Finding the unexpected in the everyday.
June 12, 1994 The Boeing 777, the world’s largest twinjet, made its first flight. The two-engine, wide-body jetliner, popularly known as the “Triple Seven,” was manufactured by Boeing Commercial Airlines. The aircraft was flown by chief test pilot John E. Cashman, taking off at 11:45 on that Sunday morning for a three-hour excursion from a... Continue Reading →
June 11, 1962 Five-year-old Robert Patch made both transportation history and playtime history when he submitted a patent application for a toy truck he had designed. The toy, as outlined in the drawings that accompanied his application, could easily be taken apart and put back together by just about any kid. In addition, it was... Continue Reading →
June 8, 1968 The U.S. Navy diesel-electric submarine USS Dolphin (AGSS-555) was launched at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in New Hampshire. Approximately 1,500 people were at the shipyard that Saturday morning to watch the launch, and hundreds of others viewed it from nearby Peirce Island. Those in attendance included Jacques Piccard, the renowned Swiss oceanographer,... Continue Reading →
June 7, 1911 Industrial designer Brooks Stevens was born in Milwaukee. His wide range of design efforts included many with a transportation theme of some kind. Stevens was stricken with polio as a child, and the experience proved to be pivotal in shaping his lifelong aspirations. While bedridden to deal with and ultimately prevail over... Continue Reading →
June 6, 1915 In England’s capital city, a new station was formally opened as part of the rapid transit system known as the London Underground (also called the Underground, or the Tube). The station was built in northwest London’s Maida Vale residential district and is specifically located at the junction of Randolph and Elgin Avenues.... Continue Reading →
June 5, 2010 In the western region of New Zealand’s North Island, a bridge for pedestrians and bicyclists made its debut at the city of New Plymouth. Te Rewa Rewa Bridge, which measures 229.7 feet (70 meters) in length and crosses the Waiwhakaiho River, was officially opened by Peter Tennent, mayor of New Plymouth; and... Continue Reading →
May 31, 1879 A new type of electric locomotive was introduced in Germany at the Berlin Industrial Exhibition. This locomotive, developed by engineer Werner von Siemens, did not need batteries to operate. This marked the first time that a generator provided the electrical energy needed to power a locomotive. Originally constructed for use in a... Continue Reading →
May 29, 1950 The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) schooner St. Roch arrived in Halifax, Nova Scotia, after becoming the first ship to circumnavigate North America. The ship, which was launched in 1928, was specially designed and built to withstand the heavy ice pressures of Canada’s Arctic region. The vessel’s original purpose included serving as... Continue Reading →
May 25, 2015 Time magazine published an interview with U.S. Navy Admiral Harry B. Harris, Jr., just a couple of days before he began officially serving as head of the U.S. Pacific Command (the oldest and largest of the unified combatant commands of the U.S. Armed Forces). Harris is the first Asian-American to achieve the... Continue Reading →
May 24, 1843 In the British colony (and present-day state) of Western Australia, the first of a series of bridges known as the Causeway was opened to serve as a crossing over the Swan River and connect the town (now city) of Perth with the port of Fremantle. For more than a decade, many settlers... Continue Reading →
Transportation History 