Architecture & Engineering
Houses, castles, roads, bridges, city planning, and civil engineering
History: January 9 (#1)
January 9, 1787 The nationally known image of the Black Nazarene in the Philippines is transferred from what is now Rizal Park to its present shrine in the minor basilica of Quiapo Church. This is annually commemorated through its Traslación (solemn transfer) in the streets of Manila and is attended by millions of devotees.
Read commentary →History: January 11 (#2)
January 11, 1961 Throgs Neck Bridge over the East River, linking New York City's boroughs of The Bronx and Queens, opens to road traffic.
Read commentary →History: January 11 (#4)
January 11, 1986 The Gateway Bridge, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia is officially opened.
Read commentary →History: January 18 (#3)
January 18, 2018 A bus catches fire on the Samara–Shymkent road in Yrgyz District, Aktobe, Kazakhstan. The fire kills 52 passengers, with three passengers and two drivers escaping.
Read commentary →History: January 19 (#1)
January 19, 1953 Almost 72 percent of all television sets in the United States are tuned into I Love Lucy to watch Lucy give birth.
Read commentary →History: January 19 (#2)
January 19, 1639 Hämeenlinna (Swedish: Tavastehus) is granted privileges after it separated from the Vanaja parish as its own city in Tavastia.
Read commentary →History: January 20 (#1)
January 20, 1788 The third and main part of First Fleet arrives at Botany Bay, beginning the British colonization of Australia. Arthur Phillip decides that Port Jackson is a more suitable location for a colony.
Read commentary →History: January 21 (#1)
January 21, 1963 The Chicago North Shore and Milwaukee Railroad ends operation.
Read commentary →History: January 25 (#5)
January 25, 1515 Coronation of Francis I of France takes place at Reims Cathedral, where the new monarch is anointed with the oil of Clovis and girt with the sword of Charlemagne.
Read commentary →History: January 28 (#1)
January 28, 1980 USCGC Blackthorn collides with the tanker Capricorn while leaving Tampa, Florida and capsizes, killing 23 Coast Guard crewmembers.
Read commentary →History: January 28 (#3)
January 28, 1938 The World Land Speed Record on a public road is broken by Rudolf Caracciola in the Mercedes-Benz W125 Rekordwagen at a speed of 432.7 kilometres per hour (268.9 mph).
Read commentary →History: January 30 (#1)
January 30, 1826 The Menai Suspension Bridge, considered the world's first modern suspension bridge, connecting the Isle of Anglesey to the northwest coast of Wales, is opened.
Read commentary →History: February 1 (#1)
February 1, 1896 La bohème premieres in Turin at the Teatro Regio (Turin), conducted by the young Arturo Toscanini.
Read commentary →History: February 4 (#1)
February 4, 1977 A Chicago Transit Authority elevated train rear-ends another and derails, killing 11 and injuring 180, the worst accident in the agency's history.
Read commentary →History: February 13 (#3)
February 13, 1322 The central tower of Ely Cathedral falls on the night of 12th–13th.
Read commentary →History: February 15 (#1)
February 15, 1852 The Helsinki Cathedral (known as St. Nicholas' Church at time) is officially inaugurated in Helsinki, Finland.
Read commentary →History: February 26 (#3)
February 26, 1794 The first Christiansborg Palace in Copenhagen burns down.
Read commentary →History: March 2 (#2)
March 2, 1968 Baggeridge Colliery closes, marking the end of over 300 years of coal mining in the Black Country.
Read commentary →History: March 3 (#1)
March 3, 1585 The Olympic Theatre, designed by Andrea Palladio, is inaugurated in Vicenza.
Read commentary →History: March 5 (#3)
March 5, 1860 Parma, Tuscany, Modena and Romagna vote in referendums to join the Kingdom of Sardinia.
Read commentary →History: March 9 (#3)
March 9, 1009 First known mention of Lithuania, in the annals of the monastery of Quedlinburg.
Read commentary →History: March 15 (#1)
March 15, 1927 The first Women's Boat Race between the University of Oxford and the University of Cambridge takes place on The Isis in Oxford.
Read commentary →History: March 17 (#1)
March 17, 1862 The first railway line of Finland between cities of Helsinki and Hämeenlinna, called Päärata, is officially opened.
Read commentary →History: March 22 (#2)
March 22, 1784 The Emerald Buddha is moved with great ceremony to its current location in Wat Phra Kaew, Thailand.
Read commentary →History: March 23 (#1)
March 23, 1857 Elisha Otis's first elevator is installed at 488 Broadway New York City.
Read commentary →History: March 23 (#2)
March 23, 2001 The Russian Mir space station is disposed of, breaking up in the atmosphere before falling into the southern Pacific Ocean near Fiji.
Read commentary →History: March 27 (#1)
March 27, 1309 Pope Clement V imposes excommunication and interdiction on Venice, and a general prohibition of all commercial intercourse with Venice, which had seized Ferrara, a papal fiefdom.
Read commentary →History: March 31 (#2)
March 31, 1717 A sermon on "The Nature of the Kingdom of Christ" by Benjamin Hoadly, the Bishop of Bangor, preached in the presence of King George I of Great Britain, provokes the Bangorian Controversy.
Read commentary →History: April 8 (#1)
April 8, 1730 Shearith Israel, the first synagogue in continental North America, is dedicated.
Read commentary →History: April 14 (#3)
April 14, 1858 The 1858 Christiania fire severely destroys several city blocks near Stortorvet in Christiania, Norway, and about 1,000 people lose their homes.
Read commentary →History: April 16 (#1)
April 16, 1908 Natural Bridges National Monument is established in Utah.
Read commentary →History: April 22 (#1)
April 22, 1970 Chicano residents in San Diego, California occupy a site under the Coronado Bridge, leading to the creation of Chicano Park.
Read commentary →History: April 27 (#2)
April 27, 1565 Cebu is established becoming the first Spanish settlement in the Philippines.
Read commentary →History: May 4 (#1)
May 4, 1859 The Cornwall Railway opens across the Royal Albert Bridge linking Devon and Cornwall in England.
Read commentary →History: May 7 (#4)
May 7, 1697 Stockholm's royal castle (dating back to medieval times) is destroyed by fire. It is replaced in the 18th century by the current Royal Palace.
Read commentary →History: May 17 (#1)
May 17, 1984 Prince Charles calls a proposed addition to the National Gallery, London, a "monstrous carbuncle on the face of a much-loved and elegant friend", sparking controversies on the proper role of the Royal Family and the course of modern architecture.
Read commentary →History: May 18 (#1)
May 18, 1926 Evangelist Aimee Semple McPherson disappears in Venice, California.
Read commentary →History: May 18 (#2)
May 18, 1499 Alonso de Ojeda sets sail from Cádiz on his voyage to what is now Venezuela.
Read commentary →History: May 21 (#1)
May 21, 1932 Bad weather forces Amelia Earhart to land in a pasture in Derry, Northern Ireland, and she thereby becomes the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean.
Read commentary →History: May 22 (#1)
May 22, 1987 First ever Rugby World Cup kicks off with New Zealand playing Italy at Eden Park in Auckland, New Zealand.
Read commentary →History: May 22 (#4)
May 22, 2012 Tokyo Skytree opens to the public. It is the tallest tower in the world (634 m), and the second tallest man-made structure on Earth after Burj Khalifa (829.8 m).
Read commentary →History: May 23 (#3)
May 23, 2013 A freeway bridge carrying Interstate 5 over the Skagit River collapses in Mount Vernon, Washington.
Read commentary →History: May 24 (#4)
May 24, 1683 The Ashmolean Museum in Oxford, England, opens as the world's first university museum.
Read commentary →History: May 24 (#5)
May 24, 1956 The first Eurovision Song Contest is held in Lugano, Switzerland.
Read commentary →History: May 25 (#1)
May 25, 1895 Playwright, poet and novelist Oscar Wilde is convicted of "committing acts of gross indecency with other male persons" and sentenced to serve two years in prison.
Read commentary →History: May 29 (#2)
May 29, 1825 The Coronation of Charles X of France takes place in Reims Cathedral, the last ever coronation of a French monarch.
Read commentary →History: June 1 (#2)
June 1, 1412 Treaty of Lubowla: The royal gathering continues in Buda. It is one of the largest and most magnificent royal meetings ever held in medieval Buda with Sigismund of Hungary as host and Wladyslaw II Jagiello as guest of honor. A large feast and grand tournament is held with over 40.000 nobles and 2000 knights.
Read commentary →History: June 10 (#2)
June 10, 1523 Copenhagen is surrounded by the army of Frederick I of Denmark, as the city will not recognise him as the successor of Christian II of Denmark.
Read commentary →History: June 14 (#2)
June 14, 1618 Joris Veseler prints the first Dutch newspaper Courante uyt Italien, Duytslandt, &c. in Amsterdam (approximate date).
Read commentary →History: June 17 (#4)
June 17, 1300 Turku Cathedral is consecrated by Bishop Magnus I in the city of Turku (Swedish: Åbo).
Read commentary →History: June 19 (#3)
June 19, 2005 Following a series of Michelin tire failures during the United States Grand Prix weekend at Indianapolis, and without an agreement being reached, 14 cars from seven teams in Michelin tires withdrew after completing the formation lap, leaving only six cars from three teams on Bridgestone tires to race.
Read commentary →History: June 24 (#1)
June 24, 1981 The Humber Bridge opens to traffic, connecting Yorkshire and Lincolnshire. It remained the world's longest bridge span for 17 years.
Read commentary →History: June 24 (#3)
June 24, 1571 Miguel López de Legazpi conquers Manila for Spain, modern day capital of the Philippines.
Read commentary →History: July 1 (#2)
July 1, 1958 The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation links television broadcasting across Canada via microwave.
Read commentary →History: July 5 (#2)
July 5, 1954 The BBC broadcasts its first daily television news bulletin.
Read commentary →History: July 10 (#2)
July 10, 1877 The then-villa of Mayagüez, Puerto Rico, formally receives its city charter from the Royal Crown of Spain.
Read commentary →History: July 12 (#1)
July 12, 1543 King Henry VIII of England marries his sixth and last wife, Catherine Parr, at Hampton Court Palace.
Read commentary →History: July 25 (#3)
July 25, 1837 The first commercial use of an electrical telegraph is successfully demonstrated in London by William Cooke and Charles Wheatstone.
Read commentary →History: July 25 (#5)
July 25, 1137 Eleanor of Aquitaine marries Prince Louis, later King Louis VII of France, at the Cathedral of Saint-André in Bordeaux.
Read commentary →History: July 29 (#2)
July 29, 1565 The widowed Mary, Queen of Scots marries Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley, Duke of Albany, at Holyrood Palace, Edinburgh, Scotland, in a Catholic ceremony.
Read commentary →History: August 1 (#1)
August 1, 1714 George, Elector of Hanover, becomes King George I of Great Britain, marking the beginning of the Georgian era of British history.
Read commentary →History: August 1 (#3)
August 1, 1498 Christopher Columbus becomes the first European to visit what is now Venezuela.
Read commentary →History: August 5 (#5)
August 5, 1860 Charles XV of Sweden–Norway is crowned king of Norway in Trondheim.
Read commentary →History: August 9 (#1)
August 9, 1897 The first International Congress of Mathematicians is held in Zürich, Switzerland.
Read commentary →History: August 11 (#1)
August 11, 1973 At the 1520 Sedgwick Avenue apartment building in The Bronx, New York, DJ Kool Herc hosts a house party widely considered to mark the birthplace of hip hop culture and music. DJ Kool Herc demonstrates a new technique of beat juggling and Coke La Rock performs a new style of vocal performance called rapping.
Read commentary →History: August 14 (#2)
August 14, 1880 Construction of Cologne Cathedral, the most famous landmark in Cologne, Germany, is completed.
Read commentary →History: August 15 (#2)
August 15, 1914 A servant of American architect, Frank Lloyd Wright, sets fire to the living quarters of Wright's Wisconsin home, Taliesin, and murders seven people there.
Read commentary →History: August 15 (#3)
August 15, 1843 The Cathedral of Our Lady of Peace in Honolulu, Hawaii is dedicated. Now the cathedral of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Honolulu, it is the oldest Roman Catholic cathedral in continuous use in the United States.
Read commentary →History: August 15 (#4)
August 15, 1843 Tivoli Gardens, one of the oldest still intact amusement parks in the world, opens in Copenhagen, Denmark.
Read commentary →History: August 15 (#5)
August 15, 1248 The foundation stone of Cologne Cathedral, built to house the relics of the Three Wise Men, is laid. (Construction is eventually completed in 1880.)
Read commentary →History: August 16 (#4)
August 16, 2008 The Trump International Hotel and Tower in Chicago is topped off at 1,389 feet (423 m), at the time becoming the world's highest residence above ground-level.
Read commentary →History: August 28 (#1)
August 28, 1859 The Carrington event is the strongest geomagnetic storm on record to strike the Earth. Electrical telegraph service is widely disrupted.
Read commentary →History: September 1 (#2)
September 1, 1355 King Tvrtko I of Bosnia writes In castro nostro Vizoka vocatum from the Old town of Visoki.
Read commentary →History: September 3 (#1)
September 3, 1935 Sir Malcolm Campbell reaches a speed of 304.331 miles per hour on the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah, becoming the first person to drive an automobile over 300 mph.
Read commentary →History: September 3 (#2)
September 3, 2016 The U.S. and China, together responsible for 40% of the world's carbon emissions, both formally ratify the Paris global climate agreement.
Read commentary →History: September 4 (#2)
September 4, 1800 The French garrison in Valletta surrenders to British troops who had been called at the invitation of the Maltese. The islands of Malta and Gozo become the Malta Protectorate.
Read commentary →History: September 4 (#4)
September 4, 1964 Scotland's Forth Road Bridge near Edinburgh officially opens.
Read commentary →History: September 8 (#1)
September 8, 1952 The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation makes its first televised broadcast on the second escape of the Boyd Gang.
Read commentary →History: September 8 (#5)
September 8, 2022 Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom dies at Balmoral Castle in Scotland after reigning for 70 years. Her son Charles, Prince of Wales, ascends the throne upon her death as Charles III.
Read commentary →History: September 14 (#2)
September 14, 1985 Penang Bridge, the longest bridge in Malaysia, connecting the island of Penang to the mainland, opens to traffic.
Read commentary →History: September 15 (#1)
September 15, 1556 Departing from Vlissingen, ex-Holy Roman Emperor Charles V returns to Spain.
Read commentary →History: September 16 (#1)
September 16, 1990 The railroad between the People's Republic of China and Kazakhstan is completed at Dostyk, adding a sizable link to the concept of the Eurasian Land Bridge.
Read commentary →History: September 16 (#2)
September 16, 1966 The Metropolitan Opera House opens at Lincoln Center in New York City with the world premiere of Samuel Barber's opera Antony and Cleopatra.
Read commentary →History: September 17 (#1)
September 17, 1935 The Niagara Gorge Railroad ceases operations after a rockslide.
Read commentary →History: September 21 (#1)
September 21, 1942 The Holocaust in Ukraine: In Dunaivtsi, Ukraine, Nazis murder 2,588 Jews.
Read commentary →History: September 25 (#1)
September 25, 1906 Leonardo Torres Quevedo demonstrates the Telekino in the Bilbao Abra (Spain), guiding an electric boat from the shore with people on board, which was controlled at a distance over 2 km (1.2 mi), in what is considered to be the origin of modern wireless remote-control operation principles.
Read commentary →History: September 28 (#1)
September 28, 1975 The Spaghetti House siege, in which nine people are taken hostage, takes place in London.
Read commentary →History: October 1 (#2)
October 1, 1829 The South African College is founded in Cape Town, later separating into the University of Cape Town and the South African College Schools.
Read commentary →History: October 5 (#2)
October 5, 1143 With the signing of the Treaty of Zamora, King Alfonso VII of León and Castile recognises Portugal as a Kingdom.
Read commentary →History: October 13 (#1)
October 13, 2013 A stampede occurs in India during the Hindu festival Navratri, killing 115 and injuring more than 110.
Read commentary →History: October 17 (#1)
October 17, 1907 Marconi begins the first commercial transatlantic wireless service.
Read commentary →History: October 19 (#1)
October 19, 1955 The General Assembly of the European Broadcasting Union approves the staging of the first Eurovision Song Contest.
Read commentary →History: October 20 (#1)
October 20, 1973 The Sydney Opera House is opened by Elizabeth II after 14 years of construction.
Read commentary →History: October 20 (#2)
October 20, 2002 Top Gear, the revived popular British TV motoring magazine, premieres on BBC.
Read commentary →History: October 22 (#3)
October 22, 1883 The Metropolitan Opera House in New York City opens with a performance of Charles Gounod's Faust.
Read commentary →History: October 25 (#1)
October 25, 1868 The Uspenski Cathedral, designed by Aleksey Gornostayev, is inaugurated in Helsinki, Finland.
Read commentary →History: October 29 (#3)
October 29, 2015 China announces the end of its one-child policy after 35 years.
Read commentary →History: November 1 (#1)
November 1, 1987 British Rail Class 43 (HST) hits the record speed of 238 km/h for rail vehicles with on-board fuel to generate electricity for traction motors.
Read commentary →History: November 9 (#1)
November 9, 1998 A U.S. federal judge, in the largest civil settlement in American history, orders 37 U.S. brokerage houses to pay US$1.03 billion to cheated NASDAQ investors to compensate for price fixing.
Read commentary →History: November 12 (#2)
November 12, 1936 In California, the San Francisco–Oakland Bay Bridge opens to traffic.
Read commentary →History: November 12 (#4)
November 12, 954 The 13-year-old Lothair III is crowned at the Abbey of Saint-Remi as king of the West Frankish Kingdom.
Read commentary →History: November 14 (#1)
November 14, 1938 The Lions Gate Bridge, connecting Vancouver to the North Shore region, opens to traffic.
Read commentary →History: November 14 (#2)
November 14, 1914 The Joensuu City Hall, designed by Eliel Saarinen, was inaugurated in Joensuu, Finland.
Read commentary →History: November 14 (#3)
November 14, 1922 The British Broadcasting Company begins radio service in the United Kingdom.
Read commentary →History: November 17 (#1)
November 17, 1858 The city of Denver, Colorado is founded.
Read commentary →History: November 19 (#2)
November 19, 1967 The establishment of TVB, the first wireless commercial television station in Hong Kong.
Read commentary →History: November 21 (#1)
November 21, 1961 "La Ronde" opens in Honolulu, the first revolving restaurant in the United States.
Read commentary →History: November 23 (#2)
November 23, 2004 The Holy Trinity Cathedral of Tbilisi, the largest religious building in Georgia, is consecrated.
Read commentary →History: November 23 (#3)
November 23, 2001 The Budapest Convention on Cybercrime is signed in Budapest, Hungary.
Read commentary →History: November 30 (#4)
November 30, 1936 In London, the Crystal Palace is destroyed by fire.
Read commentary →History: December 17 (#1)
December 17, 1790 The Aztec calendar stone is discovered at El Zócalo, Mexico City.
Read commentary →History: December 24 (#2)
December 24, 1871 The opera Aida premieres in Cairo, Egypt.
Read commentary →History: December 27 (#2)
December 27, 537 The second Hagia Sophia in Constantinople is consecrated.
Read commentary →History: December 28 (#3)
December 28, 1912 The first municipally owned streetcars take to the streets in San Francisco.
Read commentary →Get Architecture & Engineering Daily
Receive one history of the day entry each morning with commentary. Free, no spam, unsubscribe anytime.
Start Free Daily Email