Finding the unexpected in the everyday.
In Indonesia, the main span of the Suramadu Bridge was connected successfully in a midnight ceremony. The bridge, which crosses the Madura Strait between the city of Surabaya on the island of Java and the town of Bangkalan on the island of Madura, had been built by the Indonesian construction companies PT Adhi Karya (Persero)... Continue Reading →
In the Philippines, Cape Bojeador Lighthouse on the island of Luzon was first lit. At the time, the Philippines was under Spanish rule. The lighthouse was constructed on Vigia de Nagpartian Hill at Cape Bojeador in the town of Burgos, and it overlooks the South China Sea. Cape Bojeador Lighthouse marks Luzon’s northwestern-most point. The... Continue Reading →
Boliviana de AviaciĂłn (BoA), which serves as the national airline of Bolivia and is entirely owned by the South American country’s government, formally began operations with its first commercial flight. This flight was made by a Boeing 737 airliner traveling between the cities of La Paz (the capital) and Cochabamba. Evo Morales, Bolivia’s president since... Continue Reading →
After more than three years of construction, a railway bridge in the city of Krasnoyarsk in Siberia (part of the Russian Empire at the time) was completed. The six-span Krasnoyarsk Railway Bridge, measuring 3,300 feet in length, was built to carry the Trans-Siberian Railway over the Yenisei River. Construction on the railway line, which is... Continue Reading →
Boat builder and designer Archibald Logan died in the New Zealand city of Auckland. According to the next day’s edition of the New Zealand Herald, “Such was his genius in the construction of yachts that he had an international reputation, and craft of his own design have proved eminently successful, not only in [New Zealand],... Continue Reading →
The initial segment of Australia’s first-ever freeway was opened to traffic in Sydney in the state of New South Wales (NSW). Joseph Cahill, NSW’s premier at the time, inaugurated the overhead portion of the freeway and made clear his high expectations for the new route and what it would mean for Sydney. “Cahill Sees Roadway... Continue Reading →
The Argentine Navy icebreaker ARA Almirante IrĂzar, which was built and launched in Finland, first arrived in Argentina. The vessel was named in honor of Admiral Julián IrĂzar, who played an important role in modernizing the Argentine Navy’s fleet. He also commanded the ARA Uruguay when the gunboat rescued members of the 1903 Swedish Antarctic... Continue Reading →
Sarah Clark Kidder (c. 1839-1933) was the first woman in the world to run a railroad. Her husband John Flint Kidder, whom she married in 1870, became president of the California-based Nevada County Narrow Gauge Railroad (NCNGRR) in 1884. After he died in 1901, Sarah – who now found herself in control of three-fourths of... Continue Reading →
The first flight between Portugal and its then-territory of Madeira, a North Atlantic archipelago located 280 nautical miles off the coast of Africa, took place when a Felixstowe F .3 seaplane traveled from Lisbon to the city of Funchal on the southern shore of Madeira’s main island. The Portuguese Naval Aeronautical Service crew on board... Continue Reading →
In Hong Kong, a significant portion of Tsing Sha Highway was first opened to traffic. The Friday morning debut took place five years and four months after construction on this segment of a major expressway in one of the world’s most densely populated regions had begun. The segment, which extends from Sha Tin (an area... Continue Reading →
Transportation History 