Finding the unexpected in the everyday.
Federico Fernández Cavada was born sometime around 1831 in the city of Cienfuegos on the southern coast of Cuba. After his father’s death in 1838, his U.S.-born mother brought him and his brothers with her to live in Philadelphia. Fernández Cavada, who became both an engineer and topographer, joined the Union Army shortly after the... Continue Reading →
September 28, 2008 The Bob Kerrey Pedestrian Bridge was officially opened to foot and bicycle traffic two months ahead of schedule. The footbridge crosses over the Missouri River and links the cities of Council Bluffs, Iowa, and Omaha, Nebraska. The 3,000-foot (914.4-meter) structure, which can be found north of the Interstate 480 girder bridge, is the longest... Continue Reading →
September 27, 1825 The Stockton and Darlington Railway (S&DR) made its debut in northeastern England’s County Durham, thereby launching the first service of locomotive-hauled passenger trains. It linked the village of Witton Park with the market town of Stockton-on-Tees and also provided connections to several coal-mining facilities near the town of Shildon. The S&DR, covering a... Continue Reading →
By the late 1930s, Dragon Bottling Company was firmly established as a major force among Texas-based soft drink industries. This was due in large part to both the entrepreneurial skills of the company’s president Herlinda Morales Rodríguez and the extensive transportation network that she used for getting beverages to market. Morales Rodríguez had been married... Continue Reading →
September 26, 1944 With the United States still fighting the Axis powers during World War II, the U.S. Navy cargo ship USS Beltrami was launched. Beltrami, which had been named after a county in northwestern Minnesota, was built by the Kaiser Shipbuilding Company at its shipyards in Richmond, California. The launch of Beltrami at Richmond... Continue Reading →
September 25, 1955 Emma Rowena Gatewood became the first woman to hike the entire Appalachian Trail on her own. The 67-year-old Gatewood was also the oldest person up to that time to complete the trek. Gatewood reached the summit of Maine’s Mount Katahdin, which is the northern terminus of the trail, 146 days after starting her... Continue Reading →
During the fall of 1822, a three-day election was held in the newly formed Territory of Florida to decide who would serve as the region’s first delegate to the U.S. House of Representatives. Joseph Marion Hernández was selected for the position, and as a result, he became the first Hispanic-American member of Congress. Hernández, who... Continue Reading →
September 24, 1946 Cathay Pacific Airways was officially established in Hong Kong. The airline’s founders were Roy C. Farrell of the United States and Sydney H. de Kantzow of Australia. Both of these men had served in the military during World War II and were among the pilots who regularly flew over “The Hump,” a vital Allied... Continue Reading →
Pedro Aguirre, Jr., was one of the most influential and important Hispanic-American transportation pioneers in the southwestern United States during the 19th century. He was born in 1835 in the Mexican city of Chihuahua. Aguirre became heavily involved in transportation services after he moved with his family to Las Cruces in what was then the... Continue Reading →
September 21, 2014 In New York City, the third and final section of a linear park featuring an innovative and eco-friendly trail was opened on the west side of Manhattan. A CBS news story called the Sunday opening of this section “perfect timing for New Yorkers looking to soak up the last of summer’s warmth.”... Continue Reading →
Transportation History 