Finding the unexpected in the everyday.
October 24, 1923 The Pacific Highway was officially opened in Olympia, Washington. This international highway would ultimately extend from Vancouver in British Columbia to San Diego in California. There were 1,687 miles (2,715 kilometers) of the Pacific Highway in place by 1926, making this route the longest continuously paved road at that time. The 1923... Continue Reading →
October 23, 1980 The first formal intercity air/ground/rail transportation connection in the United States -- and the country’s first rail station built on airport-owned property -- was officially dedicated about 1.5 miles (2.4 kilometers) from the terminal of Baltimore/Washington International Airport. Construction on that rail station serving the airport (now known as Baltimore Washington International... Continue Reading →
October 20, 1914 Archibald D. Campbell and Lawrence S. Campbell applied for a patent for an innovative camping trailer that they had developed as a vehicle to be marketed and sold by their Los Angeles-based business (known as the Campbell Folding Camping Trailer Company) and used for recreational purposes. This two-wheeled trailer, which was described in the... Continue Reading →
October 19, 2006 The Celtic Gateway Bridge in Wales was opened for use. This stainless steel pedestrian and cycle bridge is located in Holyhead, the largest town and community within the Isle of Anglesey (a county off the northwestern coast of Wales). The Celtic Gateway Bridge was officially inaugurated by Andrew Davies (born in 1952),... Continue Reading →
October 18, 1871 On Kyūshū -- the third largest of Japan’s five main islands -- a lighthouse built on Cape Sata in the present-day town of Minamiōsumi was first lit. This navigational aid is known as Satamisaki Lighthouse; “Satamisaki,” which is also spelled out as “Sata Misaki,” means “Cape Sata” in English. Work on this... Continue Reading →
October 17, 1989 In the aftermath of a major earthquake that hit northern California, the fireboat Phoenix – under the command of pilot Arvid Havneras -- proved to be pivotal in combatting a fire that endangered San Francisco’s Marina District neighborhood. The Loma Prieta earthquake, measuring 7.1 on the Richter scale, rumbled through the region... Continue Reading →
October 16, 2006 The second version of the U.S. Grant Bridge in southern Ohio was officially inaugurated. This two-lane, cable-stayed bridge carries U.S. Route 23 across the Ohio River and serves as a link between city of Portsmouth in Ohio and the community of South Portsmouth (near the city of South Shore) in Kentucky. This... Continue Reading →
October 12, 1962 The Thatcher Ferry Bridge, which spans the Pacific Ocean entrance to the Panama Canal, was officially opened. This bridge, until the debut of the Centennial Bridge in 2004, was the only non-swinging bridge to reconnect the land masses of North America and South America that had been separated by the canal. The... Continue Reading →
October 11, 2018 In the Republic of Ireland, an offshore patrol vessel built by Babcock Marine in England’s ceremonial county of Devon was delivered to the Irish Naval Service at its base on the island of Haulbowline in Cork Harbour. This vessel was named after George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950), a world-renowned Irish playwright whose works... Continue Reading →
October 10, 1904 In another clear sign that Henry Ford’s pioneering automotive enterprise was expanding even further, the production of his cars in Canada began in the town of Walkerville in the southwestern region of the province of Ontario. This made Canada the first country outside the United States where Fords were built. (In 1935, Walkerville... Continue Reading →
Transportation History 