Finding the unexpected in the everyday.
August 25, 1893 The yacht Feiseen established a new speed record for steam-powered, propeller-driven vessels during a race against the fast-paced passenger steamboat Monmouth in New York Harbor. Originally measuring 78 feet and nine inches (24 meters) in length, Feiseen was launched that past spring at City Island in the town of Pelham, New York.... Continue Reading →
April 22, 1969 Robert “Robin” Knox-Johnston was greeted by the cheers of a dockside crowd and the sounds of boat whistles as he arrived at Falmouth, England, to both win the Sunday Times Golden Globe Race and complete the first solo non-stop circumnavigation of the world. “I’m a little overwhelmed by this reception,” said the... Continue Reading →
In 1920, racecar driver John Riley Boling became the first Native American to compete in the Indianapolis 500. He finished 11th in a field of 23 drivers. (This was only the eighth running of the world-famous annual automobile race, which takes place at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.) Boling had been born in 1895 in Bloomfield,... Continue Reading →
August 7, 1908 In Italy, a front-page announcement in the Milan-based newspaper La Gazzetta dello Sport (The Sports Gazette) formally marked the start of a new chapter in the nation’s bicycling history: the inaugural multi-day bicycle race known as the Giro d’Italia (Tour of Italy) would take the place the following year under the newspaper’s... Continue Reading →
In a major triumph, the Australian racing yacht Australia II won the America’s Cup. Australia II represented the Royal Perth Yacht Club of Australia. The America’s Cup defender, the New York Yacht Club, had held the sailing trophy since 1851. Australian sailor John Bertrand served as the skipper for Australia II, and he and his... Continue Reading →
Transportation History 