Transportation History

The Union Pacific Railroad reached its historic completion at Promontory Summit, Utah Territory, on May 10, 1869 , when the ceremonial golden spike joined the tracks of the Unio...

The timeline of canal construction is best understood in two major campaigns, separated by a decades-long pause and a decisive shift in geography, governance, and engineering am...

Casey Jones, born John Luther Jones in 1863 in Missouri, became one of the most famous railroad engineers in American history through his career on the Illinois Central Railroad...

The invention of the automobile reshaped economies, cities, and daily life by making fast, reliable personal mobility possible. Before cars, land transport relied on animals, st...

The question when was the Panama Canal constructed has two principal answer blocks: the French attempt (1881–1889) and the U.S. construction and opening (1904–1914). The can...

On April 30, 1900, on the southbound Fast Mail near Memphis, Tennessee, engineer Casey Jones stayed at his post to brake a runaway train and protect passengers and crew, becomin...

Amtrak, the National Railroad Passenger Corporation, began service on May 1, 1971. Created by the U.S. government to preserve a viable nationwide passenger rail network, it cons...

The Fifth Avenue Coach Company was a major streetcar and bus operator in New York City, playing a central role in the city’s public transportation development from the late 19...

The first bicycle, often called the "Draisine" or "Laufmaschine," was invented by Karl von Drais and introduced in 1817 in Germany. This early human-powered vehicle featured a s...