Finding the unexpected in the everyday.
December 13, 1881 A 207-foot (63-meter)-tall electric light tower built at the intersection of Santa Clara and Market Streets in downtown San Jose, California, was officially dedicated. The major force who proposed the installation of this tower in the first place was James Jerome Owen (1827-1895), publisher of the San Jose Mercury (precursor of the... Continue Reading →
June 21, 1815 Thomas Smith, an engineer who made notable contributions to the illumination of street lights as well as far-flung lighthouses, died at his home at 2 Baxter’s Place in the Scottish city of Edinburgh. He was 62. Smith was born on December 6, 1752, in Broughty Ferry, a suburb of the Scottish city... Continue Reading →
October 14, 1892 The first type of tram service in the city of Belgrade in the Kingdom of Serbia (a region that is now part of the Republic of Serbia) was formally introduced. The government of Serbia’s capital had contracted with Periklos Tziklos, a native of Italy, to build this public transportation system. The first... Continue Reading →
Transportation History 