Finding the unexpected in the everyday.
April 4, 1985 A vessel named Samuel Risley was officially commissioned as a Canadian Coast Guard ship (CCGS). This vessel, measuring 229.8 feet (69.7 meters) in length, had been built by Vito Steel Boat & Barge Limited and was launched in 1984 at that company’s shipyard in the British Columbia city of Delta. CCGS Samuel... Continue Reading →
March 30, 1986 Richard Arista “Dick” Ward, who served as both Oklahoma’s director of transportation and president of the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO), died after suffering a heart attack at his home in the city of Stillwater in the north-central region of the Sooner State. He was 66. Ward started... Continue Reading →
March 21, 1937 Southern Pacific (SP) Railroad’s two newest Daylight streamliner trains made their first regular runs between San Francisco and Los Angeles. These passenger trains were both originally known as the Daylight Limited. On the day of their shared debut, both trains each consisted of a dozen Pullman passenger cars that were pulled along by... Continue Reading →
March 18, 1834 The first railway tunnel in the United States made its formal debut in west-central Pennsylvania as part of the infrastructure for the Allegheny Portage Railroad. The Staple Bend Tunnel was specifically built between the borough of Conemaugh (the present-day city of Johnstown) and the settlement (now borough) of Hollidaysburg. At the time of... Continue Reading →
March 14, 1918 The first seagoing American ship made out of concrete was introduced. This ship, a steamer called SS Faith, was launched from Redwood City, California. Concrete ships had been around since 1848, when one was built in France. In addition, the first ocean-worthy vessel of that type made her debut in Norway in 1917. SS... Continue Reading →
March 11, 1886 A bicycle club known as the Atalanta Wheelmen was launched in the city of Newark, New Jersey, with a total of 10 charter members. The organizational meeting for the new club took place at the home of Arthur W. Snow. “After much palaver a club was formed, but, as is usually the case,... Continue Reading →
March 10, 1879 A closely watched six-day walking competition in New York City commenced at one o’clock on that Monday morning with thousands of spectators in attendance. This competition took place at Gilmore’s Garden, which was renamed Madison Square Garden later that year. The building was the largest arena in the United States at the... Continue Reading →
March 7, 1889 Pioneering naval aviator Godfrey de Courcelles Chevalier was born in Providence, Rhode Island. He graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1910 and then embarked on a comparatively short-lived but significant aviation career. Chevalier, who would be described in one news account as “one of the navy’s most daring aviators,” took to the... Continue Reading →
February 28, 1900 The U.S. Navy vessel USS Dart (YFB-308) was launched at the Mare Island Naval Shipyard (MINSY) at the waterfront city of Vallejo, California. MINSY, which is located 25 miles (40 kilometers) northeast of San Francisco, had been built during the 1850s and was the first U.S. Navy base established on the Pacific... Continue Reading →
February 25, 1851 In Wisconsin, the first passenger train of the Milwaukee & Mississippi (M&M) Railroad made its inaugural trip between Milwaukee and the town (now city) of Waukesha. This railroad had actually begun operations just a little over three months earlier. The debut of passenger service on that line, however, proved to be an exuberant celebration. ... Continue Reading →
Transportation History 