Finding the unexpected in the everyday.
July 11, 1905 The Scott Special, a train operated by the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway, set a new speed record for travel between Los Angeles and Chicago. The Scott Special arrived at Chicago’s Dearborn Station at 11:54 a.m. – 44 hours and 56 minutes after the train had departed Los Angeles for a trek... Continue Reading →
July 10, 1901 One of the world’s first passenger-carrying trolleybus systems was launched in the southeastern region of the present-day Federal Republic of Germany. (At the time, this area was part of the German Empire.) The Biela Valley Trolleybus system was built and operated by Dresden native Max Schiemann, who is credited with using a... Continue Reading →
July 6, 1881 In central Iowa, a potentially horrific passenger train wreck was averted thanks to a heroic teenage girl. The girl was 17-year-old Katherine Carroll “Kate” Shelley, who lived in that region of the Hawkeye State with her family. Kate had been born in Ireland, and she and her family immigrated to the United... Continue Reading →
July 2, 1935 The Rip Van Winkle Bridge was officially opened in southeastern New York’s section of the Hudson River Valley. The cantilever bridge, carrying New York State Route 23 over the Hudson River, connects the city of Hudson with the village of Catskill. The bridge was named after the long-hibernating protagonist of Washington Irving’s... Continue Reading →
June 28, 1939 Ushering in a new age of scheduled transatlantic passenger airplane service, the Dixie Clipper “flying boat” made its first run along Pan Am Airways’ newly established route between New York and Marseilles, France, via the South Atlantic Ocean. This long-range aircraft was one of several produced by the Boeing Airplane Company between... Continue Reading →
June 27, 1937 On California’s central coast, a major portion of State Route 1 (better known at the time as the Roosevelt Highway, in honor of President Franklin D. Roosevelt) was officially dedicated in the rugged but picturesque Big Sur region. Thousands of people were on hand to witness the debut of this highway segment... Continue Reading →
June 25, 1887 A series of bicycle races began in Omaha, Nebraska. The tournament took on added interest due to one bicyclist who was nearly halfway through a heavily publicized transcontinental trip across the United States. This bicyclist was 27-year-old newspaperman George W. Nellis, Jr. He was the latest of a handful of ambitious men,... Continue Reading →
June 19, 1816 William H. Webb, a prominent shipbuilder who is widely considered to be the first true American naval architect, was born in New York City. His father owned and operated a shipyard in the city. William H. Webb showed a strong aptitude for mathematics at an early age. Webb created his first vessel... Continue Reading →
June 14, 2011 In Minnesota, a ribbon-cutting ceremony was held for the final segment of a bicycle/pedestrian trail in the Minneapolis area. This late-afternoon ceremony formally marked the completion of the Cedar Lake Regional Trail after two decades of planning and construction. Those taking part in the festivities included Mayor R.T. Rybak of Minneapolis and... Continue Reading →
June 12, 1994 The Boeing 777, the world’s largest twinjet, made its first flight. The two-engine, wide-body jetliner, popularly known as the “Triple Seven,” was manufactured by Boeing Commercial Airlines. The aircraft was flown by chief test pilot John E. Cashman, taking off at 11:45 on that Sunday morning for a three-hour excursion from a... Continue Reading →
Transportation History 