Finding the unexpected in the everyday.
The twin-screw turbine steamer SS Ben-my-Chree was launched at North West England’s Cammell Laird shipyard, where she had been constructed. The steamer was the fourth Cammell Laird vessel to be named Ben-my-Chree, which means “girl of my heart” in the Manx language that is native to that region’s Isle of Man. This latest version of... Continue Reading →
Albert Gallatin, secretary of the Treasury under President Thomas Jefferson, submitted to the U.S. Senate a far-reaching report on the young nation’s critical transportation needs. Over a year earlier, the Senate passed a resolution calling upon the U.S. Treasury Department to prepare and submit “a plan for the application of such means are within the... Continue Reading →
In Oregon, the Astoria and Columbia River Railroad (A&CR) was incorporated to build a long-deferred line connecting the port city of Astoria – located near where the Columbia River meets the Pacific Ocean -- with the rest of the United States. The Salem-based Statesman Journal reported, “The capital stock is fixed at $2,000,000, with A.B.... Continue Reading →
The Angus L. Macdonald Bridge was opened in the Canadian maritime province of Nova Scotia. The suspension bridge, measuring nearly one mile (1.6 kilometers) in length, crosses Halifax Harbour and serves as a link between the Halifax Peninsula and the city of Dartmouth. At the time of its debut, the Angus L. Macdonald Bridge played... Continue Reading →
Two new hydrographic survey ships were commissioned into the U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey (USC&GS). These vessels, USC&GS Rude and USC&GS Heck, were described in the April 1970 issue of the U.S. Navy magazine All Hands as “wire drag ships, the only ones of their kind in the United States, which search out underwater navigational... Continue Reading →
In southeastern Australia, a truss bridge crossing the Murrumbidgee River was officially opened to connect the village of Tharwa with the city (and Australia’s present-day capital) of Canberra. The bridge reported the Queanbeyan Observer at the time, “is a stupendous but withal a light and very graceful structure.” As a truss bridge, Tharwa Bridge was... Continue Reading →
A groundbreaking ceremony was held for a pioneering highway between Los Angeles and Pasadena in southern California. Over the course of two decades, the plans for building the Arroyo Seco Parkway had steadily taken shape in response to the mushrooming use of automobiles throughout the region. The festivities marking the launch of construction on the... Continue Reading →
A pedestrian and cycle bridge in the British city and unitary authority area of Derby was first opened to the public. This opening of the Cathedral Green Footbridge, which spans the River Derwent, took place 13 days before the official dedication ceremony for the new structure. The footbridge was built in a section of Derby... Continue Reading →
The trailblazing automobile manufacturer Winton Motor Carriage Company officially began operations in Cleveland. Scottish immigrant and marine engineer Alexander Winton, who previously produced bicycles, founded the company with George H. Brown and Thomas W. Henderson. The Winton Motor Carriage Company’s earliest automobiles were built entirely by hand. Each of these vehicles featured gas lamps, painted... Continue Reading →
A group consisting of seven officers and 13 sailors from the Bangladesh Navy began training on board a vessel that had recently been obtained by that military branch. The vessel was USCGC Jarvis, which had been commissioned by the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) in 1972. During her years of service as a USCG cutter, the... Continue Reading →
Transportation History 