FreightWaves Classics is sponsored by Sutton Transport, an LTL leader in the Midwest for more than 40 years. Sutton Transport proudly services Illinois, Minnesota, Missouri and Wisconsin. Request a quote here.
Lake-class cutters come onlineThe U.S. Coast Guard’s (USCG) Lake-class cutters were designed by the Coast Guard and were improved and modernized versions of the service branch’s 240-footers. There were 10 cutters built in this class.
USCG Captain Q.B. Newman designed the Lake-class...
FreightWaves Classics is sponsored by Old Dominion Freight Line.Click to find out how we can help your business keep its promises.
The 75th anniversary of the founding of the United States Air Force (USAF) occurred on September 18, 2022. The “birthday” of this branch of the United States armed forces was and is being celebrated by millions across the nation and the world. FreightWaves also celebrates this anniversary and salutes the men and women who currently serve and those who have served our...
FreightWaves Classics is sponsored by Old Dominion Freight Line. Click to find out how we can help your business keep its promises.
On September 16, 2000, the second Mark Twain Memorial Bridge, which spans the Mississippi River between Missouri and Illinois, was formally opened. The through truss bridge connects Hannibal, Missouri, which was the childhood home of renowned writer and humorist Samuel Langhorne Clemens (better known as Mark Twain), with Levee Township in Illinois.
FreightWaves Classics is sponsored by Sutton Transport, an LTL leader in the Midwest for more than 40 years. Sutton Transport proudly services Illinois, Minnesota, Missouri and Wisconsin. Request a quote here.
On August 2, 1947 – about nine years before President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed into law the legislation that formally established the nation’s Interstate Highway System, or IHS – the general locations of the first designated routes for the network of “super-highways” were announced.
This...
The state of the U.S. Army (1918-39)
Although World War I began in August 1914, the United States did not enter the war until April 6, 1917, after numerous U.S. merchant ships were sunk and casualties mounted from civilian ships being torpedoed or shelled by German U-boats. U.S. Army and U.S. Marine Corps troops took part in the last offensives that ended the war. By 1918 there were nearly 2.4 million men in the U.S. Army, and nearly 53,000 in the Marines. However, after the armistice was...
https://www.freightwaves.com/news/freightwaves-classics-the-jeep-is-born
Background
The first canal built in the United States was constructed during 1792-1796. Built with private funds, it circumvented the South Hadley Falls on the Connecticut River in Massachusetts. Other small-scale private ventures followed this one.
However, that changed in 1817 when construction of the state-funded Erie Canal began. It was a huge undertaking at that time; it was planned to connect Buffalo (which is located on Lake Erie) with the state capital of Albany (which is located on...
International Women’s Day, a global celebration of the economic, political and social achievements of women, began on March 8, 1911. Women’s History Month is a celebration of women’s contributions to history, culture and society and has been observed annually in March in the United States since 1987.
To help celebrate Women’s History Month, FreightWaves Classics will continue to profile a number of women who made contributions to transportation during the month of March.
Women have made history...
If you missed Part 1 of this article, here is a link.
The Japanese invasion of the Aleutian Islands
To divert attention from the attack on Midway Island, the Japanese bombed the naval base at Dutch Harbor in the Aleutian Islands on June 3, 1942. The Third Special Landing Force of 550 Japanese marines landed on June 7, 1942. They gained control of the mainly uninhabited islands of Kiska and Attu in Alaska’s Aleutian Island chain (which is located off southwestern Alaska) after the only battles...
Background
When the United States entered World War II following the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, there were dozens of locations across the Pacific Ocean that were in danger from Japanese attack and occupation. One such location was the Alaska Territory.
Strategic reasons to build the Alaska Highway
Because of its location, a land route to Alaska became a high priority. Why? Alaska’s Aleutian Islands are closer to Japan than any other point in North America. The United States armed forces...
Born on a farm near Waterloo, Iowa, on August 20, 1879, Ralph Budd became a key railroad executive later in his life. Budd graduated from high school and college in only six years, earning a bachelor’s degree in science and civil engineering.
His first job was with the Chicago Great Western Railroad. Budd began his career as a draftsman in the railroad’s divisional engineering office.
Mentor John Frank Stevens
John Frank Stevens Budd joined the Chicago, Rock Island and...