Finding the unexpected in the everyday.
July 29, 1882 São Thomé Lighthouse in the Brazilian municipality of Campos dos Goytacazes in what is now the state of Rio de Janeiro was officially inaugurated. At the time of this lighthouse’s debut, most of the territory comprising the present-day Federative Republic of Brazil was instead part of the Empire of Brazil. São Thomé... Continue Reading →
July 24, 2010 On the western Black Sea coast of Turkey (officially called the Republic of Türkiye), a two-month series of celebrations continued for the 150th anniversary of when a lighthouse in the district and municipality of Şile first went into service. The big commemorative effort on July 24 involved having this structure -- known... Continue Reading →
July 19, 1869 Masonry construction was completed on a new lighthouse in the Celtic Sea, which is part of the Atlantic Ocean. This took place nearly five years after William Douglass, the engineer supervising the project, laid the first stone of the structure. This lighthouse is located on a rock that is 18 nautical miles... Continue Reading →
April 15, 1914 Maughold Head Lighthouse on the eastern coast of the Isle of Man, a British Crown Dependency in the Irish Sea, first went into service. This lighthouse, which overlooks Ramsey Bay, is named for the headland upon which it was built. (Maughold Head marks the closest point -- a distance of only 31... Continue Reading →
April 10, 1990 After more than a century of being staffed by keepers on a regular basis, Ar Men lighthouse in the part of the Atlantic Ocean marking the western end of France’s Brittany region was fully automated. This lighthouse is specifically situated within a vast area of reefs known as the Chaussée de Sein.... Continue Reading →
March 20, 1910 The Montedor Lighthouse (Farol de Montedor) along Portugal’s Atlantic coast officially went into service. This 92-foot (28-meter)-tall granite tower, which stands on a promontory that is part of the municipality of Viana de Castelo, has the distinction of being the northernmost lighthouse in Portugal. The Montedor Lighthouse is seven nautical miles (13... Continue Reading →
Grace Darling earned worldwide acclaim for her heroic efforts to help rescue survivors of a shipwreck off the coast of northeastern England’s ceremonial county of Northumberland in 1838. The seventh of nine children, Darling was born in Northumberland on November 24, 1815. Her father William was a lighthouse keeper. In 1826, William Darling became keeper... Continue Reading →
February 13, 1913 The Miah Maull Shoal Light off the coast of southern New Jersey was completed. This lighthouse is specifically located on the north side of the ship channel in Delaware Bay and southwest of the mouth of the Maurice River. The Miah Maull Shoal Light became the last offshore lighthouse to be built in... Continue Reading →
January 30, 1999 The U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) cutter USCGC Anthony Petit (WLM-558) was officially launched into the Menominee River at the city of Marinette, Wisconsin. This 175-foot (53-meter)-long vessel was built by Marinette Marine Corporation, and the launch ceremony for her took place along one of that company’s docks. USCGC Anthony Petit which is... Continue Reading →
January 25, 1890 The original Deer Island Light at the north entrance of Boston Harbor first went into service. The principal keeper for this lighthouse at the time of its debut was John Farley, with Michael J. Curran serving as the assistant keeper. This structure -- known as a sparkplug lighthouse due to its shape... Continue Reading →
Transportation History 