Finding the unexpected in the everyday.
March 13, 1883 Civil engineer Clifford Milburn Holland was born in the town of Somerset, Massachusetts. His career would encompass construction on several tunnels in and around New York City. His crowning achievement when it came to those tunnels involved the one that now bears his name: the Holland Tunnel, which was built under the Hudson... Continue Reading →
March 9, 1951 The public transport agency Servicio de Transportes Eléctricos del Distrito Federal (now known as Servicio de Transportes Eléctricos de la Ciudad de México [STE]) officially launched the first trolleybus route in Mexico City. Transportes Eléctricos, in preparation for this new transit service in Mexico’s capital, had purchased a total of 20 trolleybuses... Continue Reading →
March 8, 1946 A major milestone in aviation history took place when the Bell 47 became the world’s first helicopter certified for commercial use. This first-of-a-kind certificate was issued for the Bell 47 by the Civil Aeronautics Administration (CAA), forerunner to the present-day Federal Aviation Administration. The Bell 47 was a single-rotor, single-engine light helicopter manufactured... Continue Reading →
March 7, 1969 The Victoria line of the London Underground, the wide-ranging rapid transit system of England’s capital city and the metropolitan area surrounding it, was officially opened. The Victoria line was the first entirely new line of the London Underground to be built in a half-century. The first portion of the Victoria line to... Continue Reading →
March 6, 1913 A large number of highway officials and supporters from all of the states showed up at the Raleigh Hotel in Washington, D.C., for the Second National Good Roads Federal-Aid Convention. This heavily attended conference was held under the auspices of the American Automobile Association (AAA). Laurens Enos, the president of AAA, opened the... Continue Reading →
March 2, 2017 A groundbreaking ceremony was held for the construction of a cable-stayed bridge within the main urban center of the Filipino province of Cebu. This part of Cebu is called Metropolitan Cebu, and it ranks second only to Metropolitan Manila (officially named the National Capital Region) as the Philippines’ largest metropolitan area by... Continue Reading →
February 28, 2015 A newly built railway station was opened in the city of Delft in the Netherlands’ province of South Holland. This city has played a huge role in Dutch history over the centuries and is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the Netherlands. Delft -- located between Rotterdam to the southeast... Continue Reading →
February 27, 2002 A dedication ceremony was held for a pedestrian and bicycle bridge spanning Interstate 80 (I-80) in the city of Berkeley, California. “Jubilation as New Bridge Opens Car-Free Access,” announced a headline in the next day’s edition of the Oakland Tribune. This tied-arch concrete bridge, which is known as the I-80 Bicycle and... Continue Reading →
February 24, 1839 Civil engineer William Smith Otis of Philadelphia was issued U.S. patent number 1,089 for the steam shovel, which was classified in that patent as a “Crane-Excavator for Excavating and Removing Earth.” As designed by Otis, this large steam-powered machine -- when mounted on wheeled devices such as carriages or railroad cars --... Continue Reading →
February 22, 2021 In eastern India’s state of West Bengal, a station serving Kolkata Metro Line 1 of the rapid transit system Kolkata Metro was officially opened in the locality of Dakshineswar in North 24 Parganas District. This district is under the jurisdiction of Kolkata Metropolitan Development Authority, the statutory planning and development authority for... Continue Reading →
Transportation History 