Finding the unexpected in the everyday.
September 5, 1862 English meteorologists James Glaisher (1809-1903) and Henry Tracey Coxwell (1819-1900) set a new record in altitude for human flights when they soared in a balloon far above Stafford Road Gasworks in the then-borough of Wolverhampton, England. The intent of that flight was to examine what happened to water vapor as it rose into... Continue Reading →
September 1, 1964 The Alte Weser Lighthouse in the northwestern region of what was then West Germany (now part of the Federal Republic of Germany) first went into service. This 125-foot (38-meter)-tall red tower with white horizontal bands is offshore from the estuary mouth of the river Weser, which is within the German Bight (a... Continue Reading →
August 31, 2018 A new pedestrian bridge in Boston was formally opened. Construction on the Frances Appleton Bridge, which crosses a major parkway known as Storrow Drive, began in 2016. This bridge was named after Boston-born Frances “Fanny” Appleton (1817-1861). She was married to literary giant Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807-1882) from 1843 until her death,... Continue Reading →
August 30, 1983 Miguel Ángel de Quevedo station of the Mexico City Metro, the rapid transit system serving the metropolitan area of Mexico’s capital, was officially opened. This station is part of Line 3, which is the longest of the Mexico City Metro’s 12 lines. Miguel Ángel de Quevedo station is specifically located at the... Continue Reading →
August 29, 1931 New Haven Municipal Airport in south-central Connecticut was formally opened to great fanfare. This public airport is three miles (4.8 kilometers) southeast east of the downtown section of the city of New Haven. Groundbreaking ceremonies for this airport had taken place on November 11, 1929. The Hartford Courant featured a front-page article... Continue Reading →
August 28, 1940 In northeast Maryland, a bridge carrying U.S. Route 40 across the Susquehanna River was inaugurated. Originally known as the Susquehanna River Toll Bridge, this 7,624-foot (2,324-meter)-long structure connects the city of Havre de Grace in Harford County with the town of Perryville in Cecil County via Garrett Island in the latter of... Continue Reading →
August 25, 1866 Shipbuilder and naval architect Fop Smit died in the town of Niewe Leckerland (now known as Nieuw Lekkerland) in the Netherlands. He was 88. Smit had been born on October 11, 1777, in the Dutch town and municipality of Alblassderdam. His father Jan Foppe Smith (1742-1807) and uncle Jacques Foppe Smit (1756-1820)... Continue Reading →
August 24, 2014 Metroway, a bus rapid transit (BRT) line serving both Arlington County and the city of Alexandria in Northern Virginia, first went into regular service. This route is operated by the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority as part of its Metrobus system and has the distinction of being the first BRT line in... Continue Reading →
August 23, 1980 U.S. Army Vessel (USAV) Yaquina was launched at the shipyard of the Norfolk Shipbuilding and Drydock Corporation in Norfolk, Virginia. This ship serves the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) as one of its hopper dredges. A hopper dredge, equipped with powerful engines and pumps, is used to keep waterways navigable by... Continue Reading →
August 22, 2012 In the country of Bosnia and Herzegovina (more widely known as Bosnia), a unique type of pedestrian bridge was officially opened in Sarajevo. This 124.7-foot (38-meter)-long bridge, which crosses the Miljacka river, serves as a link between Radićeva street and the Mak Dizdar street in Bosnia’s capital city. The name for... Continue Reading →
Transportation History 