Finding the unexpected in the everyday.
Inventor and engineer Narcís Monturiol i Estarriol, who made significant contributions to maritime transportation, was born in Madrid. Monturiol invented the first air-independent and combustion-engine-driven submarine. He died in 1885 at the age of 65. For more information about Narcís Monturiol i Estarriol, please check out https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Narcís_Monturiol.
In 1991, Lieutenant Commander Marilyn Melendez Dykman became the first Hispanic-American female aviator in the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG). Her achievement helped pave the way for similar opportunities for female cadets of all races and ethnicities at the USCG. For information about Marilyn Melendez Dykman and other Hispanic-American pioneers in the USCG, please check out... Continue Reading →
In Egypt, the first section of the Cairo Metro rapid transit system was opened. This section was an 18-mile segment of Line 1 between the city of Helwan in the Greater Cairo metropolitan area and Ramses Square in Egypt’s capital. The first substantive proposal for such a transit service had been made during the 1930s... Continue Reading →
César Pelli, who was born in Argentina in 1926, has achieved international renown as one of the most innovative and influential architects around today. While Pelli is perhaps best known for designing the Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur, his considerable body of work has also included major transportation-oriented projects. A key example involves the terminal... 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 →
Aviation trailblazer Aida de Acosta (1881-1962) was born in Long Beach, New Jersey. She was the daughter of Ricardo de Acosta, a steamship company executive of Cuban descent. In June 1903 Acosta became the first woman to fly a motorized aircraft on her own. While she was visiting Paris, renowned Brazilian aviator Alberto Santos-Dumont taught... Continue Reading →
Champion bicyclist Stanisław Szozda was born in the village of Dobromierz in southwestern Poland. He represented Poland at Summer Olympics in Munich (1972) and Montreal (1976), winning a silver medal in each of those games for the men’s cycling team time trial (in which cyclists race in groups of four from participating nations). Szozda’s other... Continue Reading →
Aviation pioneer Olga E. Custodio was born in San Juan in 1953. She was admitted into the U.S. Air Force (USAF) Officer Candidate School and then accepted as a candidate for training as a USAF pilot. Custodio subsequently entered the Flight Screening Pilot Officer Training School in 1980. After completion of this flight screening, Custodio... Continue Reading →
The first section of France’s first high-speed rail line officially began operations. The LGV Sud-Est was being built as a transit link between Paris and Lyon, and the inaugural festivities for the new line included a special train running on the completed segment between Lyon and the commune of Montchanin. As the train sped north... Continue Reading →
John Daniel “Danny” Olivas became the first U.S.-born man of Mexican descent to travel to space. (Rodolfo Neri Vela, who was part of a NASA Space Shuttle mission in 1985, had been born in Mexico; Ellen Ochoa, whose first spaceflight took place in 1993, was the first U.S.-born person of Mexican descent to make it... Continue Reading →
Transportation History 