Finding the unexpected in the everyday.
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 →
May 6, 2015 In the state of Western Australia (WA), a bridge in the suburb of Maylands was officially opened. (Maylands is about 2.8 miles [4.5 kilometers] northeast of Perth, the capital city of WA.) This vehicular bridge carries Seventh Avenue in Maylands over both a segment of the Midland line, a suburban rail service... Continue Reading →
May 5, 1991 In northern Italy’s administrative region of Emilia-Romagna, an airport located a mile-and-a-half (2.4 kilometers) from the city of Parma was officially opened. This civil airport was built on the site of an airfield that had existed there as far back as 1923. Regularly scheduled flights at the airport began on the same... Continue Reading →
May 4, 1724 In central France, an arch bridge in the present-day prefecture and commune of Blois was formally opened. The structure, which spans the Loire river, was built to replace a stone bridge that dated back to the 11th century and destroyed by massive ice floes in February 1716. Construction on the replacement bridge... Continue Reading →
April 30, 2011 In the central region of Iowa, a paved recreational trail between the cities of Ankeny and Woodward was formally opened with considerable fanfare. The final portion of this trail to be completed was a bridge crossing the Des Moines River and located near the city of Madrid. The High Trestle Trail, which... Continue Reading →
April 29, 2018 Two days after it had been dedicated by local public officials, a light rail station in San Diego was opened to passengers. This station was built near the San Diego Central Courthouse, which had been officially inaugurated just a little more than four months earlier. Courthouse station marks the western terminus of... Continue Reading →
April 28, 1978 Operations began for Adenauerplatz station, a part of the line that is designated as U7 and within the rapid transit system known as the Berlin U.Bahn. This station was built in Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorft, a borough of what was then West Berlin. West Berlin was a political enclave in the western area of the... Continue Reading →
April 23, 1854 A construction crew assigned to build a lighthouse sailed via the Chesapeake Bay from Baltimore to the site of the project along Virginia’s Eastern Shore. Most of the foundation, superstructure, and ironwork for this lighthouse had been assembled in Philadelphia and were transported with the crew. The specific location for the newest... Continue Reading →
April 22, 2016 Operations began for a rail station built at the intersection of East 40th Avenue and Colorado Boulevard in Denver. 40th & Colorado station, which is based in Denver’s Elyria-Swansea neighborhood, was one of eight stations opened on the same date to form the newly established A Line. This commuter rail line is... Continue Reading →
April 17, 1962 A dedication ceremony took place for an airport in the vicinity of Bhubaneswar, the capital city of eastern India’s state of Odisha. This airport was specifically dedicated to the people of Odisha, and it had the distinction of being the first commercial airport in the state. The airport is named after Biju... Continue Reading →
Transportation History 