Finding the unexpected in the everyday.
August 14, 2011 In northeastern Australia’s state of Queensland, a newly built bridge in the city of Mackay was officially opened. This road bridge, which crosses the Pioneer River, replaced another bridge that had stood at that location for about seven decades. The first of these two bridges was inaugurated on March 30, 1938, by... Continue Reading →
July 23, 1985 A prestressed concrete box-girder bridge in Thailand’s Nonthaburi Province was inaugurated. The bridge carries Rattanathibet Road (Highway 302) across the Chao Phraya River, which is the country’s major river, and connects the area between the subdistricts of Sai Ma and Bang Kraso with the subdistrict of Suan Yai. Construction on this bridge... Continue Reading →
July 8, 2007 The Badger State Trail in south-central Wisconsin was officially opened. This 40-mile (64-kilometer) trail courses from the state boundary with Illinois to Wisconsin’s capital city of Madison. In between those two points, the Badger State Trail passes through – from south to north – the city of Monroe; the villages of Monticello... Continue Reading →
April 29, 2021 A pedestrian suspension bridge in the vicinity of northern Portugal’s municipality of Arouca was first opened. With a length of 1,693 feet (516 meters), this structure is one of the world’s longest pedestrian suspension bridges. This bridge was named “Arouca 516” in reference to both its measurement in meters and the municipality... Continue Reading →
April 18, 1889 The original version of Read Bridge in Singapore first went into service. Construction on this bridge began in 1881 and it was built across the part of the Singapore River that is within the area known as Clarke Quay. At the time of Read Bridge’s debut, Singapore was one of the British... Continue Reading →
April 4, 1993 A long-distance walking trail in the Australian state of South Australia (SA) was officially opened in its entirety. Lynn Arnold (born in 1949), who was premier of SA from September 1992 to December 1993, presided at this event. The trail was named after artist Hans Heysen (1877-1968). The German-born Heysen spent most... Continue Reading →
Harriet Tubman escaped from slavery in Maryland in 1849. She subsequently risked her life to help others from that state likewise escape to freedom. As an Underground Railroad conductor in those years prior to the American Civil War, Tubman led about 70 enslaved people to the North. In addition, it has been estimated that Tubman... Continue Reading →
February 12, 2010 Wilford Suspension Bridge, located in the city and unitary authority area of Nottingham in England’s region of East Midlands, was formally reopened at 12:30 p.m. to the public after an extensive restoration. This structure crosses the River Trent and actually serves as a combined suspension bridge and aqueduct. Wilford Suspension Bridge connects... Continue Reading →
The Montgomery Bus Boycott, along with being a transportation-oriented protest against racial segregation practices in Alabama’s capital city, was a pivotal chapter in the larger civil rights movement in the United States. At the time of this boycott during the mid-1950s, longstanding Jim Crow laws that enforced segregation throughout the American South were very much... Continue Reading →
During the heyday of pedestrianism in the 19th century, Frank Hart firmly established himself as not only a trailblazing African American in that sport but also a formidable participant in major walking competitions across the United States. Hart was born as Fred Hichborn in Haiti in 1856. As a teenager, he immigrated to the United... Continue Reading →
Transportation History 