Finding the unexpected in the everyday.
March 7, 1877 The first train of the Seattle & Walla Walla Railroad began operations on a 14-mile (22.5-kilometer)-long stretch between the city of Seattle and town (present-day city) of Renton in what was then the Territory of Washington. (This territory became a state more than 11 years later.) The San Francisco Chronicle reported, “Excursion... Continue Reading →
March 5, 1923 Aviation pioneer Igor Sikorsky established the Sikorsky Aero Engineering Corporation on Long Island, thereby opening a new and significant chapter in aircraft development. Igor Sikorsky immigrated to the United States from his native Russia in 1919 with comparatively little money and no job, but a strong interest and ability when it came... Continue Reading →
February 28, 1995 Denver International Airport, which is located approximately 25 miles (40 kilometers) from the downtown section of Colorado’s state capital, officially opened for business. This facility debuted the day after its predecessor, Stapleton International Airport in the northeastern part of Denver, ceased operations after more than 65 years of service. The inaugural festivities... Continue Reading →
February 26, 1931 Sam Hill, an ambitious businessman, and entrepreneur whose strongest passions included surface transportation died in Portland, Oregon, at the age of 73. While a number of stories about him are likely apocryphal – a key example being that he was the source of the popular saying “What in Sam Hill . .... Continue Reading →
February 19, 1866 Mary Anderson, a multifaceted entrepreneur who made a major contribution to transportation by inventing the first practical windshield wiper, was born in Greene County, Alabama. Anderson was inspired to create her version of a windshield wiper during a trip to New York City in the winter of 1902. While traveling on one... Continue Reading →
February 14, 1888 A new streetcar company was chartered in Georgia to provide a small but important transit link in the north-central part of the state. More specifically, this company was established to better connect the city of Covington and the town of Oxford (incorporated as a city in 1914) with each other as well... Continue Reading →
February 12, 1909 On the centennial of Abraham Lincoln’s birth, a footbridge bearing his name was dedicated at Platt National Park (now part of the Chickasaw National Recreation Area) in south-central Oklahoma adjacent to the town of Sulphur. The Lincoln Bridge, built across Travertine Creek in the park, replaced a succession of rickety wooden bridges at the... Continue Reading →
January 31, 1992 A memorial service was held at Morgan Hill, California, for Ole Fahlin, the world-renowned aviator and propellers manufacturer. He had passed away five days earlier in the Golden State at the age of 90. Fahlin, who was born in the locality of Bollnäs in Sweden in 1901, began pursuing a strong interest in... Continue Reading →
January 29, 1878 Bicycle and automobile racer Berna Eli “Barney” Oldfield was born in York Township in northwestern Ohio. Oldfield launched his career as a bicycle racer in 1894 when he was only 16. Oldfield’s bicycle accomplishments brought him to the attention of Henry Ford, who invited him to test-drive one of his automobiles designed for... Continue Reading →
January 25, 1959 The first transcontinental commercial jet trip in the United States took place when an American Airlines Boeing 707 flew from Los Angeles to New York City. This inaugural flight began at 12:01 p.m. at Los Angeles International Airport after Bernice Brown, the wife of California Governor Edmund G. “Pat” Brown, pressed the buttons... Continue Reading →
Transportation History 