Finding the unexpected in the everyday.
August 10, 1893 A huge parade for bicyclists took place in Chicago as part of the 14th annual meeting of the League of American Wheelmen (LAW). The specific venue for the LAW meeting was the World’s Columbian Exposition. (This extravagant international fair was being held in the Windy City to celebrate the 400th anniversary of... Continue Reading →
August 9, 2015 A cable-stayed bridge spanning the Willamette River in Portland, Oregon, was first opened to the public. This open house took place more than a month before the bridge was officially dedicated. The new structure was designed by TriMet, the regional transit authority for the Portland metropolitan area, for the MAX Orange Line... Continue Reading →
August 8, 1863 The Lady Barkly, widely regarded as the first steam-powered locomotive to operate in New Zealand, went into service in the township (and present-day city) of Invercargill on the South Island. The experimental run of this 8-ton (7.3-metric ton) train in Invercargill marked a major transportation milestone for New Zealand and in particular... Continue Reading →
August 7, 1971 Joseph Washington Frazer, whose meteoric rise in the automobile business took him from repairing and maintaining vehicles to serving in top executive-level positions at several major companies, died at his home in Newport, Rhode Island. He was 79. “Mr. Frazer, who had the build and energy of a fullback, glowed with a... Continue Reading →
August 6, 1885 Queen Victoria of England gave her royal assent to a bill passed by both houses of parliament authorizing the creation of a canal to link the city of Manchester to the Irish Sea. The Queen's formal approval was the final legislative hurdle that had to be overcome to make the Manchester Ship Canal... Continue Reading →
August 3, 1958 At 11:15 p.m., the U.S. Navy submarine USS Nautilus became the first vessel to make it to the top of the world when she passed under an ice cap at the geographic North Pole. Navy Commander William R. Anderson, the commanding officer of Nautilus, formally announced the achievement to his crew of... Continue Reading →
August 2, 1784 A new era for the British postal system took place when the first stagecoach to officially transport mail left Bristol for London. A regular mail-delivery service had already been in place in England for nearly 150 years by that time, with carriers riding horses in what was essentially a “relay race” format.... Continue Reading →
August 1, 1953 The oldest official hiking track in Europe made its debut in Slovenia, which was a part of Yugoslavia at the time and would become an independent country in 1991. The Slovenian Mountain Hiking Trail -- originally called Slovenian Mountain Transversal No. 1 -- made its debut with a total of 80 “control points”... Continue Reading →
July 31, 1910 In Minnesota, Split Rock Lighthouse began operations in a high-risk area on the North Shore of Lake Superior. The new structure’s oil-vapor lamp was first lit on that Sunday evening by keeper Orren “Pete” Young. A one-time sailor, Young served as keeper at the lighthouse until retiring at the mandatory age of... Continue Reading →
July 30, 1928 Dwight E. Austin, an engineer at the California-based bus company Pickwick Stages System, finished building the first model of one of the most unique motor vehicles to grace America’s highways up to that time. The vehicle was the Nite Coach (also spelled out as Nitecoach), a double-decker bus with sleeping accommodations for up... Continue Reading →
Transportation History 