40.4418° N, 80.0008° W

PITTSBURGH

Most Famous People Born in Pittsburgh, United States

Notable people
2,110
Peak decade
1940s
Median birth year
1938
Most distinctive
Baseball 6.2×

A steel city with an unusually literary bench — novelists, screenwriters, and musicians at the top, the legacy of Carnegie Mellon and the University of Pittsburgh — alongside the expected baseball and basketball shelves. Pittsburgh's most famous son is Andy Warhol, with Gene Kelly, Gertrude Stein, Martha Graham, and Mary Cassatt a few shelves down; the philanthropic tradition is what happens when the Mellons, Fricks, and Carnegies all live on the same hill.

Through the Decades

One face per decade — the most globally famous figure born in Pittsburgh during each.

Notable Births by Decade

Click a decade to filter the list below. Peak: 1940s with 233 notable births.

What Pittsburgh Is Known For

Click any row to filter the list of people below.

Football is Pittsburgh's biggest profession — 11% of all notables (242).

Pittsburgh over-indexes on baseball6.2× the global rate.

Pittsburgh under-produces painter — only 0.7× the global rate.

  1. Football242
  2. Politician193
  3. Actor176
  4. Baseball148
  5. Lawyer72
  6. Basket69
  7. Music64
  8. Writer52
  1. Baseball1486.2×
  2. Novelist253.0×
  3. Basket692.6×
  4. Screenwriter232.5×
  5. Officer302.2×
  6. Music642.1×
  7. Lawyer722.0×
  8. Business361.7×
  1. Painter370.7×

Profession Mix Over Time

Each band shows a profession family's share of Pittsburgh's notable births by decade. Hover the chart for the breakdown at any decade.

175018001850190019502000
  • Sports
  • Politics & Law
  • Film & TV
  • Music
  • Writing
  • Science
  • Other
All2,110
Sort By

Showing 142 of 2,110 notable people

0002 ACTOR

Gene Kelly

1912 - 1996

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0017 DRUMMER

Art Blakey

1919 - 1990

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0018 THERAPIST

Albert Ellis

1913 - 2007

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0046 ASTRONOMER

William Alfred Fowler

1911 - 1995

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0047 DRUMMER

Kenny Clarke

1914 - 1985

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0051 SINGER

Billy Eckstine

1914 - 1993

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0057 SINGER

Roy Eldridge

1911 - 1989

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0061 ACTIVIST

Madalyn Murray O'Hair

1919 - 1995

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0064 ACTOR

John Hodiak

1914 - 1955

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0087 PHYSICIST

Clifford Shull

1915 - 2001

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0106 TRUMPET

Billy May

1916 - 2004

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0114 PIANIST

Earl Wild

1915 - 2010

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0131 BOXER

Billy Conn

1917 - 1993

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0140 PAINTER

William Baziotes

1912 - 1963

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0170 FILM

Marc Daniels

1912 - 1989

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0194 ACTOR

William Tracy

1917 - 1967

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0206 SINGER

Eddie Jefferson

1918 - 1979

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0225 FILM

Harold F. Kress

1913 - 1999

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0233 BOXER

Fritzie Zivic

1913 - 1984

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0248 JAZZ

Barry Galbraith

1919 - 1983

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0275 BOXER

Charley Burley

1917 - 1992

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0320 POET

James Laughlin

1914 - 1997

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0345 BOXER

Gus Lesnevich

1915 - 1964

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0361 FILM

Sidney W. Pink

1916 - 2002

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0364 ACTOR

Robert Gordon (director)

1913 - 1990

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0370 CARTOONIST

Jackie Ormes

1911 - 1985

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0387 PSYCHOLOGIST

Norman Farberow

1918 - 2015

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0409 MUSIC

Babe Russin

1911 - 1984

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0424 MUSIC

Eddie Safranski

1918 - 1974

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0453 BASEBALL

Hank Sauer

1917 - 2001

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0456 BOXER

Teddy Yarosz

1910 - 1974

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0458 ACTOR

Robert Osterloh

1918 - 2001

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0494 DIPLOMAT

Phillips Talbot

1915 - 2010

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0523 PAINTER

Herbert Gentry

1919 - 2003

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0526 MATHEMATICIAN

Elliott Waters Montroll

1916 - 1983

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0550 BIOLOGIST

James Grier Miller

1916 - 2002

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0573 WRITER

Florence Parry Heide

1919 - 2011

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0579 PHOTOGRAPHER

Louis R. Lowery

1916 - 1987

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0590 ACADEMIC

Bernard Fisher (scientist)

1918 - 2019

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0613 POLITICIAN

Sophie Masloff

1917 - 2014

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0616 GENETICIST

Norman Horowitz

1915 - 2005

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0657 PSYCHIATRIST

Robert Galbraith Heath

1915 - 1999

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0666 PHYSICIAN

William Larimer Mellon Jr.

1910 - 1989

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0684 CONDUCTOR

Henry Mazer

1918 - 2002

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0685 MUSIC

Fred Ramsey

1915 - 1995

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0693 POLITICIAN

Lawrence G. Williams

1913 - 1975

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0698 BASKET

Ed Melvin

1916 - 2004

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0703 MURDER

Joseph Yablonski

1910 - 1969

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0734 BISHOP

Joseph Michael Schmondiuk

1912 - 1978

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0759 ARCHITECT

Edgar Kaufmann Jr.

1910 - 1989

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0764 CAMPAIGN

Lem Billings

1916 - 1981

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0812 COACH

Ed Ulinski

1919 - 2006

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0823 TRUMPET

Tom Ebert

1919 - 2013

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0831 BASKET

Joe Fabel

1913 - 1967

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0840 ART HISTORIAN

George Heard Hamilton

1910 - 2004

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0853 BASKET

Dudey Moore

1910 - 1984

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0859 ACTOR

Ollie O'Toole

1912 - 1992

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0939 SCHOLAR

Avraham Goldberg

1913 - 2012

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0944 SINGER

Joan Whitney Kramer

1914 - 1990

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0949 SINGER

Ellen Faull

1918 - 2008

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0951 FINANCIER

Thomas Mellon Evans

1910 - 1997

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0973 PRIEST

William G. Connare

1911 - 1995

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0974 ENTREPRENEUR

Henry Hillman

1918 - 2017

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0975 BANDLEADER

LeRoy Holmes

1913 - 1986

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0998 ARCHITECT

Richard Foster (architect)

1919 - 2002

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1005 SCULPTOR

Sue Fuller

1914 - 2006

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1017 ACTOR

Keith Richards (attore)

1915 - 1987

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1031 MEDICAL

Vera Duss

1910 - 2005

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1037 NOVELIST

Preston Schoyer

1912 - 1978

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1040 WRITER

Irwin Shapiro (writer)

1911 - 1981

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1079 ACTOR

James Newill

1911 - 1975

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1090 RADIO

Porky Chedwick

1918 - 2014

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1116 CRIME

Michael James Genovese

1919 - 2006

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1124 BASKET

Bill Jesko

1915 - 1961

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1136 FOOTBALL

Jim Daniell

1918 - 1983

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1148 BUSINESS

Robert Saudek (television executive)

1911 - 1997

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1164 CRIMINAL

Frank Valenti

1911 - 2008

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1213 BASKET

Don Smith (basketball, born 1910)

1910 - 1994

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1230 SCREENWRITER

Coleman Jacoby

1915 - 2010

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1238 SOCIOLOGIST

Hugh H. Smythe

1913 - 1977

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1284 PRIEST

Charles E. Sheedy

1912 - 1990

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1318 FOOTBALL

Warren Heller

1910 - 2004

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1334 FOOTBALL

Ave Daniell

1914 - 1999

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1384 MILITAR

Ferdinand Thomas Unger

1914 - 1999

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1387 FOOTBALL

Ed Klewicki

1912 - 1997

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1390 BASKET

Ted Rigg

1913 - 2002

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1392 BASEBALL

Eddie Miller (infielder)

1916 - 1997

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1395 BASKET

Ed Kweller

1915 - 2003

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1402 BASKET

Sid Levine

1918 - 1999

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1404 MISSING

Darthea Speyer

1919 - 2014

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1412 FOOTBALL

Ted Schmitt

1916 - 2001

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1420 BASEBALL

Ed Sauer

1919 - 1988

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1421 BASKET

Marty Reiter

1911 - 1986

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1429 BASKET

Irv Brenner

1913 - 1991

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1435 BASKET

Ernie Fortney

1915 - 1987

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1440 BASKET

Freddie Crum

1912 - 1987

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1448 BOOKMAKER

Tony Grosso

1913 - 1994

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1471 CONDUCTOR

Gene Forrell

1915 - 2005

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1494 NOVELIST

Jigee Viertel

1915 - 1960

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1504 JOURNALIST

John Mecklin

1918 - 1971

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1509 POLICE

Vic Cianca

1918 - 2010

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1526 ANTHROPOLOGIST

Conrad M. Arensberg

1910 - 1997

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1557 BASEBALL

Lenny Levy

1913 - 1993

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1580 SCREENWRITER

Ellis Marcus

1918 - 1990

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1635 INTELLIGENCE

George Vujnovich

1915 - 2012

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1647 PAINTER

Edward Glannon

1911 - 1992

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1649 FOOTBALL

Bill Davidson (American football, born 1915)

1915 - 1970

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1652 BASEBALL

Gene Benson

1913 - 1999

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1661 POLITICIAN

Miriam Friedlander

1914 - 2009

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1663 OFFICER

Allison Brooks

1917 - 2006

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1665 FOOTBALL

Allen Nichols

1916 - 1981

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1670 POLITICIAN

Thomas M. Nolan

1916 - 1989

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1704 FOOTBALL

Tony Bova

1917 - 1973

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1717 BUSINESS

Milton Levine

1913 - 2011

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1755 PRIEST

Henry J. McAnulty

1915 - 1995

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1810 BUSINESS

Jack Buncher

1911 - 2001

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1839 LAWYER

Hubert Irving Teitelbaum

1915 - 1995

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1846 WRITER

Richard R. Werry

1916 - 1987

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1882 POLITICIAN

Frank O'Brien

1918 - 2006

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1884 POLITICIAN

C. L. Schmitt

1912 - 1993

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1889 POLITICIAN

Michael M. Mullen

1918 - 1978

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1901 JAZZ

Felix Giobbe

1914 - 1985

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1912 OFFICER

Robert Uhlmann

1919 - 1941

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1914 POLITICIAN

Andrew Fenrich

1914 - 1992

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1926 BASEBALL

Howie Gorman

1913 - 1984

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1939 POLITICIAN

Charles Caputo

1912 - 1986

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1951 POLITICIAN

Helen Gillette

1919 - 1991

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1977 POLITICIAN

Paul Lutty

1917 - 1988

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1987 POLITICIAN

Joseph Zord

1910 - 1994

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2003 BASKET

Paul Widowitz

1917 - 2007

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2005 OFFICER

Arthur V. Ely

1912 - 1942

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2017 WRITER

Robert W. Krepps

1919 - 1980

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2044 CORSAIR

Rust Heinz

1914 - 1939

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2046 ACTOR

Roberta Gale

1914 - 2008

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2051 PAINTER

Emanuele Laustino

1916 - 1988

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2053 BASKET

Gene Rosenthal

1914 - 2006

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2069 BASKET

Edward Spotovich

1916 - 2002

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2084 ARTIST

Joseph Young (artist)

1919 - 2007

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2092 BASEBALL

Tim Lawry

1911 - 1999

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2105 SPORT

Arthur Deremer

1917 - 2001

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2106 BASKET

Al Schrecker

1917 - 2000

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2108 GEIGE

Viola Mitchell

1911 - 2002

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