Modes of Transportation
Old photos of different types of transportation - trains, planes, automobiles, and more - as well as the people who piloted them.
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Of air, water, and land, only flying through the air had eluded humans for millennia. Wheels on carts as well as river boats are known to have been used since 3500 B.C. But since that time - especially starting in the 19th century - modes of transportation have proliferated: Ships of all kinds, submarines, buggies, wagons, automobiles, motorcycles, bicycles, and airplanes - from Piper Cubs to supersonic planes to rocket ships. Humans have come a long way since the first mode of transportation: legs.
Some interesting facts about types of transportation:
- While the first hot air balloon flight was in 1783 France, the Wright Brothers are credited with the first flight of a fixed wing aircraft in 1903. In the 9th and 11th centuries, flight was briefly achieved in gliders - but the pilots were injured.
- The bicycle was invented in the early 1800s in Germany. Over 200 years later, bicycles are enjoying a resurging popularity - for adults - due to their "earth friendly" profile.
- The V2 rocket, launched in Nazi Germany in 1942, was the first step to space flight. The Soviet Union, in 1957, launched a satellite - Sputnik - and the "space race" was on.
- While there may have been earlier examples of the automobile - a French engineer built a a steam-powered tricycle in 1769, Karl Benz as well as Gottlieb Daimler, with his partner Wilhelm Maybach, filed patents for the automobile on the same day in 1886. They had never met and filed the patents in different cities in Germany. Even today, you may recognize those surnames.
These vintage photos include almost every method of transportation used in the last two centuries.
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The image doesn't do the original justice. I love the yellowed look along with the threads breaking down on the edges of the paper. This was part of my family album pics. I got it from my mom. There is no info on the back. Her family is from Boone County, Ky.
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Sep 12, 2015 by: Peggy Hefner
Peggy Hefner
79 favorites
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A photo of Mabel Edith Cole Paczoch Dawson
People in this photo:
Aug 28, 1892 - Dec 11, 1978
Douglas,beside an ancient bi-plane (I think). Douglas volunteered in the Canadian Air Force at the beginning of WWII. According to family history, he was lost in a mission over Germany.
People in this photo:
c. 1919 - Nov 8, 1941
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Apr 13, 2013 by: John Emmering
John Emmering
68 favorites
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The gentleman was Ventura Cuen Ruiz
1888-1966, in Bakersfield California. Can someone tell us the year of this old Ford? So far, no one can.
People in this photo:
1888 - 1966
Brilliant photo of the stern of the RMS Titanic. The RMS Titanic was a British passenger liner (billed as unsinkable) that sank in the North Atlantic Ocean on April 15th 1912 after colliding with an iceberg.
In this photo, you can see some of the approximately 1,317 passengers (of which 107 were children) on deck. Many of the wealthiest people in the world at the time were on board. ( John Jacob Astor IV and his wife Madeleine Force Astor were the wealthiest.) J. P. Morgan, owner of the Titanic, was supposed to take the voyage but cancelled at the last minute.
Most of the passengers were in 2nd and 3rd class bookings - mainly immigrants from Great Britain, Ireland, and Scandinavia.
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Apr 12, 2012 by: Daniel Pinna
Daniel Pinna
6.29k+ favorites
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A photo of President Coolidge inspecting world flight plane at Bowling [i.e., Bolling] Field, [Washington, D.C.], 9/9/24
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Jan 9, 2012 by: Ancient Faces
Ancient Faces
446 favorites
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Dallas Texas circa 1930's. My Mom, Grace Coleman Edmondson, helping out at the local gas station.
Old timer visits the new gas station.Even in 1940 a woman's place was not just in the kitchen. At least my mother, Grace Edmondson, didn't think so.
People in this photo:
Aug 23, 1924 - Mar 29, 2000
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Nov 24, 2020 by: Elaine Bowling
Elaine Bowling
7 favorites
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Astronaut Leroy "Gordo" Gordon Cooper Jr. was involved with NASA's Project Mercury, Mercury-Atlas 9, Project Gemini and Project Apollo missions.
People in this photo:
Mar 6, 1927 - Oct 4, 2004
Added
Oct 9, 2020 by: Daniel Pinna
Daniel Pinna
6.29k+ favorites
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Son of John Milton and Mary Carter. Married to Mary Alice Havens-Carter.
People in this photo:
Feb 9, 1888 - Unknown
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Jul 31, 2020 by: Jennifer Ridner
Jennifer Ridner
148 favorites
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This is a photo of James Umensetter added by Starr Murphy on May 7, 2020.
People in this photo:
Apr 9, 1949 - Sep 9, 1981
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May 7, 2020 by: Starr Murphy
Starr Murphy
5 favorites
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Martha, Bertraces ?, Margeruite, and Dad Twedt. Also: Thomas Tow ?
Other photos found with this one were marked as being in Iowa or Oregon, between 1920s and 1940s.
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May 7, 2020 by: Kat Schwartz
Kat Schwartz
317 favorites
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Taken about 19 years after Al Scoffone started his business with one truck, this photo shows Al and his crew removing an old locomotive steam engine from the Santa Cruz Mountains.
It is believed the locomotive was headed to the home of famed Southern Pacific railroad engineer Billy Jones, who used to work the rail line in the Santa Cruz Mountains.
STS was based in Santa Clara County.
People in this photo:
1924 - Mar 6, 2006
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Oct 10, 2019 by: Daniel Pinna
Daniel Pinna
6.29k+ favorites
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CLAIMED - photo has been returned to family members.
Found at an antique store. Handwritten on back: "Little Agnes Bracken and her little pony and buggy. That is Mrs. Bracken holding him". Agnes was born in 1903, so I'm guessing at the date based on a wild guess at her age in the picture.
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Aug 21, 2019 by: Roxy Triebel
Roxy Triebel
1.32k+ favorites
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A photo of a steam shovel taken by Earl Edward Smith. A Bucyrus Erie steam shovel loaded on an Ontario & Western railroad car. My uncle is not sure where this picture was taken. He thinks possibly Goshen, NY but it could have been somewhere else; e.g. Whitney Point. Not only did the O& W run to many places Earl worked, but their cars ran on other lines also.
My uncle noticed that the shovel in the photo is a "light color". This reminds him of a story Earl told.
Mr. Hopkins (Earl's boss) visited a job and said that was the "worst looking shovel, it needs to be painted." Earl or someone went to a store in town and bought paint. The only paint the store had enough of was pale green - so the shovel was painted green. My uncle thinks this might be that shovel.
My uncle tells about the job in Goshen. Earl had worked for Mr. Hopkins at the Albany Sand & Gravel Co. for many years, both in Albany and on various construction sites in NY and PA. He left Albany Gravel in the 1940's and worked for Everett Van Kleeck at his garage in Kingston. Shortly after the garage closed in the 1950's, Mr. Hopkins called Earl. He had sent the last old steam shovel he had to a job in Goshen, NY (this could have been it sitting on the RR car). They were having trouble getting the old shovel to run and he asked Earl to go down and see if he could help. He did, and my uncle thinks Earl might have worked there for a while.
Some years later when my uncle was working as a truck driver - hauling milk in a tanker, he passed through Goshen. He noticed an old shovel sitting there rusting away. Later he mentioned this to Earl. Earl asked some questions about the shovel and said "That's my old shovel. They didn't use steam shovels anymore after that job, so they just abandoned it there".
A correspondent agrees that the photo does seem to be of Goshen, NY and notes that the house in the background looks like one across the street from where he grew up.
People in this photo:
May 1, 1900 - May 22, 1982
Added
May 12, 2019 by: Roxy Triebel
Roxy Triebel
1.32k+ favorites
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Obviously, this little ass is carrying a lot of precious cargo. All wheel drive baby buggy
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Mar 3, 2019 by: Gaye Thomas
Gaye Thomas
344 favorites
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A photo of Eallie Aser Watkins
People in this photo:
Jul 9, 1870 - Apr 17, 1933
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Sep 25, 2018 by: Mike McCoy
Mike McCoy
4 favorites
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Jul 1, 2018 by: Andy Scott
Andy Scott
101 favorites
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"Bud" Confer and his 1932 Plymouth - Young Man & his Car...
People in this photo:
Feb 22, 1922 - 2000
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Jun 8, 2018 by: Alan Confer
Alan Confer
11 favorites
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A photo of William "Pearle" Poling, born 1876 in Michigan with son Clarence E Poling born 1903. This is probably Michigan before moving to Ohio later - hauling pipe.
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Mar 21, 2018 by: Jon Henderson
Jon Henderson
116 favorites
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A photo of a touring car near Bellingham Washington. Believed to be the Cummings family.
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Mar 3, 2018 by: Jon Henderson
Jon Henderson
116 favorites
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A photo of John M. Tesarik and his produce wagon in 1887 A farmer born in Bohemia, John married young widow Anna Manchel after Vincent Manchel died. They had a nice farm outside Spokane .
People in this photo:
Unknown - Unknown
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Feb 28, 2018 by: Jon Henderson
Jon Henderson
116 favorites
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A photo of Arthur Henson
People in this photo:
Feb 17, 1875 - Unknown
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Jan 6, 2018 by: Michele Gardner
Michele Gardner
109 favorites
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A photo of Isaac C. Justice, his wife Lillie Fulmer Justice, and daughter - in a horse drawn wagon. Taken near Calcis, Shelby County, Alabama
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Apr 12, 2017 by: Cathy Abernathy
Cathy Abernathy
43 favorites
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A photo of Reuben Leight
People in this photo:
Jul 24, 1877 - January 1966
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Feb 26, 2017 by: Kris Kelly
Kris Kelly
4 favorites
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A photo of Reuben Leight
People in this photo:
Jul 24, 1877 - January 1966
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Feb 26, 2017 by: Kris Kelly
Kris Kelly
4 favorites
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Anthony Braunger's company
Braunger Meats 1891 - present
Sioux City, Iowa
People in this photo:
Unknown - Unknown
This is a photo of Helen Alice Levine (Fowler) Moir and Dr John Wilson Moir added by Sarah Lennon on June 20, 2016.
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Jun 20, 2016 by: Sarah Lennon
Sarah Lennon
17 favorites
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A photo of Terry J Bergmann
People in this photo:
May 7, 1950 - Sep 23, 1978
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Jun 3, 2016 by: Jeramy Bergmann
Jeramy Bergmann
31 favorites
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Jun 2, 2016 by: Dana Christian
Dana Christian
61 favorites
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A photo of Unknown Bills and Reynolds family Members - just sitting around the ol' campfire in Oklahoma, date unknown.
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Jan 18, 2016 by: Kirsten Bullins
Kirsten Bullins
50 favorites
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A photo of my Grandfather James Lofquist on his bike in Northern Michigan. Anyone know where to find a Cities Service Sign? I think they were once Citgo.
People in this photo:
Unknown - Unknown
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Jan 5, 2016 by: Jennifer Allen
Jennifer Allen
29 favorites
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A photo of Annie Lee Merek or Meek & Archie Stevenson of Fulton, Kentucky. Vintage Photos Lost & Found on FB - Annie Lee Merek / Meek, Archie Stevenson, found in Memphis, Tennessee. Locations mentioned in album include Fulton, Kentucky, and Louisiana.
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Jan 2, 2016 by: Victoria Vassar
Victoria Vassar
25 favorites
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Dec 29, 2015 by: Drenda Medina
Drenda Medina
341 favorites
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Dec 29, 2015 by: Drenda Medina
Drenda Medina
341 favorites
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A photo of Jesse Darby with an early Indian Motorcycle
*Photograph property of Daryl Johnson.
Please do not copy without permission.
People in this photo:
Unknown - Unknown
Added
Dec 28, 2015 by: Daryl Johnson
Daryl Johnson
112 favorites
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A photo of Myrtle N. Bryant in 1958, age 49 or 50.
People in this photo:
Unknown - Unknown
Added
Nov 28, 2015 by: Erin Lybrand
Erin Lybrand
57 favorites
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A photo of Walter R Bosley. Goofing off acting Drunk.
People in this photo:
Oct 23, 1924 - c. Sep 27, 1993
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Nov 11, 2015 by: David Bosley
David Bosley
18 favorites
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Nov 4, 2015 by: Trystan Tucker
Trystan Tucker
2 favorites
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A photo of Irene Strauch standing next to her father, Stephen Strauch. In the car was Bill Strauch. They took a trip from Raymond Street, Detroit, Michigan to Cleveland, Ohio together to visit Tom Ontko & his family.
As it turned out, the car was stolen. Bill purchased it from a dealer in Detroit. One day after waking up, he saw his car was gone and filed a police report. Checks revealed the vehicle had been towed by police when they learned it was stolen!
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Nov 3, 2015 by: Tommy Dale
Tommy Dale
90 favorites
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A photo of Richard B Crippen on a train.
People in this photo:
Nov 18, 1916 - Aug 11, 1956
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Oct 12, 2015 by: Stephen Crippen
Stephen Crippen
25 favorites
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A photo of Larry Dean Smith
People in this photo:
Unknown - Unknown
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Oct 9, 2015 by: Deb Smith Hall
Deb Smith Hall
57 favorites
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A photo of Clarence Adams taken in Boone County, Kentucky.
People in this photo:
Unknown - Unknown
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Sep 25, 2015 by: Peggy Hefner
Peggy Hefner
79 favorites
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A photo of Ernest C Cuffle (1939 - 1997)
People in this photo:
Sep 22, 1939 - Jul 6, 1997
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Sep 19, 2015 by: Carole Lilly
Carole Lilly
3 favorites
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A photo of Noel Dolley Atha
People in this photo:
Unknown - Unknown
Added
Sep 12, 2015 by: Peggy Hefner
Peggy Hefner
79 favorites
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