Finding the unexpected in the everyday.
October 23, 1943 A little over ten months after being launched by Basalt Rock Company in Napa, California, a rescue and salvage ship was commissioned into the U.S. Navy as USS Diver (ARS-5). This ship, which was paced under the command of Lieutenant Alexis T. Terrio (1902-1985), began her military service at a time when... Continue Reading →
October 19, 1875 In the northern part of Michigan, a lighthouse built on Menagerie Island within the northwest corner of Lake Superior was first lit. Menagerie Island is a small island off the southern coast of Isle Royale, which is the largest natural island in Lake Superior, the second largest island in all of the... Continue Reading →
September 17, 2001 In northeastern England’s ceremonial county of Tyne and Wear, a bridge for pedestrians and cyclists in the city and metropolitan borough of Newscastle upon Tyne (more simply known as Newcastle) was opened to the public. This bridge, crossing the River Tyne, serves as a link between the major arts and cultural center... Continue Reading →
Rafael Celestino Benítez was born on March 9, 1917, in the town of Juncos in east-central part of Puerto Rico. After completing his studies at both George Washington High School and the Army Navy Preparatory School in New York City, Benítez was admitted to the U.S. Naval Academy. He graduated from this institution in 1939... Continue Reading →
September 3, 1890 On the North Sea coast of eastern England, a lighthouse in the town and civil parish of Southwold was officially inaugurated. Construction on Southwold Lighthouse began in 1887 under the supervision of James Nicholas Douglass (1826-1898), engineer-in-chief of Trinity House from 1862 to 1892. (Trinity House is the official authority for lighthouses... Continue Reading →
August 25, 1893 The yacht Feiseen established a new speed record for steam-powered, propeller-driven vessels during a race against the fast-paced passenger steamboat Monmouth in New York Harbor. Originally measuring 78 feet and nine inches (24 meters) in length, Feiseen was launched that past spring at City Island in the town of Pelham, New York.... Continue Reading →
August 17, 1923 A vertical-lift bridge crossing the Piscataqua River and connecting the city of Portsmouth, New Hampshire, with Badger’s Island in the town of Kittery, Maine, was formally inaugurated. This bridge was dedicated to the memory of American soldiers and sailors who had lost their lives during World War I just a few years... Continue Reading →
July 24, 1920 A steamship constructed by the Bethlehem Shipbuilding Corporation was launched at the company’s shipyard in the industrial area of Sparrows Point in the Baltimore region. Initially called Bertice, this ship was renamed Buckeye State – the nickname of the state of Ohio – by the time of her launch. SS Buckeye State... Continue Reading →
May 27, 1903 SS Lord Baltimore, a coastal passenger steamship, was launched at the shipyard of Harlan & Hollingsworth in Wilmington, Delaware. SS Lord Baltimore was built by Harlan & Hollingsworth for the Ericsson Line of the Baltimore and Philadelphia Steamboat Company. This vessel was named after Cecil Calvert, 2nd Lord Baltimore (1605-1675), who served... Continue Reading →
May 26, 1989 Operations began for a fully automated container and bulk goods port in the city of New Bombay (since renamed Navi Mumbai) in western India’s state of Maharashtra. It became the first new port built in India in more than two decades. This port was named after Jawaharlal Nehru (1889-1964), who served as... Continue Reading →
