Finding the unexpected in the everyday.
January 8, 1867 George Pilkington Mills, who earned acclaim as a formidable competitor in races involving various modes of transportation, was born in Paddington (an area in the City of Westminster within central London). Mills firmly established himself as the preeminent English racing cyclist of his generation. He set numerous racing records on both bicycles... Continue Reading →
December 29, 1959 The MV Coho, a ferry operated by the Black Ball Line between Victoria in the Canadian province of British Columbia and Port Angeles in Washington State, first went into regular service. This 341.5-foot (104.1-meter)-long ferry was designed by the Seattle-based firm Philip F. Spaulding & Associates and built by Puget Sound Bridge... Continue Reading →
September 2, 1937 A milestone in American motorcycle history took place at the Individual Speedway World Championship in London. In front of a crowd of approximiately 85,000 spectators in attendance at the original version of Wembley Stadium, 30-year-old California resident Jack Milne won that competition -- widely considered to be one of the premier motorcycle... Continue Reading →
August 12, 1971 Walter Owen “W.O.” Bentley, who achieved renown for the automobiles that he designed and built, died in a nursing home in northwestern England’s town and borough of Woking. He was 83. Bentley was born on September 16, 1888, in the Hampstead area of London. He attended Clifton College in Bristol from 1902... Continue Reading →
In 1971, Richard H. Austin became the first African American to serve as Michigan’s secretary of state. Austin remained in this position until 1995, being reelected a total of four times. His extensive duties as secretary of state included administrating elections within the Wolverine State; maintaining both the Great Seal of Michigan and records of... Continue Reading →
October 30, 1906 Daniel Albone, an inventor who made key contributions to various types of transportation, died in the market town and civil parish of Biggleswade in southern England. He was 46. Albone was born in Biggleswade on September 12, 1860. He and his family lived in an area located between the Great North Road... Continue Reading →
September 25, 1938 The big sports event in Washington, D.C., on that Sunday was without question the President’s Cup Regatta. This multi-day series of waterborne competitions had been introduced in the nation’s capital a dozen years earlier, and the annual event quickly became renowned for the motorboats and hydroplanes participating in a variety of races... Continue Reading →
June 4, 1933 In the northeastern New Jersey township of Nutley, a cycle-racing track was opened in what the Chatham Press newspaper called “a most auspicious manner” and with a standing-room-only crowd of 12,000 people in attendance. The Nutley Velodrome consisted of a saucer-shaped track made of wood and covered with galvanized sheets. The competitors taking... Continue Reading →
March 12, 1882 Edwin George “Cannon Ball” Baker, who would achieve widespread fame for his motorcycle and automobile records, was born in the community of Weisburg, Indiana. He first became known to the public as a vaudeville performer but started focusing instead on transportation-oriented pursuits after winning a dirt-track motorcycle race in the Hoosier State... 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 →
Transportation History 