Finding the unexpected in the everyday.
June 20, 1897 Harold Frederick Pitcairn, who made major contributions to various types of aircraft, was born in Moreland Township in southeastern Pennsylvania. In 1916, residents in the central part of this township broke away to form what is now the home-rule borough of Bryn Athyn; the following year, the remainder of the township was... Continue Reading →
The attached photo shows two women and a man at a Juneteenth celebration in Corpus Christi, Texas, in 1913. For the occasion, they are not only wearing their finest clothes but also sitting in an elegantly decorated horse-drawn carriage. This picture of a flower-festooned vehicle was among several taken by George McCuistion (1878-1928) at that... Continue Reading →
June 18, 1972 Arroios station on what is now the Green Line of the Lisbon Metro, the rapid transit system operating in the metropolitan area centered on Portugal’s capital city, first went into service. Arroios, the area where this station is located, is a frequesia (civil parish) and district of Lisbon. The station, which was... Continue Reading →
June 17, 1977 In Belgium, Demey station of the Brussels Metro was formally opened. The Brussels Metro is a rapid transit system serving a large portion of the Brussels-Capital Region. Demey station is located in Auderghem, one of the 19 municipalities within that region. (The region also includes Belgium’s capital city of Brussels.) The station... Continue Reading →
June 16, 2001 A bridge for pedestrians and cyclists in Austin, Texas, was officially opened. This 812-foot (247-meter)-long bridge, which crosses Lady Bird Lake (a reservoir on the Colorado River), serves as a link between the north and south sides of the Ann and Roy Butler Hike-and-Bike Trail. The bridge was named after James D.... Continue Reading →
June 13, 2024 La Dhuys station on Line 11 of the Paris Métro rapid transit system made its debut. This station was one of six built as part of a 3.7-mile (six-kilometer) extension of Line 11. All of these stations were opened to the public on the same date. (Paris Métro is among the French... Continue Reading →
June 12, 1909 The sailing yacht Carnegie was launched at the Tebo Yacht Basin Company’s shipyard at the foot of 23rd Street in Brooklyn, New York. This yacht, which had been designed by naval architect Henry J. Gielow (1855-1925), was constructed to serve as a scientific research vessel for the Carnegie Institution of Washington (now... Continue Reading →
June 11, 1895 One of the first major multi-day motorcar races began in France’s capital city. There were 30 entrants altogether in this round-trip race, which involved driving motor vehicles between Paris in the northern central part of France and the city of Bordeaux in the southwestern area of the country. The total distance covered... Continue Reading →
June 10, 1909 Aviation pioneers Wilbur and Orville Wright were formally honored by President William Howard Taft for their considerable airborne accomplishments. The ceremony, which was held in the East Room of the White House, took place about five-and-a-half years after the brothers made transportation history with the world’s first controlled, powered, and sustained heavier-than-air... Continue Reading →
June 9, 1994 Operations formally began that afternoon at Cincinnati/Norther Kentucky International Airport (CVG) for an automated people mover. This underground train service was originally run by Delta Air Lines to help more quickly transport large numbers of passengers to the concourses where they would need to catch their flights within that Kentucky-based airport. Judy... Continue Reading →
Transportation History 