Finding the unexpected in the everyday.
June 5, 1905 In the northwestern part of Washington State, a lighthouse on Semiahmoo Bay first went into service. The Semiahmoo Lighthouse -- located near the Evergreen State’s port city of Blaine -- was built in response to the notable increase in shipping traffic due to numerous fish canneries in the region. This Victorian-style structure... Continue Reading →
June 3, 2017 Construction began on a regional rail station in Boston’s Mattapan neighborhood. This station, which is located on Blue Hill Avenue at Woodhaven Street, was built as part of the Fairmount Line of the MBTA (Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority) Commuter Rail system. Blue Hill Avenue station was opened for regular service on... Continue Reading →
June 2, 1917 A little less than two months after the United States entered World War I on the side of the Allied Powers, the high-speed yacht Marold was commissioned in Boston for service in the U.S. Navy. This vessel had been built by the Ohio-based Matthews Boat Company in 1914 for engineer and businessman... Continue Reading →
May 28, 1925 William M. Jardine (1879-1955), who had started serving as U.S. secretary of agriculture on March 5 of that year and would remain in the position until 1929, was a featured speaker at the Mid-West Transportation Conference in Chicago. This conference was held at the now defunct La Salle Hotel at the northwest... Continue Reading →
May 27, 2014 In the Bahamas, a newly built terminal for an airport in the town of Marsh Harbour first went into service. Marsh Harbour, which is located on Great Abaco Island (the largest of the country’s Abaco Islands), has achieved renown over the years as a major tourist attraction. “The 46,000 square foot [4,300... Continue Reading →
May 23, 1891 In the Wisconsin city of Superior (at the western end of Lake Superior), the whaleback freighter SS Charles W. Wetmore was launched at the shipyard of entrepreneur and Great Lakes captain Alexander McDougall’s American Steel Barge Company. This vessel was the latest of the whaleback freighters originally conceived by McDougall. These cargo... Continue Reading →
May 19, 1950 A drive-in theater in Dearborn, Michigan, officially opened for business on a rainy Friday night. This theater, known as Ford-Wyoming Drive-In, was initially able to accommodate up to 750 automobiles. Despite the rain on its inaugural night, the theater’s lot was filled to capacity. The double feature that night was The Man... Continue Reading →
May 14, 1928 A total of 22 planes took to the skies on a Monday morning in Oklahoma City for the launch of a five-day air tour. This tour, which was sponsored by the Chamber of Commerce of Oklahoma, reflected the ever-growing popularity of aviation in the United States. The idea behind what the Associated... Continue Reading →
May 12, 1875 The first official fireboat of the Fire Department of the City of New York (FDNY) was placed into service. This steam-powered, wooden-hull vessel was named the William Frederick Havemeyer in honor of a prominent local citizen who had been the city’s mayor three times and was also a volunteer fireman. The importance of... Continue Reading →
May 6, 1895 The third elevated rapid transit line in Chicago, and the first of those lines to be electrically operated, made its debut. The first train of the Metropolitan West Side Elevated Railroad -- also called the Metropolitan “L” -- left the Robey Street station at six o’clock that morning for the downtown terminal at... Continue Reading →
Transportation History 