Finding the unexpected in the everyday.
July 30, 2018 In central Florida, daily operations began for a recently completed segment of a commuter rail system in the Orlando metropolitan area. This 17-mile (27.4-kilometer) extension of SunRail encompassed the following four new stations for the second oldest commuter rail system in the Sunshine State: Meadow Woods Station in Orange County; and Tupperware,... Continue Reading →
July 29, 1900 An inaugural ceremony was held for the White Pass and Yukon Route (WP&YR), a narrow-gauge railroad linking the port of Skagway in what was then the U.S. territory of Alaska with the community of White Horse (later officially changed to Whitehorse and incorporated as a city) in the Canadian territory of Yukon. ... Continue Reading →
July 28, 1835 A major milestone for the Boston and Providence Railroad (BPRR) took place with the completion of Canton Viaduct on that line. This viaduct in the town of Canton, which is approximately 15 miles (24 kilometers) southwest of downtown Boston. Canton Viaduct was designed by William Gibbs McNeill (1800-1853), a captain in the... Continue Reading →
July 23, 1917 The U.S. Navy, as part of its efforts to acquire enough vessels for military service during World War I, purchased the express cruiser Ameera from machine manufacturer Alexander Sellers (1875-1957) for $31,000. This vessel was constructed earlier that year for Sellers by the Mathis Yacht Building Company in Camden, New Jersey. (Sellers,... Continue Reading →
July 22, 1904 In east-central California, a hiking trail that climbs up the 14,505-foot (4,421-meter)-tall Mount Whitney – the highest point in the contiguous United States – was officially ready for public use. That day’s edition of the Inyo Independente included updates on the trail from Gustave Francis “Gus” Marsh (1869-1946), the local engineer overseeing... Continue Reading →
July 18, 1964 USNS Thomas G. Thompson (T-AGOR-9), a U.S. Navy oceanographic research vessel, was launched at 10:50 a.m. into Menominee River at the Marinette Marine Corporation shipyard in the city of Marinette, Wisconsin. (The prefix USNS stands for “United States Naval Ship” and is used to identify non-commissioned vessels that belong to the Navy.)... Continue Reading →
July 14, 2012 A bridge for pedestrians and cyclists in Portland, Oregon, made its public debut. This structure is officially named the US Congresswoman Darlene Hooley Pedestrian Bridge at Gibbs Street. Hooley, who served as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Oregon from 1997 to 2009, had staunchly championed the construction of... Continue Reading →
July 7, 1942 Exactly seven months after Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbor, Gulfport Army Airfield in southern Mississippi was opened as a small but still pivotal part of the United States’ overall involvement in World War II on the side of the Allies. This airport in the city of Gulfport was built by the U.S. Army... Continue Reading →
June 30, 1979 The Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA), which had been established in 1971 as a bus network only, opened the first part of its rapid rail system. This new transit service -- built on a section known at the time as the East Line -- made Atlanta the first city in the... Continue Reading →
June 26, 2016 A major transit center at 201 East Washington Street in Indianapolis first went into regular service. This facility was named after Julia M. Carson, who served as a member of the U.S. Representatives from 1997 until her death in 2007 at the age of 69. She was both the first woman and... Continue Reading →
Transportation History 