Finding the unexpected in the everyday.
October 19, 1865 The foundation stone was laid for a bridge to be built across the river Vitava in Prague, capital city of the present-day Czech Republic. (When construction began on that bridge, Prague was the capital of Lands of the Bohemian Crown; two years later, this territory became part of the region of the... Continue Reading →
Sandra Cauffman, who has charted a trailblazing career as an engineer at NASA, was born in the central region of Costa Rica in 1962. She and her brother grew in a single-parent home after their mother Maria Jerónima Rojas made the lifesaving decision to leave her abusive husband. Even with their mother holding down two... Continue Reading →
October 4, 2009 The Kurilpa Bridge was inaugurated in the city of Brisbane, the capital of northeastern Australia’s state of Queensland. This multiple-mast, cable-stayed pedestrian and bicycle bridge crosses the Brisbane River and serves as a link between Kurilpa Point in Brisbane’s inner southern suburb of South Brisbane and Tank Street in the city’s central... Continue Reading →
August 25, 1864 Milton Reeves, who became a major trailblazer for the automobile industry, was born on a farm in east-central Indiana. When he was only a teenager working at a saw mill in Columbus, Indiana, Reeves demonstrated the formidable creativity and mechanical expertise that would define his entire life. After seeing how other workers... Continue Reading →
June 28, 2015 An apostrophe-shaped, cantilevered swing bridge built for pedestrians and bicyclists only was officially opened in the port city and unitary authority of Kingston upon Hull (also known simply as Hull) in northeastern England. This bridge spans the local harbor, which connects with the River Humber, and serves as a link between Scale... Continue Reading →
In 2018, Pooja Joshin Jesrani became the first woman of South Asian descent to serve as a flight director at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). NASA’s flight directors are responsible for managing operations for various human spaceflight initiatives. Jesrani’s own role in this regard has involved overseeing the ground team for the International... Continue Reading →
April 5, 1899 A bridge near the community of Clifden in the southernmost part of New Zealand’s South Island made its debut. (At the time, New Zealand was a British colony; it became a dominion of the British Empire in 1907 and achieved full autonomy in 1947.) The Clifden Suspension Bridge, which is 365.8 feet... Continue Reading →
March 18, 1834 The first railway tunnel in the United States made its formal debut in west-central Pennsylvania as part of the infrastructure for the Allegheny Portage Railroad. The Staple Bend Tunnel was specifically built between the borough of Conemaugh (the present-day city of Johnstown) and the settlement (now borough) of Hollidaysburg. At the time of... Continue Reading →
January 27, 1861 Ralph Modjeski, a civil engineer who achieved acclaim for his wide range of bridge design and construction projects, was born in the town of Bochnia in the Austrian Empire (in what is now Poland). Modjeski immigrated to the United States in 1878. He became an American citizen five years later. Modjeski’s first major... Continue Reading →
January 25, 2009 The pioneering Northern Gateway Toll Road in the Auckland Region of New Zealand’s North Island was opened to traffic. The route, which encompasses 4.4 miles (seven kilometers) between the town of Orewa and the settlement of Puhoi, is a segment of the Auckland Northern Motorway. This motorway, now measuring 24 miles (38... Continue Reading →
Transportation History 