Finding the unexpected in the everyday.
August 30, 1849 In the Acushnet River in southeastern Massachusetts, a lighthouse at the entrance to the harbor of the city of New Bedford first went into service. This navigational aid was installed at Palmer Island, which is on the west side of the route into New Bedford Harbor. Palmer Island Light was built by... Continue Reading →
August 29, 1998 A dedication ceremony was held for the Chief Standing Bear Memorial Bridge, which spans the Missouri River at the boundary between Nebraska and South Dakota. Approximately 3,000 people turned out for those Saturday afternoon festivities. The ceremony took place on the South Dakota side of that bridge and involved public officials from both... Continue Reading →
August 28, 1945 Just a few days before World War II ended with the formal surrender of Japan to the Allies, the U.S. Navy tanker USS Chukawan (AO-100) was launched at the Bethlehem Steel Company’s shipyard in Sparrows Point (an industrial area in the vicinity of Baltimore). As part of those festivities, this vessel --... Continue Reading →
August 27, 1987 A formal inauguration was held for a light rail line on the outskirts of Buenos Aires. This tram service was designated as the Premetro (Line E2), and the operations for portions of it had actually begun as far back as April 28 of that year. The dignitaries attending the dedication ceremony for... Continue Reading →
August 26, 1886 Jerome C. Hunsaker, an aeronautical engineer whose productive career spanned the period from the early days of aviation to the age of space exploration, was born in Creston, Iowa. Hunsaker attended the U.S. Naval Academy, where he graduated at the head of his class in 1908. He was then assigned by the Navy... Continue Reading →
August 23, 1992 Gore Hill Freeway in Sydney, Australia’s most populous city and the capital of the state of New South Wales (NSW), was formally introduced to the public in a Sunday morning ceremony. That day’s edition of the Sydney Morning Herald reported, “The $27 million Gore Hill Freeway officially opens today, improving access to... Continue Reading →
August 22, 1978 Appledore II, a privately owned two-masted wooden schooner, was launched from the coast of Portsmouth, New Hampshire. This vessel -- with an overall length of 86 feet (26 meters) -- is larger than her sister ships Appledore I, III, IV, and V. All of these ships were constructed for Herbert and Doris... Continue Reading →
August 21, 2021 Regular operations began for a one-mile (1.6-kilometer) extension of the rapid transit system serving the city of Nagpur in India’s state of Maharashtra. Uddhay Thackeray, who was chief minister of Maharashtra from 2019 to 2022, handled these inaugural duties. One of the key features of this new segment of Nagpur Metro’s Orange... Continue Reading →
August 20, 1977 In the Keihanshin metropolitan region of Japan’s island of Honshu, a passenger railway station in the city of Sakai in Osaka Prefecture first went into service. This station was named after Kōmyōike (Kōmyō Pond), an artificial lake in the area. That lake, in turn, had been named in memory of Empress Kōmyō... Continue Reading →
August 19, 1972 In the southeastern area of Australia’s state of Queensland, Caloundra Airport on the Sunshine Coast was officially opened. This airport is specifically located in Caloundra West, a suburb of the coastal town of Caloundra. Those taking part in the Saturday afternoon opening of Caloundra Airport included Joh Bjelke-Petersen (1911-2005), who was premier... Continue Reading →
Transportation History 