Finding the unexpected in the everyday.
July 1, 1872 Transportation pioneer Louis Blériot was born in the city of Cambrai in northern France. He studied engineering at École Centrale (now part of CentraleSupélec) in Paris. Automobiles became the first means of transportation in which Blériot became actively involved. He developed the world’s first practical headlamps for these vehicles by using a... Continue Reading →
June 27, 1998 In the northernmost region of western Norway, the Stordal Tunnel in Møre og Romsdal county first went into service. This road tunnel was officially opened by Kjell Magne Bondevik (born in 1947), who served as prime minister of Norway between 1997 and 2000 and again from 2001 to 2005. Measuring 11,580 feet... 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 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 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 6, 1924 In southeastern England’s ceremonial county of Hampshire, a paddle steamer constructed for the Southern Railway by John I. Thornycroft & Company was launched. This event was held at the company’s shipyard in Woolston, a suburb of the town (now city) of Southampton. The christening duties for the Friday launch of the newly... Continue Reading →
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 →
Transportation History 