Finding the unexpected in the everyday.
Trailblazing airline pilot Linda Pauwels was born Linda Pfeiffer in San Pedro, a city in Argentina’s Province of Buenos Aires, in 1963. She was the daughter of Mabel Gaspard Pfeiffer, a native Argentinian who worked as a schoolteacher; and Jerzy “Jorge” Pfeiffer, a Polish-born naturalized Argentine citizen. Pauwels was only six years old when her... Continue Reading →
Elio Morillo, an aerospace engineer, was born in Ecuador. His interest in becoming an engineer took shape after he and his mother immigrated to New York City. Morillo found himself especially mesmerized in his younger years by TV footage of jets, spacecraft, and other types of flight technology. After receiving his bachelor’s degree in mechanical... Continue Reading →
September 9, 2011 An automated people mover (APM) at Miami International Airport (MIA) was formally opened with considerable fanfare. This transit system, which is called the MIA Mover, was built to quickly transport people between the airport’s central terminal; and Miami Intermodal Center (MIC), a major hub for commuter rail, rapid transit, bus, and rental... Continue Reading →
August 12, 1971 Walter Owen “W.O.” Bentley, who achieved renown for the automobiles that he designed and built, died in a nursing home in northwestern England’s town and borough of Woking. He was 83. Bentley was born on September 16, 1888, in the Hampstead area of London. He attended Clifton College in Bristol from 1902... Continue Reading →
July 3, 1905 In the northern part of London, an international electric tramway and railway exhibition was opened in the Royal Agricultural Hall in the inner-city area of Islington. This event, which would continue until July 14, was the third of its kind to be held at that location. The first of these exhibitions took... Continue Reading →
July 1, 1872 Transportation pioneer Louis Blériot was born in the city of Cambrai in northern France. He studied engineering at École Centrale (now part of CentraleSupélec) in Paris. Automobiles became the first means of transportation in which Blériot became actively involved. He developed the world’s first practical headlamps for these vehicles by using a... Continue Reading →
June 20, 1897 Harold Frederick Pitcairn, who made major contributions to various types of aircraft, was born in Moreland Township in southeastern Pennsylvania. In 1916, residents in the central part of this township broke away to form what is now the home-rule borough of Bryn Athyn; the following year, the remainder of the township was... Continue Reading →
June 12, 1909 The sailing yacht Carnegie was launched at the Tebo Yacht Basin Company’s shipyard at the foot of 23rd Street in Brooklyn, New York. This yacht, which had been designed by naval architect Henry J. Gielow (1855-1925), was constructed to serve as a scientific research vessel for the Carnegie Institution of Washington (now... Continue Reading →
June 9, 1994 Operations formally began that afternoon at Cincinnati/Norther Kentucky International Airport (CVG) for an automated people mover. This underground train service was originally run by Delta Air Lines to help more quickly transport large numbers of passengers to the concourses where they would need to catch their flights within that Kentucky-based airport. Judy... Continue Reading →
May 29, 1884 Europe’s first cable-operated tramway was introduced to the public in north London. This .7-mile (1.1-kilometer)-long tramway ran on Highgate Hill in an area encompassing parts of both the Highgate and Archway sections of England’s capital city. While most of the line was double-tracked, about 1,000 feet (304.8 meters) of it was single-tracked. The... Continue Reading →
Transportation History 