The holocaust began around noon on April 10, 1845, in an icehouse on Second Avenue. By the time it was over two-thirds of the city had burnt to the ground. The city lost over 1200 landmarks, including the Monongahela Bridge (the predescessor of the modern day Smithfield Street Bridge.) Over 50 acres were consumed in the conflagration and the city suffered over $9,000,000 in damages.

Pittsburgh in the 1800s was the scene of many devastating events, including seven cholera epidemics from 1832 to 1855. Floods were a seasonal event, and some of these floods were massive in scale. Through it all, Pittsburghers have characteristically come together as neighbors and made it through the hard times.