Autonomia

Autonomia

Share this post

Autonomia
Autonomia
Points in Pittsburgh
Copy link
Facebook
Email
Notes
More

Points in Pittsburgh

Prohibition, Ayn Rand and Roberto Clemente

Scott Holleran's avatar
Scott Holleran
Jun 09, 2021
∙ Paid
8

Share this post

Autonomia
Autonomia
Points in Pittsburgh
Copy link
Facebook
Email
Notes
More
2
Share
Cathedral of Learning at University of Pittsburgh

This is the first article in a new series about America’s steel city. Pittsburgh hosts the baseball club with one of the world’s greatest athletes on its roster for 18 years. Pittsburgh’s where this native Pittsburgher learned in earnest about Prohibition’s horrors. Pittsburgh’s where my parents were born, met, married and attended university, including classes in this tower. They worked at various industrial companies—in skyscrapers and steel mills—and started a family here. The city links to native St. Petersburger Ayn Rand. I’m visiting Pittsburgh for research as I write this.

Pittsburgh hosted a Smithsonian Institution exhibition about Prohibition several years ago, which I attended at the riverside Heinz History Center in the Strip District. The chilling display and tutorial, which was partly based on Last Call by Daniel Okrent, moved and inspired me. This monstrous law, which triggered the income tax, propelled matriarchalism and f…

Keep reading with a 7-day free trial

Subscribe to Autonomia to keep reading this post and get 7 days of free access to the full post archives.

Already a paid subscriber? Sign in
© 2025 Scott Holleran
Privacy ∙ Terms ∙ Collection notice
Start writingGet the app
Substack is the home for great culture

Share

Copy link
Facebook
Email
Notes
More