Finding the unexpected in the everyday.
May 14, 1917 Just a little over a month after the United States entered World War I on the side of the Allied Powers, the U.S. Navy acquired the private yacht Sybilla III for use as a section patrol craft in the fight against the Central Powers. On the same day that she was acquired... Continue Reading →
May 13, 1885 Operations officially began for a rapid transit system in what was then the independent city of Brooklyn, New York. This new means of public transportation in Brooklyn was the first elevated railway – a transit system with its tracks above street level and on a viaduct or some other raised structure –... Continue Reading →
May 11, 1991 The first segment of the Green Line of the Washington Metro rapid transit system was formally opened. The next day’s edition of the Washington Post highlighted the fanfare surrounding this public transportation milestone in the nation’s capital. “The politicians were there,” reported Washington Post staff writer. Stephen C. Fehr. “So were clergy... Continue Reading →
May 7, 1910 The steamship SS Ste. Claire was launched at the yards of the Toledo Shipbuilding Company along Lake Erie. The vessel was built by that company for the Detroit, Belle Isle, & Windsor Ferry Company (DBI&W), which had been established in 1881. DBI&W used its fleet of vessels to transport tourists and commuters... Continue Reading →
April 30, 2011 In the central region of Iowa, a paved recreational trail between the cities of Ankeny and Woodward was formally opened with considerable fanfare. The final portion of this trail to be completed was a bridge crossing the Des Moines River and located near the city of Madrid. The High Trestle Trail, which... Continue Reading →
April 29, 2018 Two days after it had been dedicated by local public officials, a light rail station in San Diego was opened to passengers. This station was built near the San Diego Central Courthouse, which had been officially inaugurated just a little more than four months earlier. Courthouse station marks the western terminus of... Continue Reading →
In 2006, a memorial made out of marble was dedicated at the headquarters of the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) in Denver to honor those state employees who have lost their lives in work zones or elsewhere while performing their duties. The names of these fallen workers have been etched onto the CDOT Employee Memorial... Continue Reading →
April 23, 1854 A construction crew assigned to build a lighthouse sailed via the Chesapeake Bay from Baltimore to the site of the project along Virginia’s Eastern Shore. Most of the foundation, superstructure, and ironwork for this lighthouse had been assembled in Philadelphia and were transported with the crew. The specific location for the newest... Continue Reading →
April 22, 2016 Operations began for a rail station built at the intersection of East 40th Avenue and Colorado Boulevard in Denver. 40th & Colorado station, which is based in Denver’s Elyria-Swansea neighborhood, was one of eight stations opened on the same date to form the newly established A Line. This commuter rail line is... Continue Reading →
April 15, 1909 The Unione Sportiva Italiana (USI), which is now one of the oldest cycling clubs in existence in the United States, was formally incorporated in the state of New York. The English translation for the club’s name is “Italian Sporting Union,” and it is generally acknowledged that the founders of this group in New... Continue Reading →
Transportation History 