Finding the unexpected in the everyday.
October 12, 1962 The Thatcher Ferry Bridge, which spans the Pacific Ocean entrance to the Panama Canal, was officially opened. This bridge, until the debut of the Centennial Bridge in 2004, was the only non-swinging bridge to reconnect the land masses of North America and South America that had been separated by the canal. The... Continue Reading →
September 14, 1993 The two-millionth Ski-Doo snowmobile was manufactured in the city of Valcourt in Québec, Canada, approximately 34 years after Joseph-Armand Bombardier (1907-1964) introduced that pioneering vehicle. Bombardier, a mechanic who had built his first snow-friendly vehicle in 1935 in a small repair shop in Valcourt, developed Ski-Doo as a faster and more lightweight... Continue Reading →
September 8, 1966 A dedication ceremony was held for a suspension bridge spanning the River Severn between England and Wales. The Severn Bridge, which connects the unitary authority area (local government seat) of South Gloucestershire in England with the County of Monmouthsire in Wales, was officially opened by Queen Elizabeth II. Measuring about a mile... Continue Reading →
September 7, 1903 The Federation of American Motorcyclists (FAM) was formed in New York City. More specifically, a total of 93 motorcyclists meeting at the clubhouse of the Kings County Wheelmen in Brooklyn agreed to band together as an advocacy group. New York resident R.G. Betts was elected to serve as FAM’s first president. This... Continue Reading →
September 6, 1936 In Oregon, the Yaquina Bay Bridge -- nearly a month before its official dedication ceremony -- was opened to traffic on the Sunday of Labor Day weekend starting at 8:00 a.m. This 3,260-foot (990-meter)-long arch bridge carries U.S. Highway 1 (formally classified as the Oregon Coast Highway) over a section of Yaquina Bay... Continue Reading →
August 28, 1940 In northeast Maryland, a bridge carrying U.S. Route 40 across the Susquehanna River was inaugurated. Originally known as the Susquehanna River Toll Bridge, this 7,624-foot (2,324-meter)-long structure connects the city of Havre de Grace in Harford County with the town of Perryville in Cecil County via Garrett Island in the latter of... Continue Reading →
August 15, 2019 A road tunnel in northwestern Colombia’s department (subdivision) of Antioquia was officially opened to motor vehicle traffic. The Túnel de Oriente serves as a key link between Medellín, which is the capital of Antioquia and Colombia’s second largest city, and José María Córdova International Airport in the city of Rionegro. The public... Continue Reading →
August 7, 1927The Peace Bridge between Buffalo, New York, and the town of Fort Erie in Ontario, Canada, was officially opened. This international bridge, which has since become one of North America’s most vital commercial ports, was built at the east end of Lake Erie and approximately 12 miles (19;3 kilometers) upriver of Niagara Falls.... Continue Reading →
August 3, 2020 In northwestern Italy, an inaugural ceremony was held for a viaduct in the city of Genoa. (A viaduct is a type of bridge that encompasses a series of arches, columns, or piers; and connects two endpoints of roughly the same elevation.) The Genoa Saint George Bridge, which carries the Autostrada A10 motorway... Continue Reading →
August 1, 2008 Two bridges spanning the Port River in the port-side region of Adelaide (the capital city of the state of South Australia) were inaugurated. Both of these bascule bridges (bridges that can move to allow passage for vessels traveling through the area) were built by the Australian construction company Abigroup. One of these... Continue Reading →
Transportation History 