We had "hamburger pie" in my small-town Midwest grade school cafeteria in 1959 - it was that Bisquick type recipe with a thick biscuit crust on the bottom, then browned ground beef with some Italian spices and something tomatoey in it, then cheddar cheese on top.
The bread on the bottom soaked up all the red grease from the meat and cheese both. I absolutely loved "hamburger pie"! I've tried to duplicate it as an adult, but have never achieved the same level of greasiness that made that "pie" so good.
Eventually, they started calling it "pizza." My parents told me they already knew about "pizza" from living in California when Daddy was in grad school in the mid-1940s and it was nothing like that burger pie. Putting all this together, I just naturally assumed pizza started in the US in CA. I knew that Chicago's Uno claimed to be first, but didn't know that was true until this article.
Our small town had a Pizza Hut by that time and teens congregated there. I honestly don't recall if they had home delivery or not--I know we never had it at home.
It was really in college that I ate the most pizza -- and a couple of my more workaholic jobs where we ordered in a lot while working - for everyone. We used to get heart-shaped pizzas from our sweethearts - or sent to them.
I still don't order it at home much, but do make my own very often and will never pass up a stray piece offered. I love it cold for breakfast, too. I even like anchovies on mine, but prefer it without them.
The worst pizza to me is one with pineapple on it, even with Canadian bacon or ham or something else. I like my own "white" ham artisan pizzas with Dijon mustard and horseradish sauce instead of tomato sauce, and Swiss instead of mozzarella - but only occasionally.
Other than that, the moon hits my eye like a big-a pizza pie and I love it.
I think the secret ingredient you may be lacking is the juice from the dollop of canned corn that the hairnet ladies slung onto your lunch tray right alongside the pizza.