Finding the unexpected in the everyday.
January 31, 2011 In northeastern New Jersey’s Hudson County, a light rail station at 40 West 8th Street in the city of Bayonne was officially opened. 8th Street station is specifically based in Bayonne’s Bergen Point neighborhood. This station is the southern terminus of the 17-mile (27.-kilometer) Hudson-Bergen Light Rail (HBLR) system in that region... Continue Reading →
January 30, 1999 The U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) cutter USCGC Anthony Petit (WLM-558) was officially launched into the Menominee River at the city of Marinette, Wisconsin. This 175-foot (53-meter)-long vessel was built by Marinette Marine Corporation, and the launch ceremony for her took place along one of that company’s docks. USCGC Anthony Petit which is... Continue Reading →
January 29, 1896 The Milwaukee Electric Railway and Light Company (TMER&L) was incorporated. The establishment of this transit enterprise took place nearly four decades after streetcars had been introduced in Milwaukee in the form of horse-drawn vehicles. TMER&L specifically came into existence when the properties and operations of the Milwaukee Street Railway Company were sold to... Continue Reading →
January 26, 2010 In the Republic of Indonesia, the Kanci-Pejagan Toll Road on the island of Java was officially opened. Those participating in the dedication ceremony for the new road included Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (born in 1949), who was president of Indonesia from 2004 to 2014. This 22-mile (36-kilometer)-long toll road, which is located in... Continue Reading →
January 25, 1890 The original Deer Island Light at the north entrance of Boston Harbor first went into service. The principal keeper for this lighthouse at the time of its debut was John Farley, with Michael J. Curran serving as the assistant keeper. This structure -- known as a sparkplug lighthouse due to its shape... Continue Reading →
January 24, 1911 Charles “Charlie” Barr, a sailing skipper whose accomplishments included service as a three-time winning captain of the America’s Cup, died in Southampton, England. He was 46. “Capt. Barr had appeared to be in perfect health,” reported the New York Times in his obituary. “He was having breakfast with his family when suddenly... Continue Reading →
January 23, 2006 A newly built ground-level train station in the Illinois village of Elburn, which is more than 40 miles (64.4 kilometers) west of Chicago, was formally opened to the public. Elburn station is the western endpoint of the Union Pacific West Line (UP-W) of the Chicago-area commuter rail system known as Metra. This... Continue Reading →
January 22, 1960 A steel girder bridge in Pennsylvania’s capital city of Harrisburg was officially opened. The multi-lane John Harris Bridge carries Interstate 83 and that region’s Capital Beltway across the Susquehanna River. This bridge was specifically named after John Harris Sr. (1673-1748), a prominent trader and ferry operator in that area. Harrisburg was likewise... Continue Reading →
January 19, 1964 Professional cyclist Firmin Lambot died in the municipality of Borgerhout in northern Belgium at the age of 77. (Borgerhout became a district of the city of Antwerp in 1983.) Lambot had been born on March 14, 1886, in the municipality of Florennes in southwestern Belgium. He began working as a saddler, someone... Continue Reading →
January 18, 2015 In the Australian state of Queensland, a ferry wharf on the northern side of the Brisbane River was inaugurated. This wharf is specifically located near the intersection of Park Road and Coronation Drive in Milton, an inner suburb of Queensland’s capital city of Brisbane. Graham Quirk, who was lord mayor of Brisbane... Continue Reading →
Transportation History 