The original name for the left side of the ship was not “port”, but rather the Old English “bæcbord”. This was probably referencing the fact that on larger boats the helmsman would often have to hold the steering oar with both hands, so his back would be to the left side of ...
Workers starting out from Omaha, Nebraska, in the east and Sacramento, California in the west met in triumph at Promontory Summit, northwest of Ogden, Utah, on May 10, 1869. There they drove in a golden spike to mark the railroad’s completion. Like those gangs of railroad workers, ...