Finding the unexpected in the everyday.
October 14, 1910 British aviation pioneer Claude Grahame-White (1879-1959) captured the attention of numerous Americans when he piloted a plane in the skies above Washington, D.C. This flight took place during a year that had already marked a few other major milestones for him and his airborne ambitions. In April of that year, for example,... Continue Reading →
About three-and-a-half months after their first full meeting was held in Washington, D.C., members of the Joint Board on Interstate Highways reconvened in the nation’s capital to assess and address the next crucial steps for shaping a coast-to-coast uniform highway system. This gathering of federal and state highway officials took place at the office of... Continue Reading →
September 10, 2010 A major milestone for bicycling in the Washington, DC., area took place when Capital Bikeshare (abbreviated as CaBi) made its formal debut. At the time, this system had a grand total of 400 bicycles at 49 stations. Ashley Halsey III vividly described the launch of CaBi in the next day’s edition of... Continue Reading →
It would be an understatement to say that John C. Nicholson (1862-1942), a lawyer residing in the city of Newton, Kansas, was a big fan of highways. A longtime advocate for well-paved, high-quality roads, Nicholson ultimately focused much of his time and enthusiasm on promoting U.S. Route 50 (US 50). As president of the U.S.... Continue Reading →
July 8, 1916 With momentum continuing to take firm shape across the United States for the Federal Aid Road Act of 1916, International News Service (INS) issued an update on this landmark legislation. “The new bill proposing federal aid to road building has gone to President Wilson for his signature,” reported INS. Along with providing... Continue Reading →
July 1, 1977 The Blue Line of the Washington Metro first went into service. This line’s inaugural stretch between National Airport station in Arlington County, Virginia, and Stadium-Armory station in southeast Washington, D.C., joined the Red Line (introduced the previous year) in forming what was then the world’s newest major rapid transit system. The Orange... Continue Reading →
June 19, 2024 Three years after Juneteenth became a federal holiday, a group of 27 black military veterans and their chaperones flew from Atlanta to Washington, D.C. Their trip was hosted by the Honor Flight Network, a non-profit organization that has transported thousands of veterans – many of them elderly and infirm -- to the... Continue Reading →
May 21, 1961 The first National Highway Week in the United States was officially launched. The idea for this commemorative week had taken place about three months earlier in Washington, D.C., during a Public Understanding Workshop co-sponsored by the Better Highways Information Foundation (BHIF) – a group founded by several highway industry organizations – and... Continue Reading →
May 11, 1991 The first segment of the Green Line of the Washington Metro rapid transit system was formally opened. The next day’s edition of the Washington Post highlighted the fanfare surrounding this public transportation milestone in the nation’s capital. “The politicians were there,” reported Washington Post staff writer. Stephen C. Fehr. “So were clergy... Continue Reading →
April 13, 1934 President Franklin D. Roosevelt (1882-1945) signed into law a bill changing the name of South B Street in Washington, D.C., to Independence Avenue. This redesignation took place a little over three years after Roosevelt’s predecessor Herbert Hoover (1874-1964) signed into law the bill changing the name of North B Street to Constitution... Continue Reading →
