Finding the unexpected in the everyday.
January 25, 1890 The original Deer Island Light at the north entrance of Boston Harbor first went into service. The principal keeper for this lighthouse at the time of its debut was John Farley, with Michael J. Curran serving as the assistant keeper. This structure -- known as a sparkplug lighthouse due to its shape... Continue Reading →
January 24, 1911 Charles “Charlie” Barr, a sailing skipper whose accomplishments included service as a three-time winning captain of the America’s Cup, died in Southampton, England. He was 46. “Capt. Barr had appeared to be in perfect health,” reported the New York Times in his obituary. “He was having breakfast with his family when suddenly... Continue Reading →
January 18, 2015 In the Australian state of Queensland, a ferry wharf on the northern side of the Brisbane River was inaugurated. This wharf is specifically located near the intersection of Park Road and Coronation Drive in Milton, an inner suburb of Queensland’s capital city of Brisbane. Graham Quirk, who was lord mayor of Brisbane... Continue Reading →
January 5, 1892 A notable milestone for Undine, a sternwheel-driven steamboat operating on rivers in Oregon, took place when she played a pivotal role in rescuing people who had been on board a vessel that sank in the Willamette River. (A major tributary of the Columbia River, the Willamette River is located entirely within the... Continue Reading →
January 4, 1914 The F5, one of the first submarines to be acquired and operated by the Brazilian Navy, was launched at the Fiat-San Giorgio Shipyard in northwest Italy. This vessel was part of the Foca (known more simply as F) class, the Brazilian Navy’s original group of submarines. The F5, which had been built... Continue Reading →
December 26, 1860 A lighthouse built on one of the islands of Race Rocks, which are located just off the southern point of Vancouver Island, was first illuminated. At the time of that lighthouse’s debut, Vancouver Island was a British Crown colony. This colony was merged with the Crown colony of mainland British Columbia in... Continue Reading →
December 20, 1879 A notable “first” for Japanese lighthouses took place with the installation of a fog horn – a device using highly audible signs to warn vessels of navigational hazards such as rocky coastlines in foggy weather – at Shiriyazaki Lighthouse in the Tōhoku region. This lighthouse is located on Cape Shiriyazaki, the northernmost... Continue Reading →
December 14, 1890 In the Philippines, Cape Santiago Lighthouse on the island of Luzon first went into service. This lighthouse is specifically located on Cape Santiago in Calatagan, a municipality that is about 81 miles (130 kilometers) southwest of Manila, in the Province of Batangas. Cape Santiago Lighthouse helps guide vessels traveling through the strait... Continue Reading →
December 11, 1866 In Denmark, the shipping business DFDS was established as a merger of that nation’s three largest steamship companies. Those three companies were brought together as a single entity under the leadership of renowned industrialist and financier Carl Frederik Tietgen (1829-1901), who played a key role in the economic growth and prosperity of Denmark... Continue Reading →
Francis J. Mee, whose service in the U.S. Navy spanned more than three decades, was born on August 11, 1899, on the White Earth Indian Reservation in northwest Minnesota. This reservation is home to the federally recognized White Earth Band of the Minnesota Chippewa Tribe (also known as the White Earth Nation). Mee’s mother was... Continue Reading →
Transportation History 