Finding the unexpected in the everyday.
A new lighthouse began operations on a shallow sandbank that is about seven miles (11 kilometers) off the coast of Ireland’s capital of Dublin. The Kish Lighthouse – located on the sandbank known as the Kish Bank in Dublin Bay-- has since become a familiar landmark for those sailing through this region of the Emerald... Continue Reading →
Robert Julian Scott, whose interests and accomplishments involved several modes of transportation during his many years in New Zealand, died in the city of Christchurch at the age of 69. Scott had been born in Plymouth, England, in 1861. After completing his education, he worked briefly for the London, Brighton, and South Coast Railway under... Continue Reading →
A new viaduct was completed in northwestern Argentina’s Salta Province as a key part of the Salta-Antofagasta Railway (also known as the Huaytiquina Railway). La Polvorilla Viaduct, which measures about 70 meters (229 feet) in height, took two years to build near the city of Salta and became the tallest of the railway’s 11 viaducts.... Continue Reading →
The first line of Singapore’s Light Rail Transit (LRT) series of fully automated transit systems was opened in the residential town and planning area of Bukit Panjang. This initial segment, known as the Bukit Panjang LRT Line, was formally inaugurated by Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister Tony Tan Keng Yam. Tan, who has since... Continue Reading →
Miles Clark, who established a new sailing record in Europe, was born in the town of Magerherafelt in Northern Ireland. Clark was a geography student at Downing College in England, and his strong sense of curiosity and international adventure eventually led him to become a freelance travel writer and photographer. Clark also served as features... Continue Reading →
Henri Pigozzi, who served as the general commercial representative for the Italian automobile producer Fiat S.p.A. in France, founded the company Société Industrielle de Mécanique et Carrosserie Automobile (Simca)-Fiat at the one-time Donnet manufacturing factory in the French commune of Suresnes (a western suburb of Paris). Pigozzi launched Simca-Fiat as a distributor for Fiat automobiles... Continue Reading →
Oceanographer and engineer Jacques Piccard, whose work involving underwater vehicles revolutionized deep-sea exploration, died at the age of 86 at his Lake Geneva home in Switzerland’s municipality of Cully. Piccard was born in Brussels, Belgium, in 1922. He came from a renowned Swiss family of adventurers and transportation pioneers. His father, Auguste Piccard, was an accomplished inventor and... Continue Reading →
The first line of a new rapid transit system in Spain’s capital city of Madrid was opened to the general public. The opening took place just two weeks after Spain’s King Alfonso XIII officially inaugurated this initial segment of the Madrid Metro. At the time of its debut, Line 1 of the Madrid Metro encompassed... Continue Reading →
The Lamington Bridge was officially opened to traffic in the British crown colony (and present-day Australian state) of Queensland. The bridge, which is located in Queensland’s Fraser Coast Region, crosses the Mary River between Gympie Road in the town of Tinana and Ferry Street in the port city of Maryborough. The Lamington Bridge was named... Continue Reading →
ICGV Thor (Þór), a new patrol vessel built for the Icelandic Coast Guard (ICG), arrived in Iceland’s capital city of Reykjavík two-and-a-half years after being launched at the ASMAR Naval Shipyard in Talcahuano, Chile. The ship was named after the Norse god Thor. The origins of ICGV Thor can be traced to a proposal drafted... Continue Reading →
Transportation History 