Finding the unexpected in the everyday.
November 19, 1984 The record-setting cruise ship Royal Princess embarked on her maiden voyage, departing from Southampton, England, for Miami, Florida, with approximately 700 passengers on board. The transatlantic trip began only four days after the British-registered vessel, which had been built for Princess Cruises by the Finnish corporation Wärtsilä at its Helsinki shipyard, was... Continue Reading →
November 18, 2002 A new bus terminus was opened in the city of Chennai in India’s southern state of Tamil Nadu. Originally called Chennai Mofussil Bus Terminus, this facility provides an extensive range of bus transportation services and has become a major gateway in and out of the city. The terminus is specifically located on... Continue Reading →
During the American Civil War, Virginia resident William Terrill Bradby was one of an estimated 20,000 Native Americans who served with Union military forces in the fight against the Confederacy. A large part of Bradby’s own contributions to the Union cause involved maritime transportation. A member of the Pamunkey Tribe, Bradby was born in Virginia... Continue Reading →
November 14, 1922 Construction began on a record-setting suspension bridge in Florianópolis, the capital city of the state of Santa Catarina in southern Brazil. It was built to serve as the first fixed connection between the mainland part of Florianópolis and the city’s island of Santa Catarina. The bridge was designed by the American firm... Continue Reading →
November 13, 1907 The first flight of a helicopter that was both piloted and untethered took place near the commune of Coquainvilliers in northwestern France. The pilot was engineer and bicycle-maker Paul Cornu in a twin-rotor aircraft that he had constructed. This experimental helicopter was outfitted with a 24-horsepower (18-kilowatt) Antoinette engine and had an... Continue Reading →
November 12, 2014 A pioneering system of trams (better known as streetcars or trolleys in North America) was opened to the public in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) city of Dubai. This 6.6-mile (10.6-kilometer)-long segment of the new system between Dubai Marina along the Persian Gulf shoreline and the city’s community of Al Sufouh had... Continue Reading →
During World War II, Minnie Spotted-Wolf became the first Native American woman to enlist in the U.S. Marine Corps (USMC). She further distinguished herself through her various transportation-oriented duties and accomplishments during her time in service. A member of the Blackfeet Tribe, Spotted-Wolf was born near the community of Heart Butte in western Montana in... Continue Reading →
November 7, 1987 In the Republic of Singapore, the first section of the high-capacity rail transportation system known as the Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) officially began operations. At the time of its debut, the North South Line (NSL) of the MRT covered 3.7 miles (six kilometers) between the Yio Chu Kang station in Ang Mo... Continue Reading →
November 6, 1937 Construction began on the Highland Park Bridge in the northeast area of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. This truss bridge was built to carry vehicular traffic across the Allegheny River and between the Pittsburgh neighborhood of Highland Park and the borough of Aspinwall. The structure was specifically intended to replace a narrower bridge downstream that had... Continue Reading →
November 5, 2011 Better late than never . . . In southeast Australia, a lighthouse at Cape Wickham on King Island in the state of Tasmania was officially opened 150 years after first going into the service. This ceremony finally took place in 2011 because, during preparations to commemorate the lighthouse’s sesquicentennial, it was discovered... Continue Reading →
Transportation History 