Finding the unexpected in the everyday.
January 26, 1962 The George Mason Memorial Bridge in Washington, D.C., made its debut in the midst of rainy weather. Washington Post reporter Paul Schuette noted that this newest structure to cross the Potomac River and connect the nation’s capital with Arlington, Virginia, “was dedicated under umbrellas” on that Friday afternoon. Schuette also stated, “More... Continue Reading →
January 25, 2011 A sail training ship built for the Indian Navy was launched at the port city of Vasco da Gama on India’s western coast. This ship was commissioned into the Indian Navy just a little over a year later by K.N. Sushil, a vice admiral of the Indian Navy and the flag officer... Continue Reading →
January 24, 2019 In the western section of London, a newly completed pedestrian bridge in the city’s district of Chiswick was officially opened. Chiswick Park Footbridge is located just north of Gunnersbury Triangle Nature Reserve. This 114.8 (35-meter)-long bridge serves as a connection between Chiswick Business Park, a development that encompasses the London-area offices of... Continue Reading →
January 23, 1912 Regular service began on the Overseas Railroad, a 156-mile (251.1-kilometer)-long extension of the Florida East Coast Railway to Key West (located beyond the end of the Florida peninsula). This service was launched the day after Henry Flagler, a founder of Standard Oil and the developer of Florida East Coast Railway (FEC), arrived in... Continue Reading →
January 20, 1902 A railway station in the Alnabru neighborhood of Norway’s city of Kristiania was opened. At the time, Norway was part of the United Kingdoms of Sweden and Norway. Under this personal union, those countries had the same monarch; the capital typically alternated throughout each year between Kristiania and the Swedish city of... Continue Reading →
January 19, 1977 In the Philippines, Food Terminal Junction station (also known as FTI station) was opened in the city of Taguig in Metro Manila (an area that is officially called the National Capital Region) on the island of Luzon. FTI station is part of the South Main Line serving the larger network of the... Continue Reading →
January 18, 1852 A new version of Barra Rio Grande Lighthouse in southern Brazil first went into service. (At the time, most of the territory comprising the present-day Federative Republic of Brazil was instead part of the Empire of Brazil.) This lighthouse is specifically located on a sandy strip between the Lagoa dos Patos (the... Continue Reading →
January 17, 2006 A new terminal was opened at the international airport serving Prague, the capital city of the Czech Republic. This terminal has the distinction of being the most recently built of the four passenger terminals at that airport, which is located in northwestern Prague’s district of Ruzynĕ. Prague Ruzynĕ International Airport began operations... Continue Reading →
January 13, 2001 The last remaining section of the Washington Metro rapid transit system as originally planned was opened to passengers. This 6.5-mile (10.5-kilometer) segment consisted of the final five Green Line stations -- Congress Heights, Southern Avenue, Naylor Road, Suitland, and Branch Avenue. (Congress Heights is in Washington, D.C., while the other stations are... Continue Reading →
January 12, 2012 A newly built terminal for an airport in northwestern Costa Rica was opened to the public. Construction on the terminal had started on October 19, 2010. Those visiting this building on its first day of operations included Laura Chinchilla, who served as president of Costa Rica from 2010 to 2014. The first... Continue Reading →
Transportation History 