Finding the unexpected in the everyday.
November 6, 2015 The Lafitte Greenway, a trail for bicycles and pedestrians, was dedicated in New Orleans. This 2.6-mile (4.2-kilometer) trail courses through the Big Easy’s neighborhoods of Tremé, Lafitte, and Mid-City. The grand opening of the Lafitte Greenway took place on a Friday morning. Susan Guidry, a city councilwoman, used her remarks to acknowledge... Continue Reading →
October 30, 1906 Daniel Albone, an inventor who made key contributions to various types of transportation, died in the market town and civil parish of Biggleswade in southern England. He was 46. Albone was born in Biggleswade on September 12, 1860. He and his family lived in an area located between the Great North Road... Continue Reading →
October 14, 1812 Construction began on Regent’s Canal in England. The original part of this project started in the area just north of central London. The canal was designed by noted architect John Nash (1752-1835) and owes its name to the then-Prince of Wales and future King George IV (1762-1830), who had assumed the role of... Continue Reading →
October 8, 1889 Philippe Thys, whose high-achieving career as a cyclist would include winning the Tour de France a total of three times, was born in the municipality of Anderlecht in central Belgium. Early on in his cycling career in 1910, Thys won the first edition of the Belgian National Cyclo-cross Championship. This type of... Continue Reading →
Oscar “Oz” Sanchez, who is of Mexican descent, was born on December 2, 1975, in Los Angeles. By the time he graduated from high school, Sanchez had become heavily involved in gangs and drugs in the inner-city neighborhood where he and his family lived. He was able to turn his life around for the better,... Continue Reading →
September 27, 1980 A dedication ceremony was held for a bridge in the city of Eugene in Oregon’s Lane County. Knickerbocker Bicycle Bridge, as it is popularly known, crosses the Willamette River. While originally built for use by the Eugene Water & Electric Board (EWEB) for carrying a water main across the river, the bridge... Continue Reading →
September 26, 2011 In the regional county municipality of Arthabaska in Canada’s province of Quebec, the Joseph-Édouard-Perrault Bridge in the municipality of Warwick was reopened following extensive renovations. This wooden covered bridge crosses the Rivière des Pins (River of the Pines), which is a tributary of the Nicolet River. The Joseph-Édouard-Perrault Bridge was built in... Continue Reading →
September 10, 1932 In northwestern Massachusetts, a newly built bridge crossing the Connecticut River was opened. The French King Bridge serves as a link between the towns of Erving and Gill. This bridge was named after French King Rock, a nearby geographical feature. Approximately 15,000 people showed up on that Saturday for the inaugural festivities... Continue Reading →
August 1, 1894 Ottavio Bottecchia, who would achieve widespread renown as a champion cyclist, was born in the comune of Colle Umberto in northeastern Italy. He was the eighth of nine children. Bottecchia had only one year of formal schooling. His earliest jobs included working as a shoemaker and then a bricklayer. After Italy entered... Continue Reading →
July 8, 2007 The Badger State Trail in south-central Wisconsin was officially opened. This 40-mile (64-kilometer) trail courses from the state boundary with Illinois to Wisconsin’s capital city of Madison. In between those two points, the Badger State Trail passes through – from south to north – the city of Monroe; the villages of Monticello... Continue Reading →
Transportation History 