Finding the unexpected in the everyday.
June 23, 1998 Bangabandhu Bridge, which crosses the Jamuna River in north-central Bangladesh, made its debut. This road-rail bridge serves as a key link between the upazila (administrative region) of Bhuapur on the east side of the Jamuna River and the city of Sirajganj on the river’s west bank. Bangabandhu Bridge was officially opened by... 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 19, 1999 A new lighthouse first went into service at the village of Oluvil on the southeastern coast of Sri Lanka. Oluvil Lighthouse was officially inaugurated by M.H.M Ashraff, Sri Lanka’s minister for port development, rehabilitation, and reconstruction. A cylindrical concrete tower, the 79-foot (24-meter)-tall lighthouse was built as part of the planned development... Continue Reading →
June 18, 2018 As work on a suspension pedestrian bridge in Australia neared completion, the LED lighting on that new structure was officially tested for the first time. This Monday evening trial run, according to the West Australian newspaper, was held “with the inclement weather failing to dampen the colorful display.” The bridge crosses over... 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 12, 1872 A new transportation era dawned in Japan when the first section of a railway line in that country began operations. That initial section of railway provided passenger service between the Yokohama (now Sakuragichō) Station and the Shinagawa Station in the Tokyo region. The start of regular train service in the Land of the... 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 →
June 10, 1912 Just over five months after New Mexico left behind its longtime U.S. territorial status to become the 47th state, a broad range of bills recently passed by the state legislature still awaited approval or rejection by the governor. That day’s edition of the Santa Fe New Mexican newspaper noted, “The first session... Continue Reading →
Transportation History 