Finding the unexpected in the everyday.
August 21, 1982 A tied-arch bridge crossing a section of the Mississippi River between Iowa and Wisconsin was officially opened. This bridge connects the Iowa city of Dubuque with the Wisconsin town of Jamestown. The Cedar Rapids Gazette noted that “sunny skies greeted the structure’s debut.” More than 6,000 people turned out for the grand... Continue Reading →
August 8, 1929 An airport built about two miles (1.6 kilometers) southeast of the downtown area of Salem, Oregon, was officially dedicated. As the 1920s was fast approaching its end, the development of facilities to support airborne transportation had become a top priority for numerous municipalities throughout the United States -- including the capital of the... Continue Reading →
August 6, 1927 In downtown Toronto, the present-day version of the major railway station known as Union Station was formally opened. The original Union Station had been built in that part of Toronto in 1858 and was torn down in 1871. Its successor was a larger building that opened there two years later and remained... Continue Reading →
August 5, 2010 A major bus station in Taipei, the capital city of Taiwan, first went into service. Those taking part in the inauguration of this station included Hau Lung-pin (born in 1952), who was mayor of Taipei from 2006 to 2014. The Taipei City Hall Bus Station is located in a mixed-use skyscraper complex... Continue Reading →
August 1, 2012 In the western part of Scotland, a newly built railway station along the waterfront of the town of Gourock was officially opened. This station replaced the one that had been in operation in the immediate vicinity since June 1, 1889. Gourock railway station is a terminus of the Inverclyde Line, which has... Continue Reading →
July 31, 1962 A steel beam bridge in Washington, D.C., was officially opened. This bridge was built to carry the 12th Street Expressway over the Washington Channel, a body of water that parallels the Potomac River. Originally known as the Washington Channel Bridge, this structure was inaugurated with considerable fanfare. These festivities, which included a... Continue Reading →
July 28, 1835 A major milestone for the Boston and Providence Railroad (BPRR) took place with the completion of Canton Viaduct on that line. This viaduct in the town of Canton, which is approximately 15 miles (24 kilometers) southwest of downtown Boston. Canton Viaduct was designed by William Gibbs McNeill (1800-1853), a captain in the... Continue Reading →
July 25, 2013 Operations began for Kualanamu International Airport in Indonesia’s province of North Sumatra. This airport is located in Deli Serdang Regency, which is about 14 miles (23 kilometers) east of North Sumatra’s capital city of Medan. A little over eight months after the “soft opening” of Kualanamu International Airport, a formal inauguration of... Continue Reading →
July 24, 2010 In the Australian state of New South Wales (NSW), a large-scale facility for the maintenance of trains made its debut in the Western Sydney suburb of Auburn. The Auburn Maintenance Centre (AMC) was officially opened by John Robertson (born in 1962), who had become NSW minister for transport on May 21 of... Continue Reading →
July 17, 2024 In southern Italy, operations officially began for a new segment of the rapid transit system serving the city of Naples. The start of regular service for this extension of Line 6 of the Naples Metro took place the day after Gaetano Manfredi, who has been mayor of the city since 2021, joined... Continue Reading →
Transportation History 