Finding the unexpected in the everyday.
September 13, 2005 National Steel and Shipbuilding Company (NASSCO) began construction on USNS Alan Shepard (T-AKE-3), a U.S. Navy underway replenishment (UNREP) vessel. (This type of vessel is used to transport fuel, munitions, and various other supplies to ships out at sea.) The building of the Alan Shepard took place at NASSCO’s shipyard in San... Continue Reading →
September 12, 1911 More than three decades after achieving worldwide fame as a winner of the America’s Cup, the schooner-yacht Madeleine underwent her final journey when she was towed to the mouth of the Hillsborough River on Florida’s west-central coast to be dismantled and sunk there. During the previous year, the Madeleine had been used... Continue Reading →
September 11, 1935 Ground was broken on the first section of the Appalachian Scenic Highway, which is now known as the Blue Ridge Parkway. These initial building efforts took place along a 12.5-mile (20.1-kilometer) stretch near the western North Carolina-Virginia border, specifically in the vicinity of North Carolina’s Cumberland Knob mountain peak. The ultimate result of... Continue Reading →
September 10, 1932 In northwestern Massachusetts, a newly built bridge crossing the Connecticut River was opened. The French King Bridge serves as a link between the towns of Erving and Gill. This bridge was named after French King Rock, a nearby geographical feature. Approximately 15,000 people showed up on that Saturday for the inaugural festivities... Continue Reading →
September 5, 1986 A new light rail public transit system in the Portland metropolitan area in Oregon was officially opened. The launch of the Metropolitan Area Express (MAX) Light Rail, which is owned and operated by the Tri-County Metropolitan Transportation District of Oregon (TriMet), signified the return of a type of transportation network that had been... Continue Reading →
September 3, 1978 In the Canadian province of Quebec, a station in Montreal’s borough of Verdun first went into service as a link in the underground rapid transit system known as the Montreal Metro. Verdun station was built as part of the westward extension of the Montreal Metro’s Green Line. This station was designed by... Continue Reading →
August 30, 1849 In the Acushnet River in southeastern Massachusetts, a lighthouse at the entrance to the harbor of the city of New Bedford first went into service. This navigational aid was installed at Palmer Island, which is on the west side of the route into New Bedford Harbor. Palmer Island Light was built by... Continue Reading →
August 29, 1998 A dedication ceremony was held for the Chief Standing Bear Memorial Bridge, which spans the Missouri River at the boundary between Nebraska and South Dakota. Approximately 3,000 people turned out for those Saturday afternoon festivities. The ceremony took place on the South Dakota side of that bridge and involved public officials from both... Continue Reading →
August 28, 1945 Just a few days before World War II ended with the formal surrender of Japan to the Allies, the U.S. Navy tanker USS Chukawan (AO-100) was launched at the Bethlehem Steel Company’s shipyard in Sparrows Point (an industrial area in the vicinity of Baltimore). As part of those festivities, this vessel --... Continue Reading →
August 26, 1886 Jerome C. Hunsaker, an aeronautical engineer whose productive career spanned the period from the early days of aviation to the age of space exploration, was born in Creston, Iowa. Hunsaker attended the U.S. Naval Academy, where he graduated at the head of his class in 1908. He was then assigned by the Navy... Continue Reading →
Transportation History 