Finding the unexpected in the everyday.
July 8, 2016 In South Dakota, a ceremony took place in the town of Aurora to celebrate the completion of a major railroad project for trains traveling through the state’s eastern region. This $5.65-million project involved the construction of a total of 17,520 feet (5,340.1 meters) of main-line sidings in both Aurora and the city... Continue Reading →
July 6, 1903 George Adams Wyman arrived in New York City on his motor bicycle 50 days after departing San Francisco on that vehicle. In completing this coast-to-coast trip, the 26-year-old Wyman became the first person to make a transcontinental crossing of the United States by motor vehicle. Twenty days after Wyman finished his journey of... Continue Reading →
July 1, 1962 A highway that had been built around a large part of Baltimore to help reduce traffic volumes in and near Maryland’s largest city was opened. This route has become most popularly known throughout the decades as the Baltimore Beltway. The planning and construction of the original version of this highway was coordinated... Continue Reading →
June 29, 1934 Joseph Adamowicz (1893-1970) and his younger brother Benjamin Adamowicz (1898-1979) began an ambitious airborne journey from North America to Europe. They are believed to be among the first (if not the first) amateur pilots to undertake any kind of transatlantic flight. The brothers, flying a monoplane known as City of Warsaw, made... Continue Reading →
June 24, 2017 The Klingle Valley Trail for pedestrians and bicyclists was inaugurated in northwest Washington, D.C. Muriel Bowser, mayor of the District of Columbia, cut a ribbon to formally open the 0.7-mile (1.1-kilometer) paved path. Other public officials in attendance included Leif Dormsjo, director of the District Department of Transportation (DDOT). Construction on the... Continue Reading →
June 22, 1942 Less than seven months after the U.S. entry in World War II, construction began on one of the U.S. Navy tugboats that would serve in that global military conflict. This vessel was USS Kiowa, which was named after a Native American tribe of the Great Plains. Kiowa was constructed by the Charleston... Continue Reading →
June 17, 1970 A major milestone for the Kansas State Highway Commission took place when the final section of Interstate 70 in the Sunflower State was formally opened. (The Kansas State Highway Commission remained in existence until 1975, when it was replaced by the present-day Kansas Department of Transportation.) The last part of I-70 to... Continue Reading →
June 16, 1936 The vessel George W. Campbell was placed in active service as a cutter of the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG). This vessel was one of the first of the USCG’s Treasury-class cutters to be commissioned. Those cutters were each named after former U.S. secretaries of the treasury. USCG’s affiliation with the U.S. Department... Continue Reading →
June 15, 1953 The New York City Transit Authority (NYCTA) came into existence at 12:01 a.m. This entity remains the largest and busiest transit system in North America. NYCTA, which operates under the governing body of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority MTA), is responsible for rapid transit and bus lines throughout New York City. Until 1956,... Continue Reading →
June 11, 1920 A new bus service began operating in Detroit on a five-mile (8.1-kilometer) route between Grand Circus Park and Water Works Park via Woodward and East Jefferson Avenues. The Detroit Motorbus Company (DMB), which had been organized the previous year by automobile accessory and supply distributor Herbert Y. McMullen, ultimately established itself as... Continue Reading →
Transportation History 