Finding the unexpected in the everyday.
February 19, 1966 It was the end of an era in train history when the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad’s steam locomotive No. 4960 departed from Union Station in St. Louis, Missouri, for a trip to the city of Hannibal in the Show-Me State. This steam locomotive was a coal burner dating back to 1923. (The... Continue Reading →
February 13, 1958 The Ford Motor Company introduced the first four-passenger model of the Ford Thunderbird (popularly known as the T-Bird) nearly four years after the original version of this automobile -- which was built for two -- had made its official debut. The four-passenger version marked the transformation of the T-Bird from a sports car... Continue Reading →
February 12, 1938 A truss bridge built in the Montopolis neighborhood of Austin, Texas, in Travis County was dedicated during a Saturday ceremony. The next day’s edition of the Austin American reported, “The huge span of smooth concrete and shiny steel was constructed to replace [an] old iron bridge washed out by the flood of... Continue Reading →
February 5, 1916 A hospital ship was launched at the Jackson and Sharp shipyards of the American Car and Foundry Company in Wilmington, Delaware. This vessel was built for use by St. John’s Guild, a charity in New York City that was founded in 1866 and focused on addressing the health needs of medically underserved... Continue Reading →
February 3, 2008 Bicycle mechanic and expert Sheldon Brown died in the Boston-area city of Newton, Massachusetts, at the age of 63. Brown was the parts manager, technical consultant, and webmaster for a bicycle shop near where he lived, but his formidable expertise and interest in both vintage and contemporary bicycles earned him acclaim that went... Continue Reading →
January 29, 1914 Fred L. Baker (1872-1927) was a long way from his hometown of Los Angeles, but he had had an important reason for being in New York City on a Thursday in January. As president of the Automobile Club of Southern California -- an affiliate of the federation of motor clubs of the... Continue Reading →
January 28, 1978 Operations began for St. Clair West station on the Yonge-University-Spadina Line (now called Line 1 Yonge-University) of the Toronto subway system. This station, which spans the block north of St. Clair Avenue West, was built as part of the 6.2-mile (9.9-kilometer) line extension between St. George and Wilson stations. St. Clair West... Continue Reading →
January 23, 1855 A suspension bridge across the Mississippi River was officially opened in what was then the U.S. Territory of Minnesota. (This portion of the territory was admitted to the Union as the state of Minnesota in 1858; the territory’s western region was eventually reorganized as part of the Territory of Dakota.) The bridge, which... Continue Reading →
January 21, 1945 In the final year of World War II, a U.S. Navy transport ship was launched in a Sunday ceremony at a Kaiser Shipbuilding yard in Richmond, California. This ship was named after Andre Walker Brewster (1862-1942), a U.S. Army major general and Medal of Honor recipient. Walker’s noteworthy assignments during his long... Continue Reading →
January 12, 2015 A dedication ceremony was held for the second line of Mexibús, a bus rapid transit system in the Metropolitan Area of Mexico City. This area is located within the State of Mexico, one of Mexico’s 32 federal entities. The Mexibús Line II, as it is officially known, was the second Mexibús line... Continue Reading →
Transportation History 