Finding the unexpected in the everyday.
January 27, 1989 Aviation pioneer Thomas Sopwith died at his mansion near the city of Winchester in southern England. He was 101. “The Genius of Flight is Dead,” announced a headline in the London-based Evening Standard. Sopwith was born on January 18, 1888, in the Royal Borough of Kensington (now part of the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea) in... Continue Reading →
Racecar driver Cory Witherill, who is a member of the Navajo tribe, was born in California in 1971 and has remained a resident of that state. In 2001, he made motorsports history when he became the first full-blooded Native American to compete in the Indianapolis 500 (also known as the Indy 500) annual automobile race.... Continue Reading →
July 15, 1911 In southeastern Pennsylvania, a motorcycle club that is still around today was established in the city of Reading. The organizational meeting for this club took place at the American House Hotel at Fourth and Penn Streets in Reading. Motorcycling and Bicycling magazine recounted a dozen years later, “Several names [for the club] were suggested,... Continue Reading →
April 6, 1983 Automotive designer Wellington Everett Miller died in Los Angeles at the age of 79. He developed a strong interest in the design of automobiles while attending an annual car show in Los Angeles in 1920, and subsequently took courses in mathematics and mechanical drawing to prepare for a career in that field. In... Continue Reading →
Minnesota native Clara Marian Wagner (1891-1961) was one of the first women – if not the first woman – to take part in motorcycle competitions. Her strong enthusiasm for motorcycles at a young age was hardly surprising. After all, her father was the owner of the Wagner Motorcycle Company in St. Paul. George Wagner had... Continue Reading →
January 26, 1895 The First National Exhibit of Cycles, Cycle Accessories, and Sundries – better known as the National Show – came to a rousing end at 11:00 p.m. in New York City. “The most successful cycle show ever held in this country, and probably in the world, was brought to a close at Madison Square... Continue Reading →
December 30, 1884 Stanley Terrill Kellogg was born in Fairfield, Connecticut. Kellogg grew up to be a major figure in the nascent U.S. motorcycle industry as both a rider and businessman. His high-profile involvement with that mode of transportation was first established at the nation’s racetracks starting in 1902. Over the next several years, Kellogg set numerous... Continue Reading →
November 5, 1893 Industrial designer Raymond Loewy was born in Paris, France. Loewy would spend most of his professional career in the United States, and his wide range of design efforts included many with a transportation theme of some kind. These efforts started at an early age. When he was only 15 years old, for example, Loewy... Continue Reading →
Transportation History 