Finding the unexpected in the everyday.
February 18, 2019 An infrastructure milestone took place for City Railway Station in the city of Bengaluru (also called Bangalore), which is the capital of the state of Karnataka in southern India. This underground station on the East-West corridor of Namma Metro rapid transit system’s Purple Line had been opened on April 30, 2016. Nearly... Continue Reading →
February 17, 2012 The first cable-stayed bridge in Rio de Janeiro was officially opened. This 780-meter (2,559.1-foot)-long structure, which was named Ponte do Saber (Portuguese for “Bridge of Knowledge”), carries vehicular traffic across the Canal do Fundão (an artificial estuary created in 1951). The bridge serves as a connection between the Ilha do Fundão campus... Continue Reading →
Aviation pioneer Janet Harmon Bragg was born in the city of Griffin, Georgia, on March 24, 2007. She developed a strong interest in flying at a young age. In 1933, Bragg enrolled at Curtiss-Wright Aeronautical University in Chicago. By that time, the university had become an aviation school for blacks that was managed by pilots John C. Robinson (1903-1954)... Continue Reading →
February 13, 1958 The Ford Motor Company introduced the first four-passenger model of the Ford Thunderbird (popularly known as the T-Bird) nearly four years after the original version of this automobile -- which was built for two -- had made its official debut. The four-passenger version marked the transformation of the T-Bird from a sports car... Continue Reading →
February 12, 1938 A truss bridge built in the Montopolis neighborhood of Austin, Texas, in Travis County was dedicated during a Saturday ceremony. The next day’s edition of the Austin American reported, “The huge span of smooth concrete and shiny steel was constructed to replace [an] old iron bridge washed out by the flood of... Continue Reading →
February 11, 1974 In the state of Pará in northern Brazil, a port in the city of Santarém was inaugurated. The Port of Santarém is located on the right bank of the Tapajós River and only about two miles (three kilometers) from where this river converges with the Amazon River. (The Tapajós River is formed... Continue Reading →
February 10, 2023 In northern Taiwan, the Ankeng light rail transit line in New Taipei City’s Xindian District was formally opened. This event was marked by celebrations that involved everything from music to commemorative bottles of beer. Hou Yu-ih (born in 1957), who has been mayor of New Taipei City since 2018, was among those... Continue Reading →
Downes F. Curtis, a lifelong resident of the town of Oxford on Maryland’s Eastern Shore, achieved considerable renown for the numerous high-quality sails that he created for various types of vessels over the years. “He was certainly a premier sailmaker on the Eastern Shore, I guess one of the few black sailmakers,” said Douglas Hanks... Continue Reading →
February 6, 1989 In the municipality of Tavros in Greece, operations began for a station built as a link in the rapid transit system serving the city of Athens and other parts of the country’s region of Attica. This station, which is on Line 1 of the Athens Metro, was named after both the municipality... Continue Reading →
February 5, 1916 A hospital ship was launched at the Jackson and Sharp shipyards of the American Car and Foundry Company in Wilmington, Delaware. This vessel was built for use by St. John’s Guild, a charity in New York City that was founded in 1866 and focused on addressing the health needs of medically underserved... Continue Reading →
Transportation History 