On this day, April 7
1825 Western Theological Seminary was founded in Allegheny City by the Presbyterian Church.
1933 The Post-Gazette reported: “With a whoop of joy, thousands of parched Pittsburgh throats greeted the end of the Great Dry Era at 12:01 o’clock this morning.” Large crowds milled about outside Pittsburgh breweries waiting for first-legalized 3.2 beer.
1964 IBM introduced its System/360, the company’s first line of compatible mainframe computers that gave customers the option of upgrading from lower-cost models to more powerful ones. 1999 Construction began for the $228 million PNC Park, the new home of the Pirates, set to open in 2001. During a public “block party” to celebrate the groundbreaking, the Sixth Street Bridge was renamed the Roberto Clemente Bridge. (When this bridge opened in 1928, it was “the most beautiful bridge” erected in the U.S. or Canada that year, according to the American Institute of Steel Construction.)
2019 Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen resigned amid President Donald Trump’s frustration and bitterness over the number of Central American families crossing the southern border; Mr. Trump tweeted that U.S. Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Kevin McAleenan would take over as acting head of Homeland Security.
Some items are from Stefan Lorant’s “Pittsburgh: The Story of an American City” (digital.library.pitt.edu/chronology).
— Compiled by Rick Nowlin Today’s birthdays: Media commentator Hodding Carter III, 85. Former California Gov. Jerry Brown, 82. Movie director Francis Ford Coppola, 81. Singer John Oates, 72. Singer Janis Ian, 69. Actor Jackie Chan, 66. Former University of Pittsburgh running back and College and Pro Football Hall of Famer Tony Dorsett, 66. Actor Russell Crowe, 56. Former football player-turned-analyst Tiki Barber, 45. Actress Sian Clifford, 38. Actor Ed Speleers, 32. Actor Conner Rayburn, 21.
Thought for today: “Money is in some respects life’s fire: It is a very excellent servant, but a terrible master.” — P.T. Barnum, American showman (born 1810, died this date in 1891).