Finding the unexpected in the everyday.
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 →
March 29, 2012 A cable-stayed bridge in Dallas, Texas, was formally opened to vehicular traffic, with a group of motorcyclists being among the first to travel across the new structure. This bridge was named after Margaret Hunt Hill (1915-2007), a longtime Dallas resident and renowned philanthropist. The Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge spans the Trinity River... Continue Reading →
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 →
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 →
Transportation History 