Finding the unexpected in the everyday.
September 11, 2001 More than six years after being retired from service by the New York City Fire Department (FDNY), the fireboat John J. Harvey returned to action when she assisted in the large-scale relief and evacuation efforts at the World Trade Center following the deadly terrorist attacks there. Launched in 1931, the Harvey was named... Continue Reading →
August 13, 1959 In New York City, construction began on a major bridge that would provide an urgently sought-after vehicular connection between the boroughs of Brooklyn and Staten Island at a tidal strait in New York Harbor known as The Narrows. This planned structure was named after Giovanni de Verrazzano, an Italian explorer who in... Continue Reading →
November 13, 1927 The Holland Tunnel was opened to traffic in the New York metropolitan area just one minute after midnight. This highway conduit, which runs beneath the Hudson River and connects New York City’s island of Manhattan with Jersey City, New Jersey, was the first twin-tube underwater vehicular tunnel in the United States. The tunnel... Continue Reading →
September 21, 2014 In New York City, the third and final section of a linear park featuring an innovative and eco-friendly trail was opened on the west side of Manhattan. A CBS news story called the Sunday opening of this section “perfect timing for New Yorkers looking to soak up the last of summer’s warmth.”... Continue Reading →
July 25, 1953 Tokens were first sold as fare for New York City’s subway system. They were a response to a large-scale technical challenge facing the system. The New York City Transit Authority (TA) opened for business that year to oversee the city’s extensive public transportation operations, and the debut of the agency was accompanied by... Continue Reading →
Transportation History 