Finding the unexpected in the everyday.
October 23, 1980 The first formal intercity air/ground/rail transportation connection in the United States -- and the country’s first rail station built on airport-owned property -- was officially dedicated about 1.5 miles (2.4 kilometers) from the terminal of Baltimore/Washington International Airport. Construction on that rail station serving the airport (now known as Baltimore Washington International... Continue Reading →
October 20, 1914 Archibald D. Campbell and Lawrence S. Campbell applied for a patent for an innovative camping trailer that they had developed as a vehicle to be marketed and sold by their Los Angeles-based business (known as the Campbell Folding Camping Trailer Company) and used for recreational purposes. This two-wheeled trailer, which was described in the... Continue Reading →
October 16, 2006 The second version of the U.S. Grant Bridge in southern Ohio was officially inaugurated. This two-lane, cable-stayed bridge carries U.S. Route 23 across the Ohio River and serves as a link between city of Portsmouth in Ohio and the community of South Portsmouth (near the city of South Shore) in Kentucky. This... Continue Reading →
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 →
Transportation History 