Today in History: Simplon Tunnel opens in 1906 The Simplon Tunnel is a railway tunnel on the Simplon railway that connects Brig, Switzerland and Domodossola, Italy, through the Alps, providing a shortcut under the Simplon Pass route. It actually consists…
Today in History: TWA begins commercial service in 1934 On May 18, 1934, TWA (Trans World Airlines) officially launched its commercial service on the Columbus-Pittsburgh-Newark route with the Douglas DC-2. The aircraft's success quickly led to its introduction on most…
Today in History: Kentucky Derby On May 17, 1875, a cheering crowd of 10,000 people watched the horse, Aristides, a Thoroughbred named after an ancient Greek general, and his rider, Oliver Lewis, cross the finish line to win the first…
Swissair Posters In 1971 Swissair commissioned Georg Gerster (photography) and Emil Schulthess and Hans Frei (poster design) to do twenty posters of different sites viewed from the air. Gerster was a specialist of aerial photography who had raised his art…
Today in History: Hygiene Museum in Germany On this day in 1912, the German Hygiene-Museum opened its doors to the public. It is a medical museum in Dresden, Germany which is conceived today as a "forum for science, culture and…
Today in History: Philips founded in 1891 On this day in 1891, the Philips Company was founded by father and son, Frederik and Gerard Philips. The Dutch company initially produced carbon-filament lamps and other electro-technical products. The first factory building…
Today in History: State of Israel proclaimed in 1948 On this day in 1948 in Tel Aviv, Jewish Agency Chairman David Ben-Gurion proclaims the State of Israel, establishing the first Jewish state in 2,000 years. Ben-Gurion became Israel’s first premier.…
Today in History: Otl Aicher born in 1922 The German graphic designer and typographer would have turned 98 today. Aicher was best known for his visual designs for the 1972 Munich Olympic Games. His pictograms for the different sports continue…
Today in History: Joseph Beuys born in 1921 Joseph Beuys (12 May 1921 – 23 January 1986) was a German performance artist as well as a painter, sculptor, and graphic artist. His extensive work is grounded in concepts of humanism,…
Today in History: Mercedes-Benz founded in 1924 Gottlieb Daimler and Karl Benz merged their two companies 96 years ago on this day and created one of the greatest automobile companies in the world. It started with two different ideas for two…