Finding the unexpected in the everyday.
April 30, 1939 The 1939 New York World’s Fair at Flushing-Meadows Corona Park was formally opened. This world’s fair ranks second only to the 1904 Louisiana Purchase Exposition in St. Louis as the largest event of its kind to be held in the United States. With its opening slogan of “Dawn of a New Day,”... Continue Reading →
April 29, 2021 A pedestrian suspension bridge in the vicinity of northern Portugal’s municipality of Arouca was first opened. With a length of 1,693 feet (516 meters), this structure is one of the world’s longest pedestrian suspension bridges. This bridge was named “Arouca 516” in reference to both its measurement in meters and the municipality... Continue Reading →
April 26, 1977 Samantha Cristoforetti, a European Space Agency (ESA) astronaut, was born in the major Italian city of Milan. She grew up in Malé, a commune (municipality) that is likewise located in the northern region of Italy. Cristoforetti traveled to the United States at the age of 18 as an exchange student in the... Continue Reading →
April 25, 1885 Marcus Aurelius Hanna, the head keeper at Cape Elizabeth Light (also known as Two Lights) at the mouth of Casco Bay on Maine’s southern coast, received the prestigious Gold Lifesaving Medal. Daniel Manning, who was U.S. secretary of the treasury from 1885 to 1887, awarded this medal to Hanna for his heroic... Continue Reading →
April 24, 1949 It was the end of a transportation era in San Diego, California, at 5:45 that morning. This was when streetcar no. 446 of the San Diego Transit Company (known as the San Diego Electric Railway up until September of the previous year) completed its final run by pulling into the car barn... Continue Reading →
April 23, 1988 The ancient mythical flight of the craftsman Daedalus, who reportedly took to the skies while flapping wings made of feathers and wax, was recreated by Kanellos Kanellopoulos. The 30-year-old Greek cycling champion accomplished this with a pink-and-silver pedal-plane that had been built by the Aeronautics and Astronautics Department of the Massachusetts Institute of... Continue Reading →
April 22, 1857 A railway station was opened in the prefecture and commune of Carcassonne in southern France’s department of Aude. This station was built by the Railway Company du Midi. Carcassone railway station (Gare de Carcassonne) is now operated by the Société nationale des Chemins de fer francais (SNCF), the national state-owned railway company... Continue Reading →
On September 8, 2000, the New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) Employee Memorial was formally established to honor those state employees who have lost their lives in work zones or elsewhere while performing their duties. These individuals are commemorated each year in an annual remembrance ceremony held at the memorial, which is located on the... Continue Reading →
April 18, 1889 The original version of Read Bridge in Singapore first went into service. Construction on this bridge began in 1881 and it was built across the part of the Singapore River that is within the area known as Clarke Quay. At the time of Read Bridge’s debut, Singapore was one of the British... Continue Reading →
April 17, 1896 James Rich Steers, who achieved widespread fame for his shipbuilding achievements, died at his home in New York City from what the New York Time characterized as “an attack of acute indigestion.” He was 88. Steers was born on October 15, 1808, in Plymouth, England. His father Henry Steers worked for the... Continue Reading →
Transportation History 