Finding the unexpected in the everyday.
August 28, 1858 A corvette (small warship) built for the British Royal Navy (RN) was launched at Sheerness Dockyard, which was located at the mouth of the River Medway in southeastern England. The afternoon ceremony for HMS (Her Majesty’s Ship) Clio was described in effusive terms by the London-based Standard. This newspaper reported, “The launch of... Continue Reading →
August 25, 1866 Shipbuilder and naval architect Fop Smit died in the town of Niewe Leckerland (now known as Nieuw Lekkerland) in the Netherlands. He was 88. Smit had been born on October 11, 1777, in the Dutch town and municipality of Alblassderdam. His father Jan Foppe Smith (1742-1807) and uncle Jacques Foppe Smit (1756-1820)... Continue Reading →
Transportation History 