Finding the unexpected in the everyday.
April 18, 1889 The original version of Read Bridge in Singapore first went into service. Construction on this bridge began in 1881 and it was built across the part of the Singapore River that is within the area known as Clarke Quay. At the time of Read Bridge’s debut, Singapore was one of the British... Continue Reading →
April 5, 1878 Albert Champion, who made notable contributions to various modes of transportation, was born in Paris. By the end of the 19th century, he had established himself as a formidable track bicycle racer in his native France. In 1899, Champion surprised nearly everyone by beating out quite a few seasoned cyclists to win... Continue Reading →
March 13, 2023 A replacement bus station was inaugurated in northwestern England’s town of Ormskirk, which has achieved widespread renown as a producer of gingerbread and is located 13 miles (21 kilometers) north of Liverpool. This town is part of the ceremonial county of Lancashire. The public officials who took part in the Monday opening... Continue Reading →
February 5, 1906 Road racing cyclist Mariano Cañardo was born in the town and municipality of Olite in north-central Spain’s autonomous community and province of Navarre. After becoming an orphan at the age of 14, he moved with his sister to the city of Barcelona in northeastern Spain’s autonomous community and province of Catalonia. It... Continue Reading →
January 19, 1964 Professional cyclist Firmin Lambot died in the municipality of Borgerhout in northern Belgium at the age of 77. (Borgerhout became a district of the city of Antwerp in 1983.) Lambot had been born on March 14, 1886, in the municipality of Florennes in southwestern Belgium. He began working as a saddler, someone... Continue Reading →
January 8, 1908 New York City’s University Heights Bridge was officially opened to traffic. This bridge, which crosses the Harlem River, links West 207th Street in Manhattan’s Inwood neighborhood with West Fordham Road in the University Heights section of the Bronx. Construction on this steel-truss revolving swing bridge began in 1903. The fixed and swing spans of... Continue Reading →
December 10, 1910 The Hawthorne Bridge in Portland, Oregon, was officially opened to traffic. This bridge had been designed by Waddell & Harrington and, as part of the inaugural festivities, C.K. Allen from that engineering firm formally recommended acceptance of the new structure to the city. Portland Mayor Joseph Simon responded by declaring, “Let it open!” This... Continue Reading →
November 16, 2019 In the San Francisco Bay Area, a dedication ceremony – complete with a ribbon-cutting -- was held less than two weeks before Thanksgiving for a bicycle and pedestrian path that had recently been added to the San Rafael-Richmond Bridge (officially named the John F. McCarthy Memorial Bridge in honor of a longtime... Continue Reading →
Professional cyclist Cole House was born on February 5, 1988, and grew up on the Oneida Indian Reservation in Wisconsin. House is a member of the Oneida Nation of Wisconsin, Wolf Clan. His mother is a full-blooded Oneida and his father is of Oneida, Ojibwa, and Belgian descent. Since his birth, Cole House’s Native American... Continue Reading →
October 3, 1906 In southwestern England, a road-rail swing bridge crossing the River Avon in Bristol -- a city, ceremonial county, and unitary authority -- first went into service. The Ashton Avenue Bridge was built as a key part of the Bristol Harbour Railway, a longtime transportation link for Bristol’s docks and wharves. Alfred John... Continue Reading →
Transportation History 