Finding the unexpected in the everyday.
A new light rail system began operations in Genoa, Italy’s sixth largest city (nicknamed “The Proud One” for its storied past and historic landmarks). The debut of the first section of the single-line Genoa Metro coincided with the 14th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international football world championship tournament; that year’s competition was sponsored by... Continue Reading →
Elattuvalapil Sreedharan, who has played a key role in the development of public transportation in India, was born in the town of Pattambi in South India’s present-day state of Kerala. Sreedharan studied civil engineering at the Government Engineering College (now called Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University) in Kakinada, and eventually secured a position with the Indian... Continue Reading →
Australia’s Tarrawingee Tramway made its formal debut. The Tarrawingee Tramway covered approximately 40 miles between the city of Broken Hill and the town of Tarrawingee in the far western region of the colony (now state) of New South Wales. The primary reason for building the tramway was to facilitate the shipment of high-grade limestone mined at... Continue Reading →
Air India, which is now India’s national airline, achieved a major milestone with its first international flight. The plane used for this flight was a Lockheed Constellation L-749A aircraft named Malabar Princess. The plane, which was piloted by Captain K.R. Guzdar, flew out of Bombay (now known as Mumbai) for its pioneering 5,000-mile journey to... Continue Reading →
On Australia’s east coast, a foundation stone was laid for a new bridge that would be built across the Georges River in the vicinity of southern Sydney. The bridge, which had been long requested by area residents, was planned as a link between Sydney’s suburbs of Blakehurst and Sylvania. Approximately 2,000 people were on hand... Continue Reading →
A sailing replica of the 18th-century Swedish ship Götheborg was launched. The ceremony took place in the presence of members of the Swedish royal family at the Terra Nova shipyard in Gothenburg on Sweden’s west coast. The original ship had been built for the Swedish East India Company, which conducted trade with East Asia, and... Continue Reading →
In Brazil, the first flight of a new two-seat trainer aircraft took place. The low-wing monoplane, which became known as the A-122 Uirapuru, could accommodate both the pilot and instructor side-by-side. The A-122 Uirapuru was built by Aerotec, a design and manufacturing company that had been founded in the city of San Jose do Campos... Continue Reading →
Indian Air Force (IAF) pilots Rahul Monga and Anil Kumar began a round-the-world flight in a Flight Design CTSW plane to set a new record for the fastest circumnavigation in a microlight aircraft. (A microlight aircraft is a lightweight, fixed-wing flying machine with seating for no more than two people.) In undertaking their flight, Monga... Continue Reading →
Aviation pioneer John Robertson Duigan was born in the town of Terang in the colony (now state) of Victoria in southeast Australia. In 1902, he went to England and enrolled in the City and Guilds of London Technical College in Finsbury. Duigan earned a certificate in electrical engineering from the college in 1904, and the... Continue Reading →
One of New Zealand’s best-known bridges was made its official debut on the North Island. The Auckland Harbour Bridge, which was completed three weeks ahead of schedule, spans Auckland Harbour (formally called Waitematā Harbour) and connects the Auckland suburbs of Saint Marys Bay and Northcote. Lord Cobham (Charles John Lyttelton, 10th Viscount Cobham), New Zealand’s... Continue Reading →
Transportation History 