Finding the unexpected in the everyday.
November 19, 1914 The week before Thanksgiving, several race car drivers were gathered in the city of Corona, California, to get ready for the big day. They were not focused on generous helpings of food and gratitude, but rather on something far different: practice runs in their automobiles for that following Thursday’s 109-lap, 300-mile (482.8-kilometer) competition... Continue Reading →
November 12, 1946 In yet another example of the ever-increasing prevalence and use of automobiles in everyday life, the first comprehensive drive-through operations in the United States for bank customers made its debut in Chicago. The Exchange National Bank of Chicago introduced this service, which was called the Autobank, at its location at 130 South... Continue Reading →
October 14, 1971 In northwestern England’s ceremonial county of Lancashire, a motorway service area (MSA) in the civil parish of Anderton was opened to the public. This MSA is specifically located between the junctions 6 and 8 for the motorway M61. MSAs are facilities in the United Kingdom and Ireland where drivers and their passengers... Continue Reading →
September 8, 1895 Adam Opel, the founder of a company that has enjoyed considerable success manufacturing two modes of transportation, died at age of 58 in the city of Rüsselsheim am Main in what was then the German Empire (now part of the Federal Republic of Germany). In 1862, Opel went into business for himself... Continue Reading →
September 2, 1937 A milestone in American motorcycle history took place at the Individual Speedway World Championship in London. In front of a crowd of approximiately 85,000 spectators in attendance at the original version of Wembley Stadium, 30-year-old California resident Jack Milne won that competition -- widely considered to be one of the premier motorcycle... Continue Reading →
August 21, 1982 A tied-arch bridge crossing a section of the Mississippi River between Iowa and Wisconsin was officially opened. This bridge connects the Iowa city of Dubuque with the Wisconsin town of Jamestown. The Cedar Rapids Gazette noted that “sunny skies greeted the structure’s debut.” More than 6,000 people turned out for the grand... Continue Reading →
August 12, 1971 Walter Owen “W.O.” Bentley, who achieved renown for the automobiles that he designed and built, died in a nursing home in northwestern England’s town and borough of Woking. He was 83. Bentley was born on September 16, 1888, in the Hampstead area of London. He attended Clifton College in Bristol from 1902... Continue Reading →
July 1, 1872 Transportation pioneer Louis Blériot was born in the city of Cambrai in northern France. He studied engineering at École Centrale (now part of CentraleSupélec) in Paris. Automobiles became the first means of transportation in which Blériot became actively involved. He developed the world’s first practical headlamps for these vehicles by using a... Continue Reading →
The attached photo shows two women and a man at a Juneteenth celebration in Corpus Christi, Texas, in 1913. For the occasion, they are not only wearing their finest clothes but also sitting in an elegantly decorated horse-drawn carriage. This picture of a flower-festooned vehicle was among several taken by George McCuistion (1878-1928) at that... Continue Reading →
June 11, 1895 One of the first major multi-day motorcar races began in France’s capital city. There were 30 entrants altogether in this round-trip race, which involved driving motor vehicles between Paris in the northern central part of France and the city of Bordeaux in the southwestern area of the country. The total distance covered... Continue Reading →
Transportation History 