Senator John Heinz History Center

The Heinz History Center and Western Pennsylvania Sports Museum celebrate Major League Baseball’s announcement that Negro League statistics are now incorporated into the official record books. Pittsburgher and Hall of Famer Josh Gibson now holds the record for career batting average, career slugging percentage, career OPS. One of the most prodigious hitters in baseball history, Gibson was a star catcher for the Homestead Grays and Pittsburgh Crawfords. His powerful swing and arm strength made him a menace around the Negro Leagues – and now his achievements are officially recognized within the historical records. As Crawfords teammate and pitcher Satchel Paige (who now sits in third place with the MLB’s best earned run average) said, “You look for his weakness, and while you’re lookin’ for it, he’s liable to hit 45 home runs.” From 1937 to 1945, with the help of future Hall of Famers such as Gibson, “Cool Papa” Bell, Judy Johnson and Buck Leonard, the Homestead Grays won an unprecedented nine consecutive league pennants and three Negro League World Series titles. While the Grays developed into a perennial powerhouse, the city’s other Negro League team, the Pittsburgh Crawfords, were also a formidable franchise. Owned by successful businessman Gus Greenlee, the team enticed all-star players Gibson and Oscar Charleston to leave the Grays to play for the Crawfords. With a stacked roster and financial stability, they developed into one of the best teams in baseball, peaking with a Negro National League championship in 1935. Plan your visit today to the Western Pennsylvania Sports Museum learn more about our region's rich Negro League tradition. 📸 1929 Pittsburgh Crawfords, Gibson is fifth from the left. Courtesy of Lou Swartz.

Congratulations to the 2024 History Makers Award honorees! The History Center is proud to celebrate these incredible individuals and to share their remarkable stories.

Tonight, the Heinz History Center will honor six exceptional individuals who have profoundly contributed to our region at the 31st annual History Makers Award Dinner, presented by BNY Mellon and Citizens. This year’s awardees represent a commitment to excellence that has defined our community, and we are proud to recognize them tonight at our annual black-tie benefit at the Westin Pittsburgh. Congratulations to the 2024 History Maker Award honorees: Charlie Batch, MSOL and Latasha Wilson-Batch, M.S, NCC (Community) - Founder and Executive Director, Best of the Batch Foundation Diane Holder (Leadership) - Executive Vice President, UPMC, President and CEO, UPMC Health Plan William Pietragallo, II (Law) - Founding Partner, Pietragallo Gordon Alfano Bosick & Raspanti, LLP Manny Sanguillén (Sports) - Pittsburgh Pirates Catcher, 1971 and 1979 World Series Champion Velma Scantlebury-White, MD, FACS, GCM (Healthcare) - Co-Founder and CMO, Delaware Health Equity Coalition Inc., Adjunct Professor, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth

Happy Birthday, Nellie Bly! 🎉🎈    #OnThisDay 160 years ago, legendary Apollo, Pa. journalist Nellie Bly, who famously pioneered a new era of investigative journalism in the late 19th century, was born.   If you’re traveling through the airport today, be sure to stop by her lifelike figure outside of security and wish her a happy birthday!     Learn more about Nellie’s incredible life and see the small handbag she carried around the world in 1889 (perhaps the world’s best packed carry-on bag of all time?!) in the Senator John Heinz History Center’s new exhibition, A Woman’s Place: How Women Shaped Pittsburgh, open now.    #NellieBly #OTD #Pittsburgh #PittsburghAirport #HeinzHistoryCenter #HappyBirthdayNellieBly

Pennsylvania State Representative Lindsay Powell recently presented Heinz History Center President and CEO Andrew Masich with a special proclamation honoring the History Center for its national recognition as the #1 history museum in America by USA Today. Thanks to Rep. Powell for your support and for helping us make history! #Pittsburgh #HeinzHistoryCenter #BestHistoryMuseum  

Vintage Pittsburgh returns to the Heinz History Center this Saturday, April 6! Join us from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. to shop vintage treasures from local sellers.

The History Center will host the 31st Annual History Makers Award Dinner on Thursday, May 16, at The Westin Pittsburgh. This year’s honorees profoundly contribute to the innovative history and collective heritage of our region and represent a commitment to excellence that has defined our community. The 2024 History Makers Award Dinner honorees are: Charlie Batch, MSOL and Latasha Wilson-Batch, M.S, NCC (Community) - Founder and Executive Director, Best of the Batch Foundation Diane Holder (Leadership) - Executive Vice President, UPMC, President and CEO, UPMC Health Plan William Pietragallo, II (Law) - Founding Partner, Pietragallo Gordon Alfano Bosick & Raspanti, LLP Manny-Sanguillén (Sports) - Pittsburgh Pirates Catcher, 1971 and 1979 World Series Champion Velma Scantlebury-White, MD, FACS, GCM (Healthcare) - Co-Founder and CMO, Delaware Health Equity Coalition Inc., Adjunct Professor, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth Please contact Angela Gaitaniella, Corporate Relations Director, at [email protected] for more information on ways to support the History Center through History Makers Award Dinner sponsorship. #HistoryMakers #HistoryMakers2024 #HMAD2024 #HMAD #Pittsburgh #HeinzHistoryCenter

Anne Madarasz, chief historian and director of the Western Pennsylvania Sports Museum, joined Sean L. Gibson and Roberto Clemente Jr for a presentation on Celebrating Diversity in Pittsburgh's Baseball History last night. In our new exhibition, A Woman's Place: How Women Shaped Pittsburgh, visitors will have the opportunity to learn more about and see artifacts from the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. The new exhibit opens Saturday, March 23 - mark your calendars!

From pioneering investigative journalism to leading their country to Olympic gold, Western Pennsylvania women have made an immeasurable impact in America, but too often, their stories have been overlooked.  Beginning this spring, the History Center will flip the script and take an unprecedented deep dive into the lives of these fierce and unflappable women who helped change the world inside a major new exhibition, A Woman’s Place: How Women Shaped Pittsburgh, opening on March 23, 2024.  Take an interactive, thematic journey through women’s history from the early 1800s to modern day that will showcase the stories of entrepreneurs and activists, artists and athletes, scientists and inventors, and changemakers and barrier breakers. Through more than 250 artifacts, immersive experiences, and striking archival images, A Woman’s Place will reveal how women have made Pittsburgh and the world a better place.   #WomensHistoryMonth #ComingSoon #NewExhibit #AWomansPlace #WomensHistory #PittsburghHistory