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Forgotten Tales
Forgotten Tales of Pittsburgh
Such was the wisdom of the Pittsburgh Daily Gazette and Advertiser in 1866 when describing a railway boss's threat to decapitate a former employee. Pittsburgh has many such stories of strange but mostly true events.
Local author Thomas White delves into these lost tales, from Lewis and Clark's inauspicious start involving an intoxicated boat builder to the death ray of inventor Nikola Tesla. A 1907 lion attack at Luna Park, death by spontaneous combustion, Jack the Ripper's rumored visit to the city and an umpire who was rescued from an angry crowd by Pirates players are all part of the forgotten history of the Steel City.
Local author Thomas White delves into these lost tales, from Lewis and Clark's inauspicious start involving an intoxicated boat builder to the death ray of inventor Nikola Tesla. A 1907 lion attack at Luna Park, death by spontaneous combustion, Jack the Ripper's rumored visit to the city and an umpire who was rescued from an angry crowd by Pirates players are all part of the forgotten history of the Steel City.
- GenresNonfiction
160 pages, Paperback
First published November 29, 2010
9 people are currently reading
57 people want to read
About the author
Thomas White
10 books12 followersThomas White is the university archivist and curator of special collections in the Gumberg Library at Duquesne University. He is also an adjunct lecturer in Duquesne's History Department and an adjunct professor of history at La Roche College. White received a master's degree in public history from Duquesne University. Besides the folklore and history of Pennsylvania, his areas of interest include public history and American cultural history. He is the author of Legends and Lore of Western Pennsylvania, Forgotten Tales of Pennsylvania, Ghosts of Southwestern Pennsylvania, Forgotten Tales of Pittsburgh and Forgotten Tales of Philadelphia (co-authored with Edward White), all published by The History Press.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
April 9, 2025
This book packs a lot of information. Where else can one get the just the highlight of the happenings?
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania is the only city in America that ends in “burgh”. All of the other “burgs” are spelled without an ‘h’. In page 147 you will learn why that is.
Twelve Nike Missile Bases in Pittsburgh.
Tesla asks Westinghouse to finance his death ray.
Black helicopters invade Pittsburgh.
A ghost in the county jail.
And so many other tales.
Author Thomas White tells the tales and some are humorously illustrated by Kyle McQueen. A great read for those interested in The Steel City.
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania is the only city in America that ends in “burgh”. All of the other “burgs” are spelled without an ‘h’. In page 147 you will learn why that is.
Twelve Nike Missile Bases in Pittsburgh.
Tesla asks Westinghouse to finance his death ray.
Black helicopters invade Pittsburgh.
A ghost in the county jail.
And so many other tales.
Author Thomas White tells the tales and some are humorously illustrated by Kyle McQueen. A great read for those interested in The Steel City.
February 26, 2021
A desperate collection of a hundred or so very short "true" stories that happened in and around Pittsburgh over the past 270 years. I was already aware of a few of them. Most of the ones I had not heard of are not really that interesting. A very quick and easy read.
April 13, 2020
Interesting stories
Easy read and very interesting. Enjoyed the stories immensely. Would mostly interest people from Western Pennsylvania or people who enjoy quirky facts.
Easy read and very interesting. Enjoyed the stories immensely. Would mostly interest people from Western Pennsylvania or people who enjoy quirky facts.
August 4, 2021
This was a fun quick read about different things that have happened around the Pittsburgh area over the years. I learned a few things for sure!
August 30, 2023
An enjoyable compilation of short but odd stories that happened in Pittsburgh in it's past.
January 9, 2026
I love learning interesting facts about my city almost as much as I like sharing the interesting facts with other (typically unwilling) people!
The stories in this book are the perfect size for "fact collectors" like myself. They give enough of the story to be memorable without overloading the reader with a ton of information. The stories range from tales of the first few European inhabitants of the Pittsburgh area all the way up through the modern era, so there is something for everyone in the book! I was actually surprised to learn that I knew a couple of the stories included in this collection, and I am thrilled to share the other stories soon!
The stories in this book are the perfect size for "fact collectors" like myself. They give enough of the story to be memorable without overloading the reader with a ton of information. The stories range from tales of the first few European inhabitants of the Pittsburgh area all the way up through the modern era, so there is something for everyone in the book! I was actually surprised to learn that I knew a couple of the stories included in this collection, and I am thrilled to share the other stories soon!
August 28, 2016
I picked this up at the Fort Pitt Museum. It is a collection of short (most only a couple of pages), interesting, true (mostly) stories taking place in the greater Pittsburgh area. Some are funny, unbelievable and some terribly sad.
"The New York Times ran an article on January 15, 1905, that illustrated just how dangerous industrial jobs were in the city of Pittsburgh. In the previous year, 17,700 people had been killed or maimed while performing industrial jobs in the city. As one might expect, 9,000 of those casualties occurred in the iron and steel mills. Four thousand casualties occurred in other mills, shops and factories. Railroads claimed 4,300 victims. The final 400 were injured or killed in coal mines. The companies blamed the high casualty rates on careless employees, but the workers had a different story. Very little money was spent on safety precautions and training because it was actually cheaper just to get another worker if something happened." (142)
"The New York Times ran an article on January 15, 1905, that illustrated just how dangerous industrial jobs were in the city of Pittsburgh. In the previous year, 17,700 people had been killed or maimed while performing industrial jobs in the city. As one might expect, 9,000 of those casualties occurred in the iron and steel mills. Four thousand casualties occurred in other mills, shops and factories. Railroads claimed 4,300 victims. The final 400 were injured or killed in coal mines. The companies blamed the high casualty rates on careless employees, but the workers had a different story. Very little money was spent on safety precautions and training because it was actually cheaper just to get another worker if something happened." (142)
August 20, 2016
While not as interesting as his book on witches, this collection of obscure trivia about Pittsburgh (mostly involving bad trolley and industrial accidents) highlighted the wilder aspects of the city's past. It also explained why Pittsburgh is the only city with an "h" at the end of "burgh" in America.
August 11, 2011
Interesting! Good research, a lot in here that you'd never know otherwise.
July 26, 2013
There is a reason these "tales" were forgotten.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews