President Woodrow Wilson

FreightWaves Classics: 75th anniversary of the founding of the U.S. Air Force (Part 1)

A SPAD S.XIII in livery of Capt. Eddie Rickenbacker, 94th Aero Squadron at the National Museum of the United States Air Force. (Photo: U.S. Air Force)

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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...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/freightwaves-classics-75th-anniversary-of-the-founding-of-the-us-air-force-part-1

FreightWaves Classics: Airmail helped build nation’s airlines

President and Mrs. Wilson were present at the polo fields near the Potomac River the morning of the first airmail flights. (Photo: Smithsonian Institution/Postal Museum)

By the 1920s, much of the nation’s commerce was handled by mail via the U.S. Post Office. By the 2020s, much of the nation’s commerce is handled via the internet. As different as “snail mail” and the internet are, there are some similarities as well…

The U.S. postal system was established by the Second Continental Congress, and Benjamin Franklin was the first postmaster general. He established the foundation for many aspects of the nation’s mail system.

These were the nation's first civilian airmail pilots. The These were the nation’s first civilian...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/freightwaves-classicsairmail-helped-build-nations-airlines

FreightWaves Classics/Leaders: Frederick Mears built key railroads for the US

The Alaska Railroad today. (Photo: alaskarail.com)

Early years

On May 25, 1878, U.S. Army officer and civil engineer Frederick Mears was born in Omaha, Nebraska. His father, Frederick J. Mears, was a career Army cavalry officer, and the Mears family lived in a number of military posts in the American West toward the end of the Indian Wars period after the Civil War. 

Mears was sent to and did well at the Shattuck Military School, which his father also attended. Shattuck is located in Faribault, Minnesota (although it is no longer a military...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/freightwaves-classicsleaders-frederick-mears-built-key-railroads-for-the-us

FreightWaves Classics/Fallen Flags: US Shipping Board controlled US shipping for nearly 20 years

U.S. ships in port during World War I. (Photo: National Park Service)

The U.S. Shipping Board (Shipping Board or USSB) was established on April 16, 1917, as an emergency government agency in accordance with the provisions of the Shipping Act of 1916, which was passed by Congress on September 7, 1916. The corporation’s mandate was to “acquire, maintain and operate a fleet of merchant ships to meet the needs of national defense and foreign and domestic commerce.” 

Background

By the 1910s, U.S. vessels had been at a disadvantage to foreign ships and the nation’s...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/freightwaves-classicsfallen-flags-us-shipping-board-controlled-us-shipping-for-nearly-20-years

FreightWaves Classics/Fallen Flags: Wabash Railroad served the Midwest, its industries and people (Part 2)

A Wabash trailer-on-flatcar. (Photo: Wabash Railroad Historical Society)

To read Part 1 of this article, follow this link.

World War I

Despite going into receivership in late 1911, the Wabash did well because of its key corridors, which carried a diversified traffic base. Its network was slightly over 2,000 route miles and served Detroit, Chicago, St. Louis, Kansas City, Omaha and Buffalo.  

In 1912 the company adopted the slogan “Follow The Flag.” It was a simple marketing tactic that earned the Wabash one of the most innovative logos and slogans of all time.

To exit...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/freightwaves-classicsfallen-flags-wabash-railroad-served-the-midwest-its-industries-and-people-part-2

FreightWaves Classics/Infrastructure: Federal Aid Road Act of 1916 kick-started U.S. road-building

A too-familiar scene in rural Texas. (Photo: University of North Texas)

A 2.55-mile section of roadway between the cities of Albany and Richmond in Contra Costa County, California, received a certificate of completion on this date in 1917. In terms of the size and scope of the project it was rather insignificant. However, what made it newsworthy was that it was the first project that was issued a certificate of completion under the Federal Aid Road Act of 1916.

Therefore, January 30, 1917 is a key date in the development of the U.S. highway system. The U.S. Bureau...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/freightwaves-classicsinfrastructure-federal-aid-road-act-of-1916-kick-started-us-road-building