On September 15, 1831, the John Bull steam locomotive made its inaugural trip on New Jersey’s first railroad. It became a symbol of early railroad innovation and the beginning of a new era of transportation, marking a turning point that demonstrated the promise of steam power to move goods and passengers faster than ever before.
On September 12, 1862, the Civil War Battle for Harpers Ferry began. Though the Confederate attack was successful, Robert E. Lee’s invasion of the North ultimately failed.
On August 25, 1944, the Red Ball Express truck convoy system opened to help rush supplies to soldiers at the front. It eventually helped to transport 3.5 tons of supplies per minute.
Touring New England on August 22, 1902, Theodore Roosevelt became the first sitting president to publicly ride in an electric automobile accompanied by security. This was the first modern presidential motorcade.
On June 27, 1895, the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad’s Royal Blue became the first US passenger service to use electric locomotives, signaling a new era of modern rail travel. Running from Washington, DC, to New York City, the train combined speed, comfort, and cutting-edge technology.
On May 28, 1937, the Golden Gate Bridge officially opened to traffic. It was the longest suspension bridge in the world at the time of its opening and was dubbed a “Wonder of the World” structure.
On May 15, 1918, America’s airmail service began when two Curtiss Jennys departed New York and Washington, DC. In the months that followed, pioneering aviators expanded airmail service over the treacherous Allegheny Mountains to Chicago and eventually the west coast.
President Harry S. Truman was born in Lamar, Missouri on May 8, 1884. America’s 33rd president, he led America through the final months of WWII and the early years of the Cold War.
On April 25, 1959, the St. Lawrence Seaway opened, connecting the Great Lakes to the Atlantic Ocean. Construction of the St. Lawrence Seaway was nearly as ambitious as the Panama Canal project.