The Soo Locks
On June 18, 1855, the first ship passed through the Soo Locks, located on the St. Mary’s River between Lake Superior and Lake Huron. Today there are four locks, and an average of 10,000 ships pass through them each year.
Transportation
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Orient Express
On June 5, 1883, the Orient Express made its first trip from Paris to Vienna. It quickly earned a reputation as the world’s most luxurious train.
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The Hindenburg Disaster
On May 6, 1937, the Hindenburg caught fire while preparing to land in Lakehurst, New Jersey, and was destroyed in less than a minute. The disaster killed 35 people aboard the airship and one worker on the ground, ending a famous chapter in passenger airship travel.
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Maiden Flight of First Commercial Jet Airliner
On May 2, 1952, the world’s first commercial jet airliner, the de Havilland Comet 1, began its maiden airline service from London to Johannesburg. The flight opened a new chapter in passenger travel, showing that jet power could move paying customers faster and higher than piston-engine airliners. Commercial aviation entered the jet age.
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The Great Locomotive Chase
On April 12, 1862, a group of Union sympathizers stole a Confederate train, setting off a high-speed pursuit that lasted nearly eight hours. The event, later known as the Great Locomotive Chase, unfolded along a single rail line but revealed just how critical transportation had become in the Civil War.
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First Commercial Safety Elevator
On March 23, 1857, the first commercial safety elevator was installed in New York City by the Otis Company. This new design solved a long-standing danger and made it practical for people—not just cargo—to move safely between floors in tall buildings.
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Birth of Charles Goodnight
Cattle rancher Charles Goodnight was born on March 5, 1836, in Macoupin County, Illinois. One of America’s most famous cattle barons, Goodnight helped blaze a major cattle trail and is sometimes referred to as the “Father of the Texas Panhandle.”
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National Milk Day
National Milk Day, celebrated each year on January 11, honors a simple innovation that changed daily life in America: the first home delivery of milk in glass bottles. On January 11, 1878, milk was delivered to homes in the United States in sealed glass bottles for the first time, marking a major step forward in food safety, convenience, and nutrition. What seems ordinary today was once a breakthrough that helped build the modern dairy industry.
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Birth of the Space Shuttle Program
On January 5, 1972, President Richard Nixon signed legislation authorizing the creation of America’s first space shuttle, the “world’s first reusable spacecraft.”
