Finding the unexpected in the everyday.
April 19, 1928 Theodorus “Dorus” Rijkers, who was credited with saving hundreds of lives from shipwrecks along the coast of the Netherlands, died at the age of 81 in Den Helder. Rijkers had been born in that Dutch city in 1847. Rijkers’ lifesaving career began in 1872. While out at sea in his boat one... Continue Reading →
April 12, 1911 A new aviation milestone was achieved when Pierre Prier undertook a non-stop flight in a monoplane between England and France. He specifically flew from the community of Hendon, which is six miles (9.7 kilometers) from the center of London, to the Paris suburb of Issy-les-Molineaux. Prier, who is shown in the above... Continue Reading →
March 26, 2006 The Tunnel Tiergarten Spreebogen in the central area of Berlin was opened to vehicular traffic. This structure is part of the federal highway designated as the Bundesstraße 96, and it serves as a link between Berlin Hauptbahnhof, the main railway station in Germany’s capital city; and the locality (neighborhood) of Tiergarten in the... Continue Reading →
March 23, 2013 A station of the Paris Métro rapid transit system made its debut near the town hall of Montrouge, a commune in the southern suburbs of France’s capital city. This station is formally known as Mairie de Montrouge (Town Hall of Montrouge), and it was the 302nd station of the Paris Métro to... Continue Reading →
March 2, 1863 A new railway bridge crossing the River Thames in London was officially opened. This 754.6-foot (230-meter)-long bridge connects the areas of Battersea and Fulham in England’s capital city. Now commonly known as the Battersea Railway Bridge, this structure had early on been named the Cremorne Bridge after public gardens that were once... Continue Reading →
February 8, 1912 The first plane flight in Greece took place when Emmanouil Argyropoulos piloted an aircraft over his native country. Argyropoulos, who had been born in 1889, was originally a civil engineer. He set aside that career, however, after developing a strong interest in human flight. Argyropoulos pursued this newfound interest by going to Paris,... Continue Reading →
February 5, 1880 Aircraft and automobile manufacturer Gabriel Voisin was born in the commune of Belleville-sur-Saône in eastern France. Voisin developed a strong enthusiasm for the potential of airborne transportation at a young age, and was especially inspired by the work and words of aviation pioneers Clément Ader and Ferdinand Feber. Voisin’s aviation career began in earnest... Continue Reading →
February 1, 1956 The survey vessel MV Havengore made her maiden voyage in London, England, on the River Thames. This vessel owes her name to Havengore Island, a low-lying marshy island off the coast of southeastern England. The origin of the name “Havengore” can be traced to a combination of the Old English words “haefen”... Continue Reading →
January 25, 1998 In France, a new railway station was opened for service in the commune of Saint-Denis in the northern suburbs of Paris. This station, which is known as La Plaine-Stade de France, had been designed by architect Jean-Marie Duthilleul. The station is a link within the Réseau Express Régional (RER), a hybrid commuter... Continue Reading →
January 7, 1785 The first-ever flight over the English Channel took place when French inventor and aviation pioneer Jean-Pierre Blanchard and American physician and scientist Dr. John Jeffries (at the time a British resident) traveled over that body of water in a gas balloon. The travel equipment on board the balloon included silk-covered oars for the... Continue Reading →
Transportation History 