Finding the unexpected in the everyday.
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 →
December 10, 1910 The Hawthorne Bridge in Portland, Oregon, was officially opened to traffic. This bridge had been designed by Waddell & Harrington and, as part of the inaugural festivities, C.K. Allen from that engineering firm formally recommended acceptance of the new structure to the city. Portland Mayor Joseph Simon responded by declaring, “Let it open!” This... Continue Reading →
November 16, 2019 In the San Francisco Bay Area, a dedication ceremony – complete with a ribbon-cutting -- was held less than two weeks before Thanksgiving for a bicycle and pedestrian path that had recently been added to the San Rafael-Richmond Bridge (officially named the John F. McCarthy Memorial Bridge in honor of a longtime... Continue Reading →
October 26, 1979 A hiking trail that spans much of the region of Hong Kong known as the New Territories made its public debut. This long-distance trail was officially opened by Murray MacLehose, Baron MacLehose of Beoch, who served as both governor of Hong Kong and the British Crown representative from 1971 to 1982; and... Continue Reading →
Transportation History 