Odd History. Hidden Stories. One City.
A podcast dedicated to the odd, mysterious, and forgotten history of Pittsburgh — produced with KDKA NewsRadio 1020 AM, the first commercial radio station in the world. Hosted by John Schalcosky and produced by Andrew Limberg.
What if history didn't have to be boring?
What if history felt less like a classroom lecture and more like two friends sitting around a campfire, sharing an incredible story they had just uncovered?
That simple idea became The Pittsburgh Oddcast.
After years of appearing on KDKA programs as a guest historian, John Schalcosky developed a friendship with KDKA producer Andrew Limberg. Both shared a love of storytelling, curiosity, and the strange corners of Pittsburgh's past. Together they began exploring a simple concept: a show dedicated entirely to the odd, mysterious, forgotten, and fascinating stories hidden throughout Western Pennsylvania.
Every week, John would dive into the archives, researching unusual events, forgotten people, lost places, historical mysteries, and overlooked achievements. He would then bring those discoveries into the studio, where Andrew served as the listener's guide—reacting, questioning, laughing, and helping transform historical research into a lively conversation.
The result wasn't just another history program.
It was a fireside chat about the stories Pittsburgh almost forgot.
"Dedicated to exploring all of the odd, mysterious & forgotten history of Pittsburgh lost to time. With intriguing & curious discoveries into Pittsburgh lore, this show is bound to entertain."— KDKA Radio official description
Every episode, host John Schalcosky explored a single topic in depth — sharing unique facts and forgotten stories from Pittsburgh's long, strange history. The show launched on KDKA Radio in April 2019 and ran for 48 episodes.
John had been a regular contributor to KDKA Radio programming for years before the Oddcast gave him the opportunity to go deeper — one story, told fully, each week.
Founder of the Odd, Mysterious and Fascinating History of Pittsburgh. John prepared each episode's topic, research, images, and historical material — bringing years of primary-source work to the KDKA microphone every week.
KDKA Radio's Andrew Limberg recorded, edited, assembled, and produced each episode for KDKA's digital and social channels. On air, Andrew was the listener's guide and straight man — adding commentary, humor, pacing, and reaction as John presented the stories live.
Historic KDKA broadcast microphone
The KDKA blimp — early broadcast era
Early KDKA broadcaster
At the consoleOn November 2, 1920, KDKA broadcast the returns of the Harding-Cox presidential election — and became the first licensed commercial radio station in the world. Every broadcast that has followed, on every frequency on Earth, traces its lineage to that night in Westinghouse's East Pittsburgh transmitter shed.
When John Schalcosky joined the KDKA Radio team with The Pittsburgh Oddcast in 2019, the show became part of a 100-year-old broadcast lineage — produced in the studios of NewsRadio 1020 KDKA and carried on the same signal that began it all.
John Schalcosky · Andrew Limberg · Rick Sebak
The Pittsburgh Oddcast grew out of a deeper local tradition of documentary storytelling and history — represented here alongside WQED's legendary Rick Sebak, whose decades of Pittsburgh documentaries helped define what it means to tell this city's stories with warmth, curiosity, and care.
Six doorways into the archive — ancient giants, aviation before Kitty Hawk, the hidden meanings of Pittsburgh's names, a Gilded Age scandal, the city's claim to world firsts, and the lost world of Olde Allegheny City. Press play and start anywhere.
A handful of episodes the host returns to again and again — the ones that opened doors to bigger projects, or simply capture what the show was all about.
“If people think Pittsburgh's history begins with Fort Pitt, they're missing hundreds of millions of years of the story. This episode remains one of the best introductions to how deep Pittsburgh's history truly goes.”
— John Schalcosky“One of my favorite investigations. It challenged a story most Americans think they already know and opened the door to a much larger conversation about innovation, evidence, and historical memory.”
— John Schalcosky“This episode explored an idea that would later become one of my largest projects—documenting and verifying Pittsburgh's remarkable contributions to world history.”
— John Schalcosky“Research that would later become one of my largest historical projects and change the history of the game itself.”
— John Schalcosky“One of the most enjoyable episodes to research. It captures the feeling that entire worlds can disappear while still leaving traces all around us.”
— John Schalcosky“A reminder that history often hides in plain sight. Every neighborhood, street, river, and community carries a story waiting to be rediscovered.”
— John Schalcosky"A must for anyone who identifies as a Pittsburgher."
Yinzburgher · ★★★★★ · Apple Podcasts"John is such a great story teller. It has re-ignited a fire in me for history."
cooper1739 · ★★★★★ · Apple Podcasts"Some great stories about the growth and history of the city. Keep them coming!"
Expittriate · ★★★★★ · Apple Podcasts
Two years of digging up the odd, mysterious, and forgotten history of Pittsburgh — recorded at the world's first radio station. From nine-foot giants said to have roamed the three rivers and the most infamous jailbreak in history, to a secret island community, the real birthplace of aviation, sit-downs with Pirates voice Greg Brown and Mayor Bill Peduto, the road to KDKA's 100th anniversary, and the quietly prophetic 1918-flu finale that aired as the modern world shut down. Search the run, or press play and wander.
In 2020, the world changed.
Like countless productions across the globe, The Pittsburgh Oddcast came to an unexpected end as the COVID-19 pandemic reshaped daily life and brought many creative projects to a halt. The microphones fell silent, the weekly recordings stopped, and the show concluded after forty-eight episodes.
But the passion behind it never disappeared.
What began as a radio program evolved into something much larger. In the years that followed, John Schalcosky continued expanding the mission that had always driven the Oddcast: uncovering forgotten stories, preserving family histories, exploring genealogy, building educational programs, and helping others discover the extraordinary hidden within the ordinary.
Through Odd Pittsburgh, The Curiosity Club, military biography projects, historical presentations, family-history research, digital archives, and a growing collection of educational websites, the work continued to expand in new directions.
Along the way came triumphs and hardships alike. John navigated serious health challenges, deepened his research into history and ancestry, explored new creative tools and technologies, and continued sharing stories with audiences throughout the region. Through it all, the support of his wife Lisa and their three children—Anthony, Chael, and Julian—remained at the center of the journey.
Today, the work continues through The Curiosity Archives and a growing collection of projects dedicated to preserving history, inspiring curiosity, and connecting people to the stories that shape their lives.
John Schalcosky has appeared as a guest on podcasts and radio programs beyond the Oddcast, bringing the same curiosity and depth to conversations about Pittsburgh history and the Odd Pittsburgh project. This Spotify playlist collects those appearances.
John Schalcosky · Guest on the I'll Call You Right Back Podcast · Ep. 213
Playlist curated by John Schalcosky · Updated periodically