Finding the unexpected in the everyday.
June 4, 2019 The first part of a significant extension to Terminal 3 at Copenhagen Airport, which serves Demark’s capital city, was officially opened. This extension is called Pier E and its construction marked the largest expansion of the longtime airport in about a quarter-century. Pier E was designed to accommodate the ever-growing number of... Continue Reading →
May 29, 1884 Europe’s first cable-operated tramway was introduced to the public in north London. This .7-mile (1.1-kilometer)-long tramway ran on Highgate Hill in an area encompassing parts of both the Highgate and Archway sections of England’s capital city. While most of the line was double-tracked, about 1,000 feet (304.8 meters) of it was single-tracked. The... Continue Reading →
May 16, 2009 In northern England’s borough of Stockton-on-Tees, a bridge for pedestrians and bicyclists was opened to the general public. This 787-foot (240-meter)-long structure, which crosses the River Tees, was both named and modeled after the ∞ symbol representing infinity. The Infinity Bridge was built in such a way that the combination of this... Continue Reading →
May 13, 2022 In the part of the Králický Snĕžník Mountains within the Czech Republic, a suspension footbridge in Dolní Morava -- a municipality along the country’s border with Poland -- was formally opened. This 2,365-foot (721-meter)-long structure is 312 feet (95 meters) off the ground. The footbridge spans the valley of the Mlýnský Stream... Continue Reading →
May 7, 1867 A railway station in the city of Naples in the Kingdom of Italy was inaugurated. (The Kingdom of Italy existed from 1861 to 1946; it was replaced by the present-day Republic of Italy.) Napoli Centrale (Naples Central Station) was designed by Enrico Alvino (1809-1872). This version of Napoli Centrale, which is... Continue Reading →
April 4, 1901 In Switzerland, a funicular railway in the city of Zurich first went into service. This railway was built to carry people up and down the Zürichberg, a 2,228-foot (679-meter)-high hill in the northeastern part of the city. A key destination on this hill at the time was a restaurant named Rigiblick that... Continue Reading →
April 3, 2016 In Norway’s capital city of Oslo, operations began for a rapid transit station in the borough of Grünerløkka. This station is part of the Oslo Metro, and it was specifically built in Grünerløkka’s neighborhood of Løren. Construction on Løren station started in 2013. Løren station, which is 89 feet (27 meters) underground,... Continue Reading →
April 2, 1870 Henry de La Vaulx, a balloonist and overall proponent of human aviation, was born in the commune of Bierville in northern France. His airborne accomplishments included setting a long-distance flight record in 1900 when he and a companion traveled approximately 1,200 miles (1,931.2 kilometers) in just under 36 hours in a balloon... Continue Reading →
March 28, 2001 Regular operations began for Athens International Airport (AIA) Eleftherios Venizelos in Greece. This airport serves the Greek administrative region of Attica, including the country’s capital city of Athens. AIA is specifically located in Spata, a municipal unit that is 12 miles (20 kilometers) east of downtown Athens. The airport was named in... Continue Reading →
March 25, 1992 The Ria Bridge, which is located in northwestern Spain’s autonomous community of Galicia, was opened to traffic. (A ria is a coastal inlet that has been formed for the partial submergence of a river that was never covered or otherwise impacted by any glaciers or ice sheets.) This bridge is part of... Continue Reading →
