Finding the unexpected in the everyday.
April 14, 1962 The Baltimore Steam Packet Company, which was popularly known as the Old Bay Line, discontinued its longtime steamship operations in the Chesapeake Bay area after a vessel named City of Norfolk had completed her final voyage for the company. The Old Bay Line was established in 1840 and – by the time its... Continue Reading →
April 13, 1898 The steamship SS Superior City was launched in the yards of her manufacturer Cleveland Ship Building Company (later renamed the American Ship Building Company) at Lorain, Ohio, specifically on the section of Lake Erie that is at the mouth of the Black River. This launch took place at two o’clock that Wednesday afternoon. The... Continue Reading →
April 9, 1934 At its manufacturing plant in Philadelphia, the Budd Company finished work on a streamliner (a high-speed trainset) for the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad. (That railroad, which operated in the midwestern United States from 1855 to 1970, was also known as both the CB&Q and the Burlington Route.) The exterior of the... Continue Reading →
April 8, 2009 After more than a year-and-a-half of construction, the Nichols Bridgeway in Chicago was completed. This pedestrian bridge, which is 620 feet (189 meters) in length and 15 feet (4.6 meters) in width, crosses over Monroe Street in the Windy City and connects the Great Lawn of Millennium Park with the Modern Wing of... Continue Reading →
April 6, 1983 Automotive designer Wellington Everett Miller died in Los Angeles at the age of 79. He developed a strong interest in the design of automobiles while attending an annual car show in Los Angeles in 1920, and subsequently took courses in mathematics and mechanical drawing to prepare for a career in that field. In... Continue Reading →
April 5, 2014 A newly completed rapid transit system in the Republic of Panama was inaugurated at 5:00 p.m. The Panama Metro, which serves the country’s capital of Panama City and its vicinity, became the first rapid transit system in all of Central America. Ricardo Martinelli, president of Panama, officiated at the dedication ceremony for... Continue Reading →
April 2, 1914 In Canada, construction began on the Connaught Tunnel under Rogers Pass in the Selkirk Mountains in southeastern British Columbia. This tunnel carries the Canadian Pacific Railway main between Calgary, Alberta, and Revelstoke, British Columbia, and was built to replace the railroad’s previous routing over the sometimes hazardous Rogers Pass. The tunnel – measuring... Continue Reading →
April 1, 1967 The recently created U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) formally began operations as the 12th federal cabinet department with a considerable amount of fun and fanfare on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. Thousands gathered at that park in the nation’s capital for a celebration featuring a broad-based transportation theme and including music from... Continue Reading →
March 29, 1930 The Longview Bridge, spanning the Columbia River, was officially opened. This structure serves as a link between the cities of Longview, Washington, and Rainier, Oregon. The bridge was designed by structural engineer Joseph Strauss, who also played a major role in the creation of the iconic Golden Gate Bridge in California. The... Continue Reading →
March 25, 1932 The Anacapa Island Lighthouse on the entrance to Santa Barbara Channel – a section of the Pacific Ocean between the Southern California coast and the northern Channel Islands – made its debut. Anacapa Island is actually a chain of three small islets; the lighthouse was built on the easternmost islet, which is a... Continue Reading →
Transportation History 