Finding the unexpected in the everyday.
March 5, 2008 John C. Mackie, who served as Michigan’s state highway commissioner, passed away in Warrenton, Virginia, at the age of 88. He was also the 51st president of the American Association of State Highway Officials (AASHO), which is now known as the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO). Mackie was... Continue Reading →
By the early 1920s, Seattle resident Carlia S. Westcott had become the first woman granted a license to work as a marine engineer in the United States. (Marine engineers design, operate, repair and/or maintain machinery and equipment on ships; quite a few of those engineers perform similar work on offshore installations.) The significance of Westcott’s... Continue Reading →
In 1983, Guion Bluford became the first African American to fly into space when he went into orbit on board the Space Shuttle Challenger. The first African American astronaut was actually Robert Henry Lawrence Jr. He never had the opportunity to travel into space, however; in 1967 -- just a few months after being selected... Continue Reading →
February 29, 2016 The newly built terminal for an airport in the north-central region of North Dakota first went into service. This airport, which is located two miles (3.2 kilometers) north of the city of Minot, dates back to the 1920s. Originally known as the Port of Minot, its first airstrip was developed on a... Continue Reading →
February 28, 1996 Cisneros station, which is part of the rapid transit system serving the Metropolitan Area of MedellĂn in the Republic of Colombia, was officially opened. This facility was one of seven stations that made their debut on the same date and constitute Line B of the MedellĂn Metro. Cisneros station is located in... Continue Reading →
February 27, 2005 A pivotal moment took place for construction on a railway tunnel in the northeastern part of Honshu, the largest island of Japan, when both halves of this structure were joined together. This breakthrough occurred about six-and-a-half years after the start of that construction project. That tunnel specifically courses through the HakkĹŤda mountain... Continue Reading →
February 26, 1934 An airport on the northwestern coast of Australia’s island state of Tasmania was opened. This regional airport is adjacent to the town of Wynyard and about 11 miles (17 kilometers) west of the port city of Burnie. Approximately 3,000 people showed up for the Monday afternoon debut of this airport, which was... Continue Reading →
February 23, 2019 A fleet of six-car trains built for the Marunouchi Line of the Tokyo Metro, a major rapid transit system operating in Japan’s Greater Tokyo Area, first went into service on a regular basis. The first of these 53 trains, which are collectively called the Tokyo Metro 2000 series, had been formally unveiled... Continue Reading →
Harriet Tubman escaped from slavery in Maryland in 1849. She subsequently risked her life to help others from that state likewise escape to freedom. As an Underground Railroad conductor in those years prior to the American Civil War, Tubman led about 70 enslaved people to the North. In addition, it has been estimated that Tubman... Continue Reading →
February 21, 2007 In central Greece’s administrative region of Attica (an area that includes the capital city of Athens), a railway station in the town and municipality of Vrilissia was opened to the public. This station is located on Vrilissia’s main thoroughfare of Pentelis Avenue. Pentelis railway station was officially inaugurated by Michalis Liapis, who... Continue Reading →
Transportation History 