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In 1758, an army led by General John Forbes drove the French from Fort Duquesne, and he renamed the area in honor of British statesman William Pitt. DUQ celebrates 250 years since the naming of Pittsburgh with a year-long series looking at where the region has come in that time.

Every Monday, DUQ News offers stories that covers topics like the rivers, the people, the architecture, the music, the neighborhoods, and the innovations that made Pittsburgh great. The first Monday of each month, a long form news story on one of these topics will air during the broadcast of Morning Edition. Shorter reports in the series will on subsequent Mondays, during Morning Edition, Day to Day, and All Things Considered.

Listeners are invited to participate in the series by submitting essays and story ideas relating to the history of Pittsburgh and what the city means to them. Send submissions to pittsburgh@wduq.org.

Pittsburgh: A Sound Portrait

Click here to hear the current theme.

What does Pittsburgh's history sound like? DUQ's Bob Studebaker attempted to answer this question when he produced the "sounder" (the theme heard on Monday's before each new story in this series). It's an evolving piece that currently includes the following elements: a train whistle, Pete Seeger singing "Pittsburgh Town", a street car and bell, Errol Garner's "Misty", Pirates Broadcaster Bob Prince "You can kiss it goodbye!", a boat whistle, The Clarks "Cigarette", a heart monitor and heartbeat.

Pittsburgh's First 250 Years is made possible by generous support of the McCune Foundation.

This project is made in conjunction with the Allegheny Conference on Community Development's Pittsburgh 250 Celebration.