Finding the unexpected in the everyday.
July 22, 1940 The Bantam Car Company submitted to the U.S. Army a prototype design for a new vehicle. World War II had erupted elsewhere by that time and, while the United States remained officially neutral, the Army realized the need to be ready to fight in that military conflict against Nazi Germany. The Army therefore sought... Continue Reading →
July 21, 1932 The Hudson Motor Car Company introduced a unique automobile amid great fanfare at the company’s plant in Detroit, Michigan. The automobile was the Terraplane. While lacking the airborne qualities of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, this new automobile was given its unusual name to attract public interest and capitalize on the strong popularity of aviation... Continue Reading →
July 20, 1894 Errett Lobban Cord, industrialist and trend-setting automobile manufacturer, was born in the city of Warrensburg, Missouri. Cord, knowing a profitable thing when he saw it, immersed himself in the ever-burgeoning world of automobile development and did much to help that mode of transportation come of age. The Auburn, Cord, and Duesenberg automobiles... Continue Reading →
July 19, 1961 Trans World Airlines (TWA) introduced regularly scheduled in-flight movies during a transcontinental trip of a Boeing 707 between New York City and Los Angeles. The first movie to be shown as part of that new service was By Love Possessed, a drama starring Lana Turner and Efrem Zimbalist, Jr. The screening of the movie... Continue Reading →
July 12, 1957 Dwight D. Eisenhower made transportation history when he became the first U.S. president to fly in a helicopter. This aviation “first” occurred after he went on board a Bell H-13J helicopter on the South Lawn of the White House. This helicopter had been purchased by the U.S. Air Force, and it was piloted... Continue Reading →
July 9, 1910 Just a couple of days before his 21st birthday, Walter Brookins broke the world’s altitude record for fixed-wing aircraft when he attained a height of 6,175 feet (1,882 meters) while piloting a Wright biplane in the skies above Atlantic City, New Jersey. This early-evening flight also marked the first time that a... Continue Reading →
July 7, 1914 An electric railway (interurban) line in southern Maine began regular operations. This line would serve as a key transit link between the Pine Tree State’s two largest cities: Portland in Cumberland County; and Lewiston in Androscoggin County. Construction on the line began in 1910. The first trial run for the new route... Continue Reading →
July 2, 1906 Juliet Fish Nichols, the keeper at the Point Knox Lighthouse on Angel Island in San Francisco Bay, made maritime history when a fog bell malfunctioned at the worst possible time. Her job as lighthouse keeper was crucial in helping ships deal with the treacherous currents, rocks, and fog throughout the bay. The need to... Continue Reading →
July 1, 1928 The Trailmobile Company of Cincinnati and the Michigan-based Lapeer Trailer Corporation – the two largest trailer manufacturers in the United States at that time – merged to become the Trailer Company of America. Levi Wade Childress, a St. Louis investor who held large stakes in numerous shipping enterprises, was selected as the first... Continue Reading →
June 28, 1911 The world’s first documented charter plane flight came about as the result of some mischief. Washington Atlee Burpee, the founder and head of a large seed-and-planting company, was in New York aboard the British ocean liner RMS Olympic. This ship was set to travel on the Hudson River and ultimately across the... Continue Reading →
Transportation History 