Finding the unexpected in the everyday.
June 21, 1954 NBC Radio presented the final broadcast of The Railroad Hour. This program, which had been on the air for 16 years, was sponsored by the American Association of Railroads (AAR). The program had a music-and-drama format, and Jeannette MacDonald (1903-1965) and Adolphe Menjou (1893-1963) were among the performers who graced those broadcasts.... Continue Reading →
June 20, 1860 In New York City, a 78-foot (23.8-meter)-long pilot boat was launched from the foot of 12th Street and into the East River. This type of vessel operates in the vicinity of a port and is used to transport maritime pilots to ships in the area. While on board a ship, the maritime... Continue Reading →
On June 19, 1865 -- nearly two-and-a-half years after President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation -- enslaved Americans in Galveston, Texas, at long last received official notification that they were free from bondage. That historic day is now called Juneteenth, a portmanteau of “June” and “nineteenth.” The Emancipation Proclamation applied only to those states... Continue Reading →
June 18, 1888 The ninth annual meet of the League of American Wheelmen (LAW) kicked off in Baltimore, Maryland, with 1,500 members from almost every bicycle club in the United States in attendance for the three-day event. “Baltimore to-day is to a certain extent in the hands of bicyclists,” reported that day’s edition of the New... Continue Reading →
June 17, 1945 Eddy Merckx, who would achieve unparalleled success as a rider in competitive cycling, was born in the town of Meensel-Kiezegem (part of the municipality of Tielt-Winge) in Belgium. He grew up in the municipality of Woluwe-Sain-Pierre, which is 20.7 miles (33.4 kilometers) southwest of Meensel-Kiezegem. Merckx developed a passion for cycling early... Continue Reading →
June 14, 1930 The twin-screw diesel yacht Lotosland was formally delivered by her manufacturer Pusey & Jones, a Delaware-based shipbuilder, to renowned industrialist and electrical engineer Edward A. Deeds. On that date, this newly completed vessel was registered with U.S. Official Number 229875 and signal MHWN. The handover of Lotosland to Deeds took place nearly... Continue Reading →
June 13, 2007 A dedication was held for a newly completed airport in the Filipino province of Iloilo, which is located on the country’s island of Panay. (One of this province’s widely used nicknames is “Heart of the Philippines”.) Iloilo International Airport was built in Cabatuan, a municipality that is 15 miles (24 kilometers) northwest... Continue Reading →
June 12, 2004 In the western region of the Federal Republic of Germany, a train station at Cologne Bonn Airport made its formal debut. Cologne/Bonn Airport station was officially opened by Gerard Schröder, who served as chancellor of Germany from 1998 to 2005. Construction on this four-track underground station had started on January 29, 2002.... Continue Reading →
June 11, 1910 Cerchez & Co., the first aircraft company in Romania, was formally inaugurated. (At this time, the present-day republic of Romania was still a kingdom.) Cerchez & Co. was located in the town of Chitilia, which is near Romania’s capital and largest city of Bucharest. This company was owned and operated by lawyer... Continue Reading →
June 10, 2007 The first section of the LGV Est-Européenne (LGV Est) was opened for commercial service the day after that high-speed rail line made its inaugural voyage. An extension of the French high-speed rail network, this line has significantly cut travel times between Paris and major cities in eastern France. The LGV Est has similarly reduced... Continue Reading →
Transportation History 