Finding the unexpected in the everyday.
June 22, 1870 A railway station in Cheshire County in northwest England first went into service. This facility is 9.5 miles (15 kilometers) east of the city of Chester, and it is specifically situated in the village of Delamere. That village, which owes its name to the French phrase “de la mere” (“of the sea”),... Continue Reading →
June 8, 1724 Engineer and physicist John Smeaton, who is widely regarded as the “Father of Civil Engineering,” was born in the English civil parish of Austhorpe. During his prolific career, Smeaton designed numerous lighthouses, bridges, canals, and harbors. One of Smeaton’s more notable achievements was a lighthouse that became known as Smeaton’s Tower. This 72-foot... Continue Reading →
June 4, 1784 A pioneering ascent of a hot-air balloon took place just outside the city of Lyon in southeastern France. This balloon was named the Gustave in honor of King Gustav III of Sweden. The king was visiting Lyon at that time, and he was among those on hand to watch the aircraft take... Continue Reading →
June 3, 2003 A new version of the Djupfjord Bridge in Nordland county in Norway’s northern region made its debut. This structure, which carries European route E10 over a section of the Djupfjorden (a deep and narrow inlet of the sea) within the municipality of Moskenes, replaced a bridge that had been in service at... Continue Reading →
May 24, 1914 The sixth annual Italian bicycle race known as the Giro d’Italia (Tour of Italy) began in the city of Milan. The multi-day competition was organized by the Milan-based La Gazzetta dello Sport (The Sports Gazette); that newspaper initiated the annual race in 1909 and served as its sponsor. A total of 81 bicyclists... Continue Reading →
May 13, 1933 A trolleybus system made its debut in the resort town of Bournemouth on England’s southern coast. The new system was formally inaugurated by John Robert Edgecombe, the lord mayor of Bournemouth. The first of those trolleybuses to go into service was driven by William Biddlecombe. Over the next few years, this trolleybus... Continue Reading →
May 3, 2017 At 3:30 p.m., a pivotal moment in the construction of the Mӕlefjell Tunnel between the municipalities of Seljord and Hjartdal in southeastern Norway took place when both halves of the structure were joined together. This breakthrough occurred four years after the construction company NCC had begun building the road tunnel. “I’ve been... Continue Reading →
April 22, 1921 The ocean liner RMS Arundel Castle, under the command of Captain T.J. Bremner, departed the city of Southampton in southern England for her maiden voyage. This vessel, which had been built for the Union-Castle Mail Steamship Company Limited (Union Castle Line), made her way to Cape Town, South Africa, on that inaugural... Continue Reading →
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 →
