Finding the unexpected in the everyday.
June 6, 1924 In southeastern England’s ceremonial county of Hampshire, a paddle steamer constructed for the Southern Railway by John I. Thornycroft & Company was launched. This event was held at the company’s shipyard in Woolston, a suburb of the town (now city) of Southampton. The christening duties for the Friday launch of the newly... Continue Reading →
June 5, 1905 In the northwestern part of Washington State, a lighthouse on Semiahmoo Bay first went into service. The Semiahmoo Lighthouse -- located near the Evergreen State’s port city of Blaine -- was built in response to the notable increase in shipping traffic due to numerous fish canneries in the region. This Victorian-style structure... Continue Reading →
June 4, 2019 The first part of a significant extension to Terminal 3 at Copenhagen Airport, which serves Demark’s capital city, was officially opened. This extension is called Pier E and its construction marked the largest expansion of the longtime airport in about a quarter-century. Pier E was designed to accommodate the ever-growing number of... Continue Reading →
June 3, 2017 Construction began on a regional rail station in Boston’s Mattapan neighborhood. This station, which is located on Blue Hill Avenue at Woodhaven Street, was built as part of the Fairmount Line of the MBTA (Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority) Commuter Rail system. Blue Hill Avenue station was opened for regular service on... Continue Reading →
June 2, 1917 A little less than two months after the United States entered World War I on the side of the Allied Powers, the high-speed yacht Marold was commissioned in Boston for service in the U.S. Navy. This vessel had been built by the Ohio-based Matthews Boat Company in 1914 for engineer and businessman... Continue Reading →
In 1980, Ming Chang was promoted to U.S. Navy rear admiral and in the process became the first naturalized Asian American to reach flag rank in that U.S. military branch. He was born on April 20, 1932, in Shanghai. His father, Yu Chin Chang, was a chief petty officer in the U.S. Navy. When he... Continue Reading →
May 29, 1884 Europe’s first cable-operated tramway was introduced to the public in north London. This .7-mile (1.1-kilometer)-long tramway ran on Highgate Hill in an area encompassing parts of both the Highgate and Archway sections of England’s capital city. While most of the line was double-tracked, about 1,000 feet (304.8 meters) of it was single-tracked. The... Continue Reading →
May 28, 1925 William M. Jardine (1879-1955), who had started serving as U.S. secretary of agriculture on March 5 of that year and would remain in the position until 1929, was a featured speaker at the Mid-West Transportation Conference in Chicago. This conference was held at the now defunct La Salle Hotel at the northwest... Continue Reading →
May 27, 2014 In the Bahamas, a newly built terminal for an airport in the town of Marsh Harbour first went into service. Marsh Harbour, which is located on Great Abaco Island (the largest of the country’s Abaco Islands), has achieved renown over the years as a major tourist attraction. “The 46,000 square foot [4,300... Continue Reading →
May 23, 1891 In the Wisconsin city of Superior (at the western end of Lake Superior), the whaleback freighter SS Charles W. Wetmore was launched at the shipyard of entrepreneur and Great Lakes captain Alexander McDougall’s American Steel Barge Company. This vessel was the latest of the whaleback freighters originally conceived by McDougall. These cargo... Continue Reading →
Transportation History 