Finding the unexpected in the everyday.
December 5, 1931 The luxury ocean liner SS Manhattan, which had been built by the New York Shipbuilding Corporation, was launched in Camden, New Jersey. Former First Lady Edith Roosevelt (1861-1948), widow of President Theodore Roosevelt (1858-1919), christened the ship with a bottle containing water taken from various streams throughout the country. This United States Lines... Continue Reading →
October 8, 1974 The hydrographic survey vessel Ammiraglio Magnaghi (A 5303) was launched into Mediterranean Sea at Riva Trigoso, a frazione (subdivision) of northwestern Italy’s town and comune of Sestri Levante. (“Ammiraglio” is the Italian word for “admiral.”) This ship was the first survey vessel to be both designed and constructed entirely in Italy for... Continue Reading →
September 16, 1946 In the aftermath of World War II, the airline Aerolinee Italiane Internazionali was formally instituted in Rome. “British European Airways and the Italian Institute for Industrial Reconstruction signed an agreement today establishing a new British-Italian airline to be called the ‘Italian International Airlines,’” reported the Associated Press. “At the start the line... Continue Reading →
May 4, 1957 Construction began on the rapid transit system Metropolitana di Milano (Milan Metro) in Italy’s second most populous city. Public transportation in Milan dates back to 1840, when the Milan-Monza Railway made its debut. As early as 1914, Milan’s public officials discussed creating an underground transit network similar to those in other major... Continue Reading →
April 10, 1899 The Napoleone Pimpinelli Company was awarded a contract to build an electric tram (streetcar) line in the city of Perugia in central Italy. The company subsequently carried out that construction project under the supervision of the German electrical engineering company Siemens & Halske AG. The project was part of a larger modernization... Continue Reading →
March 24, 1907 After a few trial runs, one of Italy’s earliest trolleybus systems was officially inaugurated in the vicinity of Siena in the central region of the country. These trolleybuses were the first means of public transportation for that city and its surrounding area that did not rely on horses for operation. The source... Continue Reading →
January 27, 1900 The automobile manufacturer Società Milanese Automobili Isotta, Fraschini & C (Isotta-Fraschini) was officially established in Milan, Italy. The company’s formal name was based in part on the surnames of its founders, Cesare Isotta and the brothers Oreste, Vincenzo and Antonio Fraschini. For the first few years of its existence, Isotta-Fraschini focused on assembling... Continue Reading →
January 3, 1905 Automobile designer Dante Giacosa was born in Rome, Italy. His work covered a wide range of automobiles, from minicars to sports cars. Giacosa was especially instrumental in spearheading the design of small automobiles during his many years at the Fiat company. Giacosa studied engineering at the Polytechnic University of Turin. He joined Fiat... Continue Reading →
Tazio Nuvolari, whose world-renowned racing career encompassed both motorcycles and cars, was born in the commune of Castel d’Ario in northern Italy. He eventually became a longtime resident of the nearby city of Mantua. Nuvolari’s racing career first took shape in 1920 when he began racing motorcycles. His achievements at this point in his career... Continue Reading →
Henri Pigozzi, who served as the general commercial representative for the Italian automobile producer Fiat S.p.A. in France, founded the company Société Industrielle de Mécanique et Carrosserie Automobile (Simca)-Fiat at the one-time Donnet manufacturing factory in the French commune of Suresnes (a western suburb of Paris). Pigozzi launched Simca-Fiat as a distributor for Fiat automobiles... Continue Reading →
Transportation History 