privacy information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this episode, we looked at the unusual and unique history of our former neighbor, Allegheny City. We talk about why it is home to so many bizarre legends and share tales of some the most unusual characters to walk its streets from the “Healing Priest of Troy Hill” to stories of “Clockwatcher Louie” and John Brashear. This episode is a fun look at the some of the forgotten memories and characters who made up the town See omnystudio.com/policies/listener for privacy information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this episode, we decided to dive deep into some bizarre legends of “Hell Town”, tell tales of a cursed idol that lives within the walls of the Carnegie, and all other types of Pittsburgh odds and ends, bits and bobs and miscellaneous bric-a-brac. #ThatsItFortPitt See omnystudio.com/policies/listener for privacy information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

 In celebration of #BlackHistoryMonth, we invited the founder of the Greater Hazelwood Historical Society, JaQuay Edward Carter on to discuss the importance & legacy of Pittsburgh's African American legacy. See omnystudio.com/policies/listener for privacy information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

KDKA's March to 100 & more with special guest - program director of both KDKA & 93.7 The Fan, Jim Graci.  In this third episode of what is an ongoing saga leading up to the 100th Anniversary of KDKA Radio on November 2, 2020, KDKA Radio and 93.7 The Fan's Program Director, Jim Graci joins us. Graci has been involved in the business of radio for almost 50 years! Beginning with spinning records on his local station at 15 years old to doing every job there is in front of a mic & behind one, his passion for radio is vibrant. See omnystudio.com/policies/listener for privacy information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this sports-themed episode of the #PittsburghOddcast, the 26-year veteran Pirates play-by-play announcer, Greg Brown joins us once again to talk all things baseball, football and more! Since 1882, the Pirates have played 20,950 games of which, Greg has called 4,142 of them! We dive deep into the origins of the game, discover the origin of how we came to be known as the Pirates, talk about the legends who have played here & how there is a parallel to Football to be observed. We also go behind the scenes of Steve Blass' last three games in the broadcast booth and the emotions that everyone felt that weekend. In addition we get into more current Pirates news, new additions to the broadcast team, tales of the MLB cheating scandal and play a difficult game of Pirates trivia. So “clear the deck, cannonball coming!” See omnystudio.com/policies/listener for privacy information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

KDKA's “March To 100” with guest Robert Mangino In addition to the #PittsburghOddcast, Robert & I have a segment that we do LIVE every other Saturday called “This Week in Pittsburgh History”. We have talked in detail, about all historical anniversaries that have occurred over the course of 365 days and somehow, we still have more to talk about! In this episode of which is an ongoing saga leading up to the 100th Anniversary of KDKA on November 2, 2020, talk show host Robert Mangino, a decade-long KDKA veteran, joins us to discuss his story of how even as a young boy in New Castle, the passion for talk radio was strong. We also ask many philosophical questions about using your position to help others and the importance of giving – even if all you can give is a smile. See omnystudio.com/policies/listener for privacy information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Passion, murder, sensational, infamous – these are all words that could be said about Kate Soffel and the notorious Biddle Boys. From their sensational escape from jail with the assistance of the Warden's wife to how they met their tragic end, this episode has it all. Stay tuned to the end because we answer your questions! See omnystudio.com/policies/listener for privacy information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Pittsburgh has been the home to hundreds of thousands of unique individuals over the course of its history. There are many who came before us whose stories have begun to fade from our consciousness. These are the stories of three Pittsburghers just like you and me, who have a story to tell – one that was not meant to be forgotten.  See omnystudio.com/policies/listener for privacy information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

“Happy New Year!”  We here at the #PittsburghOddcast wanted to share a few hints at what's to come in 2020 including possible LIVE shows, events, more Celebrity guests and our buildup to some of our most epic shows yet on the likes of Carnegie, Heinz and more. Happy Odd Year!! #ThatsItFortPitt See omnystudio.com/policies/listener for privacy information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

There are so many wonderful tales in Pittsburgh's holiday past, it was hard to pick just three of them to share. Nonetheless, what we uncovered about a man named Gusky, was one of the most fascinating and heartwarming tales I think we've ever come across. In this holiday themed episode of the #PittsburghOddcast, we read “Letters to Santa” from the little boys and girls of Allegheny City & Pittsburgh from 1897, we discuss the legality of Santa Claus in Pittsburgh and discover that “Yes Virginia, there IS a Santa Claus” at least according to the courts in Allegheny County. See omnystudio.com/policies/listener for privacy information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this magical episode of the Pittsburgh Oddcast, fresh from filming his Discovery Science Channel show “Houdini's Last Secrets”, the nationally touring magician, escape artist and entertainer, Lee Terbosic joins us to talk about the history of illusionists in Pittsburgh, his magical obsession with Harry Houdini, what it's like to hang out with David Copperfield and what magic means to each of us. #ThatsItFortPitt See omnystudio.com/policies/listener for privacy information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this special holiday episode of the #PittsburghOddcast, we invited a very special guest from the North Pole, Pittsburgh's very own Santa Claus! Many people have donned the suit throughout Pittsburgh's history but there has only been one “official” Santa Claus of Pittsburgh and that is “Santa John” Suhr. From leading the holiday parade to enjoying a residency in Market Square & the Heinz History Center, Santa John does it all. See omnystudio.com/policies/listener for privacy information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

“Jeremy Raymer – The Maestro of Pittsburgh's Murals” Public art stirs the imagination & encourages people to perceive more deeply the City they live in. Walking around Pittsburgh, chances are you've almost certainly seen the work of artist Jeremy Raymer. From bio-mechanical & nuclear engineer to one of the best public artists & most proficient muralists our city has ever seen, Jeremy has literally done it all. I n this episode of the Pittsburgh Oddcast, we invited Jeremy to join us in talking about the importance of Public Art and what inspires him to create some of his famous art - from small portraits to 500ft murals. We find out what it's like to see the city as an everlasting canvass and we dive deep into the philosophical question behind seeing the “art” in everything that we do. An inspiring tale behind the motivation, determination and drive of an artist. See omnystudio.com/policies/listener for privacy information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The history behind our Rivers and the events that have taken place along its shores have been widely known however, the Islands of Pittsburgh have many fascinating & forgotten tales to be told. In this episode of the #PittsburghOddcast, we everything from a decades-old secret island community to a floodplain hardwood forest featuring one of the rarest plant community types in the World. We find out who Neville, Herr and Brunot were, find out where George Washington really “landed” and dive deep into stories behind the legends of Pittsburgh's “Lost Islands”. See omnystudio.com/policies/listener for privacy information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

There are thousands of tales from Pittsburgh's past that become lost to time. From heroes on the Monongahela to a disaster in the Liberty Tunnels, these are some of the many tales that need to be told. In this first "Trilogy of Tales" episode of the #PittsburghOddcast we dive deep into three of these stories and look at the importance of remembering what came before us.  From unsung heroes to the worst river disaster to strike Pittsburgh.   See omnystudio.com/policies/listener for privacy information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

KDKA Radio: The March To 100 The Saga of KDKA and the Birth of Radio – Part 1 In this first episode of what will be an ongoing saga leading up to the 100th Anniversary of KDKA Radio on November 2, 1010, KDKA Radio's Morning News host for 18 years & a 31-year long KDKA veteran, Larry Richert joins us to discuss the early origins of Radio in Pittsburgh. From tales of how Westinghouse was involved early on to the invention of “Radio Telegraphy” in 1899. We also discuss the importance of radio within history and its status in the culture of the “internet-age”. Pittsburgh, it truly is someplace special. #ThatsItFortPitt See omnystudio.com/policies/listener for privacy information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

From tales of ghostbusting, to horrors along a haunted road, what makes a “ghost story” so fascinating? In this final “Halloween-themed” episode in our “Trilogy of Terror” we invited special guest Thomas White, who not only has written multiple books on ghosts, witches & haunted tales of Pittsburgh but is also an adjunct professor of History and the University Archivist of Duquesne University. We dive deep into looking at the truth behind some of the most famous paranormal legends in Western PA and discovery meaning behind the ultimate importance in the quest for truth and how sometimes, the true story is more bizarre than the legend. See omnystudio.com/policies/listener for privacy information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

What does Bingo, Aluminum, Movie Theaters, Gas Stations & Pro Sports have in common? The all had their origins in #Pittsburgh! In this fun episode of the #PittsburghOddcast we explore the origins & legends behind some of the most well-known inventions of humankind and how they all almost unbelievably got their start in our city. See omnystudio.com/policies/listener for privacy information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

October 30, 2015 was a memorable day for Odd Pittsburgh host John Schalcosky. Late KDKA midday host Mike PIntek invited him on the show for a couple segments to talk ghosts, ghouls and odd stories about Pittsburgh. Pintek ended up doing something that day he had never done in all his years of hosting, he had John on for almost the entire show! We wanted to remember our friend Mike and remember the great conversation that day. See omnystudio.com/policies/listener for privacy information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this episode of the #PittsburghOddcast we decided to share some of our own tales of the macabre, the origins of the name and idea of "Odd, Mysterious & Fascinating", and many other strange and unusual tales. See omnystudio.com/policies/listener for privacy information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In one of the darkest times in American history, Pittsburgh played a major role in the Civil War. From the manufacturing of the largest cannon ever made to the worst civilian disaster, there are many fascinating tales to be told. In this episode of the Pittsburgh Oddcast, Civil War historian, Rich Condon joins us as we explore Pittsburgh's pivotal role in the War of the Rebellion - from tales that pitted “brother-vs-brother to the parallels of modern Society and just how important it is to learn from the past. See omnystudio.com/policies/listener for privacy information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this episode of the Pittsburgh Oddcast we conclude our Trilogy of shows where we look at the history behind the names of Western Pennsylvania places, people & things. We feature tales behind the history of every single hospital in Pittsburgh, the origin of iconic Pittsburgh foods and we finally find out who Taylor Allderdice actually was and explore the many names of Pittsburgh's City Schools. See omnystudio.com/policies/listener for privacy information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

With little formal education, a struggling South Side steel worker named John A. Brashear became one the most successful pioneers and producers of telescopes in the world. This is the story of how a man with a passion for wonderment, defied all the odds to became one of the most cherished Pittsburghers of all time. See omnystudio.com/policies/listener for privacy information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In 1887, two years after Elizabeth Cochran, a native of Cochrans Mills in Burrell Township, launched her career with a response to an angry, chauvinistic editorial that appeared in the Pittsburgh newspapers, and two years before she raced around the world in 72 days, “Nellie Bly” stormed in the offices of the New York World and pulled off one of the most courageous feats in the history of investigative journalism. In this episode of the Pittsburgh Oddcast, we explore the differences between Miss Elizabeth Cochran and her alter-ego, Nellie Bly. We dive deep into her many interesting achievements and stories beyond her most famous tales. See omnystudio.com/policies/listener for privacy information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this episode we dig deep into the stories of the individuals who would unwillingly take part in one of the most infamous love-triangles in modern history. From obsession to passion, insanity to innocence – this episode has it all. See omnystudio.com/policies/listener for privacy information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this second episode featuring the “Voice of the Pirates” Greg Brown, we discuss more of the legacy of what it means to represent a small group of talent who have had the historic opportunity to give their voice to Pittsburgh baseball over the years. You'll learn about how Brown is partially responsible for a Mike Lange catch phrase and here him impersonate some of baseball broadcasting's biggest names! See omnystudio.com/policies/listener for privacy information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On August 5th, 1921 an event occurred in Pittsburgh that would forever change all of sports history - the very first broadcast and play-by-play of a baseball game in radio history. While there were many people who assisted (including Bing Crosby) there would be only four people to take the reigns as the lead broadcaster and "Voice of the Pirates". Rosey Rowswell, Bob Price, Lanny Frattare and Greg Brown. See omnystudio.com/policies/listener for privacy information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

“There Will Be Blood” - the Great Railroad Strike of 1877 On July 21 1877, the height of the Railroad Riots reached its peak in Pittsburgh. As a crowd of rioting railroad workers and their families gathered downtown, the PA National Guard was called in to help disperse the crowd. What happened next is one of the darkest days in modern Pittsburgh history. In this episode we dive deep into a story direct from the newspapers, which tells of the mayhem and destruction that encapsulated the city.   See omnystudio.com/policies/listener for privacy information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

George Westinghouse – the Genius, the Inventor & the War of the Currents – PART 2 The conclusion of our story about George Westinghouse takes a captivating turn when he hires a 32-year-old, relatively unknown inventor named Nikola Tesla to come work & live in Pittsburgh! On this episode of the Pittsburgh Oddcast, we explore the fascinating tale of the friendship between Westinghouse & Tesla and how together, they revolutionized the modern world. See omnystudio.com/policies/listener for privacy information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

George Westinghouse was not alone a great inventor, but also an amazing organizer, and above all, a visionary. It is hard for us to even realize the very scope & extent to the diversity of his activities.  Westinghouse filed one patentable invention every six weeks for 48 years, this along with all of his wide-ranging companies & ideas. Realizing that a happy & safe workforce was essential, he was considered by many as a “Gentle Genius” and was admired by his workers. See omnystudio.com/policies/listener for privacy information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We are all familiar with the great museums around Pittsburgh, but did it all begin with the Carnegie?  In this episode of the #PittsburghOddcast, we visited Richard Pell, the founder of the world-famous Center for Post-Natural History to talk about what it is like to own a museum of your own and the history of Pittsburgh's very first museum - James Reid Lambdin's Museum.  We then dive deep into the fascinating story of the infamous character street preacher Robert Lansberry, who Richard also has a connection to.  See omnystudio.com/policies/listener for privacy information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this episode of the Pittsburgh Oddcast, we bring on special guest, Gloria Forouzan to discuss the importance of female history, Pittsburgh's Suffragist movement & many other wonderful, important stories of the women who made up Pittsburgh's past. See omnystudio.com/policies/listener for privacy information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this week's episode of the #PittsburghOddcast, we had the opportunity to sit down and talk about the history of our great city with none-other then the current Mayor of Pittsburgh, Bill Peduto. We discuss some of our favorite factoids about mayors of the past, our favorite time period in Pittsburgh's history, just what it is like to be the Mayor of a major city and even sage advice from the Dalai Lama. See omnystudio.com/policies/listener for privacy information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Allegheny County! It's the banner county of the Union!” – Abraham Lincoln, Pittsburgh, February 14, 1861. What do George Washington, Charles Dickens, and  Mark Twain have in common? They all visited Pittsburgh and granted us with memorable quotes along the way. In this episode of the #PittsburghOddcast, we read verbatim some of what these well-known historical figures had to say about our “Smoky City” and dive deep into one of the most infamous quotes in Pittsburgh history - “Hell with the lid off”. See omnystudio.com/policies/listener for privacy information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Like St. Nicholas, whose life morphed into the legendary Santa Claus, John Chapman's real life was so unusual that it inspired a legend. The true stories of the people behind the legends are often more interesting & inspirational than the folklore themselves. In this episode of the Pittsburgh Oddcast, we put on our tin-can hats & dive deep into the legend of the man behind the myth & how the true story begins right here in our very own city, Pittsburgh. See omnystudio.com/policies/listener for privacy information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

PITTSBURGH (Newsradio 1020 KDKA) - "As I got down before the canoe, I spent some time viewing the rivers, and the land in the fork, which I think extremely well situated for a fort, as it has the absolute command of both rivers”. George Washington, Pittsburgh 1753 As a 21yr old Major in the British Colonial Army, a young George Washington set off on a journey that would lead him to our Three Rivers and later, the presidency of the United States. He would visit Pittsburgh at least seven more times during his life – from marching with Gen. Braddock on his ill-fated ‘Battle of the Monongahela' to leading a force of 12,000 American soldiers to put an end to the Whiskey Rebellion. See omnystudio.com/policies/listener for privacy information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Many Pittsburghers may know of our City's worst flood – the Great St. Patrick's Flood of 1936, but one much more devastating seems to have washed away from people's memories as quickly as it occurred - the Butcher's Run Flood of 1874. See omnystudio.com/policies/listener for privacy information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

What's in a Name – Part Deux  What do you know about the origin of the naming of various things around Pittsburgh? Who was McKee & where are his ‘rocks'? Was Ellwood City named after a Blues Brother? Avalon – the ‘Land of Apples'? In our first-ever follow-up episode of the Pittsburgh Oddcast on the history and origin of Pittsburgh's names, we answer listener mail, talk Turkey (Devonshire, that is), discuss the importance of naming things for perpetuity sake and discover that Moon & Mars were quite possibly, not named after their celestial counterparts after all. See omnystudio.com/policies/listener for privacy information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Did you know that the only American ever arrested and accused of being the notorious ‘Jack the Ripper' once lived in Pittsburgh!?! In this episode of the Pittsburgh Oddcast, we explore some of the most unusual and sensational tales of murder that have afflicted our City in the past.   See omnystudio.com/policies/listener for privacy information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices