Finding the unexpected in the everyday.
May 6, 2015 In the state of Western Australia (WA), a bridge in the suburb of Maylands was officially opened. (Maylands is about 2.8 miles [4.5 kilometers] northeast of Perth, the capital city of WA.) This vehicular bridge carries Seventh Avenue in Maylands over both a segment of the Midland line, a suburban rail service... Continue Reading →
May 5, 1991 In northern Italy’s administrative region of Emilia-Romagna, an airport located a mile-and-a-half (2.4 kilometers) from the city of Parma was officially opened. This civil airport was built on the site of an airfield that had existed there as far back as 1923. Regularly scheduled flights at the airport began on the same... Continue Reading →
May 4, 1724 In central France, an arch bridge in the present-day prefecture and commune of Blois was formally opened. The structure, which spans the Loire river, was built to replace a stone bridge that dated back to the 11th century and destroyed by massive ice floes in February 1716. Construction on the replacement bridge... Continue Reading →
Since 1998, Madhulika “Lika” Guhathakurta has worked at NASA as an astrophysicist and scientist in the Heliophysics Division of the agency’s Science Mission Directorate. Her work focuses on advancing heliophysics research on the Sun and its impact throughout our solar system. These efforts have included her service as the lead program scientist for Living With... Continue Reading →
April 30, 2011 In the central region of Iowa, a paved recreational trail between the cities of Ankeny and Woodward was formally opened with considerable fanfare. The final portion of this trail to be completed was a bridge crossing the Des Moines River and located near the city of Madrid. The High Trestle Trail, which... Continue Reading →
April 29, 2018 Two days after it had been dedicated by local public officials, a light rail station in San Diego was opened to passengers. This station was built near the San Diego Central Courthouse, which had been officially inaugurated just a little more than four months earlier. Courthouse station marks the western terminus of... Continue Reading →
April 28, 1978 Operations began for Adenauerplatz station, a part of the line that is designated as U7 and within the rapid transit system known as the Berlin U.Bahn. This station was built in Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorft, a borough of what was then West Berlin. West Berlin was a political enclave in the western area of the... Continue Reading →
April 27, 1922 Sheila Scott, who would break more than 100 aviation records, was born in the cathedral city of Worcester in central England. Prior to her pursuit of flying, she worked in such varied fields as nursing and acting. Scott learned how to fly in 1958. After nine months of training, she began to... Continue Reading →
In 2006, a memorial made out of marble was dedicated at the headquarters of the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) in Denver to honor those state employees who have lost their lives in work zones or elsewhere while performing their duties. The names of these fallen workers have been etched onto the CDOT Employee Memorial... Continue Reading →
April 23, 1854 A construction crew assigned to build a lighthouse sailed via the Chesapeake Bay from Baltimore to the site of the project along Virginia’s Eastern Shore. Most of the foundation, superstructure, and ironwork for this lighthouse had been assembled in Philadelphia and were transported with the crew. The specific location for the newest... Continue Reading →
Transportation History 