Finding the unexpected in the everyday.
September 13, 1964 In southeastern Australia, a regional airport in the state of New South Wales (NSW) was opened to the public. This airport is located 2.3 miles (3.7 kilometers) northeast of the NSW city of Albury, which is on NSW’s border with the neighboring state of Victoria. Albury Airport serves not only its namesake... Continue Reading →
September 12, 1889 George T. McCoy, whose legacy includes service as both a state highway engineer of California and the 42nd president of AASHO (now known as AASHTO), was born at a stock ranch in Milton, Oregon. Along with helping to herd cattle and horses on that ranch during his youth, McCoy also found time... Continue Reading →
September 9, 1966 President Lyndon B. Johnson signed into law both the National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act and the Highway Safety Act during a ceremony in the Rose Garden at the White House. Approximately 200 people were on hand for the ceremony, which began at around 1:00 p.m. These attendees included Ralph Nader,... Continue Reading →
September 8, 1955 After four years of construction, a steel tied-arch bridge in the city of Wheeling in West Virginia’s Northern Panhandle was officially opened. This four-lane bridge crosses a section of the Ohio River between Wheeling Island (within that city’s boundaries) and downtown Wheeling. (This city – the fifth largest in West Virginia –... Continue Reading →
September 7, 1985 A five-story structure serving as both a passenger rail station and transportation center was officially dedicated in the city of Santa Ana in Southern California. (Santa Ana is one of the most populous cities in the Greater Los Angeles region and the county seat of Orange County.) Santa Ana Regional Transportation Center... Continue Reading →
September 6, 1871 John A. Poor, whose accomplishments included helping to develop and enrich Maine’s railroad network, died in Portland, Maine, at the age of 63. A lifelong Mainer, Poor had a deep appreciation for the potential of railroads within that state. This appreciation could be traced as far back as 1834, when he first... Continue Reading →
September 2, 2014 A station serving the Orange Line of the Massachusetts Bay Transit Authority’s subway system was opened in Somerville, a city located directly northwest of Boston. This above-ground station was built to provide access to Somerville’s Assembly Square neighborhood, an area that includes a super-regional shopping center known as the Assembly Square Marketplace.... Continue Reading →
September 1, 1919 In the southernmost part of Spain located within the Iberian Peninsula, the first scheduled commercial flights began for an airport in the country’s Costa del Sol region. This airport, which is five miles (eight kilometers) southwest of the municipality of Málaga, had been established about six months earlier. The first regular flights... Continue Reading →
August 31, 1998 Rastila metro station on line M1 of the Helsinki Metro, the world’s northernmost metro system, began operations. This ground-level station serves the residential areas of Rastila and Meri-Rastila in the district of Vuosaari in the eastern part of Finland’s capital city. This station was designed by architects Irmeli Grundström and Juhani Vainio.... Continue Reading →
August 30, 1890 The U.S. Congress appropriated $75,000 for the construction of a vessel for the U.S. Lighthouse Board. This vessel was Amaranth, and she would serve for more than a half-century throughout much of the Great Lakes region as a lighthouse tender. Lighthouse tenders provide various kinds of support to the individuals serving at... Continue Reading →
Transportation History 