Finding the unexpected in the everyday.
February 3, 1978 The first section of the Washington Metro rapid transit system to be completed in Maryland was formally dedicated in Montgomery County just a few days before regular service began on that 5.5-mile (8.9-kilometer)-long extension. Approximately 35,000 people showed up on that cold winter day at the Silver Spring station, the northeastern end... Continue Reading →
January 31, 1901 In the northern part of the Massachusetts island of Nantucket, operations began for the current version of a lighthouse at Brant Point on the south side of the island’s harbor. (Nantucket is approximately 30 miles [48 kilometers] south of the Bay State’s Cape Code peninsula.) The New York Times provided details about... Continue Reading →
January 30, 1989 In northern Texas’s Collin County, a bus-only Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) station in the city of Plano was opened. This station is located at the intersection of West 15th Street and Coit Road, and it was built to improve access to public transportation for those living or working in the western... Continue Reading →
January 29, 1944 With the United States still very much embroiled in World War II, the amphibious dock landing ship USS White Marsh (LSD-8) was first commissioned into the U.S. Navy. This ship was named after an unincorporated community in southeastern Virginia. White Marsh’s biggest claim to fame is that it was the birthplace of... Continue Reading →
January 28, 1988 A cantilever bridge spanning the Ohio River was officially opened. This bridge connects Washington Township (near the city of Portsmouth) in Ohio with the community of South Portsmouth in Kentucky. It was named after Carl D. Perkins (1912-1984), who served as a U.S. congressman from Kentucky from 1949 until his death. Measuring... Continue Reading →
January 27, 2024 In the northwestern part of Arizona’s capital city of Phoenix, more than 2,000 people turned out for the opening of a 1.6-mile (2.6-kilometer) extension of Valley Metro Rail. This light rail system’s newest segment at the time encompassed three stations altogether. One of these stations is Metro Parkway station, which is the... Continue Reading →
January 23, 1942 Nearly six weeks after the United States’ entry into World War II on the side of the Allies, a vessel constructed for the U.S. Navy by Ingalls Shipbuilding was launched. This Friday afternoon event took place at the company’s shipyard in the city of Pascagoula in Jackson County, Mississippi. The new ship... Continue Reading →
January 22, 1884 Samuel Eckels, who would carve out a longtime and consequential career in the development of highways in the United States, was born in the borough of West Brownsville, Pennsylvania, in the Pittsburgh area. In 1905, he graduated from Washington & Jefferson College in that region of the Keystone State with a bachelor of... Continue Reading →
January 17, 1929 Popeye the Sailor, one of the all-time favorites among cartoon characters, made his debut in a supporting role in E.C. Segar’s comic strip Thimble Theatre. In keeping with what has remained his maritime orientation, Popeye found himself in his first appearance being approached about helping out with waterborne transportation. An enterprising character named... Continue Reading →
January 16, 1932 After approximately three decades of operation, a leading interurban transit line in the northwestern part of Ohio launched its final passenger car runs. This service had been incorporated as the Western Ohio Railway on October 11, 1900, under the laws of the Buckeye State. By 1903, the Western Railway covered 36 miles... Continue Reading →
Transportation History 