Transportation

On April 20, 1987, the second Sunshine Skyway Bridge opened. It was rebuilt following a 1980 accident. Considered a symbol of Florida, it’s also the longest cable-stayed concrete bridge in the world.

On April 18, 1968, American entrepreneur Robert P. McCulloch purchased Britain’s famed London Bridge and relocated it to Arizona. Though it was dubbed “McCulloch’s Folly,” it turned out to be a successful gamble and became one of Arizona’s most popular attractions.

The SS Saint Paul was launched on April 10, 1895. It was the first commercial ship commissioned for the Spanish-American War and later served during World War I.

On March 28, 1910, Henri Fabre made the first successful powered seaplane flight. Traveling over 1,900 feet and wowing a crowd of spectators, he inaugurated the seaplane and flying boat industry that would flourish for the next several decades.

The Jupiter, also known as Central Pacific Railroad #60, made its first run on March 20, 1869. Less than two months later, the Jupiter made history as one of the two locomotives that met at Promontory Summit, Utah to mark the completion of America’s First Transcontinental Railroad.

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.”

On February 19, 1914, parents in Idaho took advantage of the affordable Parcel Post rate to mail their daughter to her grandmother’s house.  It was one of several instances of people mailing children using stamps.

On February 11, 1878, the Boston Bicycle Club (BBiC) was founded. It was the first bicycle club in the US and it organized the first bicycle race in the country, among many other firsts.

On January 8, 1963, Chester Noongwook made his final trip delivering mail in Alaska via dog sled.