H Day
July 19, 2018
H Day is the day Pittsburgh got it's H back after a long political struggle with the Federal Post Office and the (unelected) US Geographic Board.
The first H Day was 107 years ago, July 19, 1911.
My partner and I have been celebrating H Day since 2011, the hundredth anniversary, and the holiday was popularized with an article in The Glassblock, the premier Pittsburgh web magazine, back in 2016.
The traditional way to celebrate H Day is to bake an H Cake, which is a special kind of chocolate stout cake, from local ingredients and local beer. Participating in the local economy and local food system are critical means of keeping those systems strong.
Per my 2016 article about the holiday:
July 19th, then, represents a day of victory. Pittsburgh’s “H” is more than just a particular spelling. It’s a symbol of pride and identity—we are “PGH” after all—and it’s a triumph of regional variety over standardization. We should recognize July 19th as a local holiday: H Day.
For 2018, lets use H Day, July 19th as a day to remember the ways that we as a region push back, sometimes, when we know what we are doing is right.
2018 Events
(If you want your event listed here, lemme know on social media)
Happy Hour Honoring pittsburgH
5:30pm to 7:30pm, Hough's Taproom, Greenfield
Presented by Houghs and The Incline. RSVP here.
2017 Coverage:
Video:
WTAE - Happy 'H' Day! A celebration of how Pittsburgh ISN'T Pittsburg
Print:
The Incline - Happy H Day, Pittsburgh!
2016 Coverage:
Print:
The Incline - Solving a mystery: Why does our Pittsburgh still have the ‘H’?
