Finding the unexpected in the everyday.
In 2008, Christine Igisomar became the first Chamorro woman to graduate from the U.S. Coast Guard Academy. (The Chamorros are indigenous Pacific Islanders from the Mariana Archipelago.) Igisomar followed in the footsteps of Juan T. Salas, who was the first Chamorro man to graduate from that military service academy; he graduated from there in 1968,... Continue Reading →
May 21, 1927 Charles A. Lindbergh, flying his plane "The Spirit of St. Louis," arrived at Le Bourget Field near Paris, France, 33-and-a-half hours after he departed from Roosevelt Airfield in Garden City, New York. That long journey made the pilot widely known as "The Lone Eagle" the first person to complete a solo non-stop,... Continue Reading →
May 20, 1981 In north-central Alabama, a ceremony was held for the opening of a segment of Interstate 65 (I-65) located south of Birmingham. This 11.7-mile (11.8-kilometer) portion of I-65 had been built between the Birmingham suburbs of Alabaster and Hoover, and the debut of that link was welcomed with a great deal of fanfare.... Continue Reading →
May 19, 1993 In the Republic of Slovenia, the replacement for a longtime bridge in that European country’s capital city of Ljubljana was opened for public use. The current version of the Kavšek Bridge, just like its predecessor, crosses Glinšĉica Creek in Ljubljana’s neighborhood of Podutik. Nearly two years before the debut of this new... Continue Reading →
May 18, 1940 On New Zealand’s South Island, an airport located in the community of Harewood (about 7.5 miles [12 kilometers] northwest of the central part of the city of Christchurch) was officially opened for commercial flights. Originally called Harewood Airport, this complex is now known worldwide as Christchurch Airport. The genesis of that airport... Continue Reading →
On Wong, who is better known today by his nickname Ah Louis (pronounced Ah-Lou-ee), was born in China in 1840. Sometime between 1856 and 1861, Ah Louis left China for California to seek his fortune. His efforts to mine for gold were unsuccessful, so he instead started working for several years as a laborer at... Continue Reading →
May 14, 1940 Tommy Godwin of England completed a 500-day cycling journey in his native country. He used a total of two bicycles during the course of his ambitious long-distance journey and ultimately set records for that two-wheeled transportation mode when it came to the most miles (kilometers) covered in a single year and the... Continue Reading →
May 13, 1976 A major milestone took place for a steel arch bridge being built over the New River Gorge in the southern region of West Virginia. This milestone was a “topping out” ceremony in which the final link for the 1,700-foot (518-meter) supporting arch for the bridge was installed. “Bridge Work Gap Filled,” read... Continue Reading →
May 12, 1926 The Italian-built airship Norge successfully completed the first verified flight over the North Pole. This aircraft was also the first to fly over the ice cap between Europe and North America. Polar explorer Roald Amundsen of Norway was the leader of this airborne expedition. The other members of the expedition included Italian aviator... Continue Reading →
May 11, 1927 An eight-wheeled motorbus that would earn both distinction and derision began its service as a transit vehicle in Montreal, Canada. The vehicle had been built by the New York-based Versare Car Company, a bus-and-trolley manufacturer established in 1925 to produce experimental heavy-duty motorbuses that were intended for city service. The founder of... Continue Reading →
Transportation History 