Finding the unexpected in the everyday.
March 4, 1911 Anton L. Westgard departed from Denver, Colorado, for what would be a journey of nearly 10 weeks to the west coast. The vehicle that he used for this trip was a 3-ton (2.7-metric ton) motor truck built by the Sauer Motor Car Company of New York and known as the Pioneer Freighter.... Continue Reading →
In 1947, Fannie May Hudgins Salter (1883-1966) retired as the lighthouse keeper at Turkey Point Light at the head of the Chesapeake Bay in northeastern Maryland. Since Turkey Point Light was fully automated soon thereafter, Salter had the distinction of being its last lighthouse keeper. In addition, she had been the fourth female lighthouse keeper... Continue Reading →
March 2, 1863 A new railway bridge crossing the River Thames in London was officially opened. This 754.6-foot (230-meter)-long bridge connects the areas of Battersea and Fulham in England’s capital city. Now commonly known as the Battersea Railway Bridge, this structure had early on been named the Cremorne Bridge after public gardens that were once... Continue Reading →
In January 1999, President Bill Clinton nominated Evelyn Juanita Fields as the new director of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Commissioned Officer Corps (also known as the NOAA Corps) and NOAA’s Office of Marine and Aviation Operations (OMAO). The primary mission of the NOAA Corps entails assessing oceanic conditions, supporting major waterways, and monitoring... Continue Reading →
Transportation History 