This Day in History December 7, 1835

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This monument celebrates what happened on this day in 1835.  It was erected in memory of the first railway line in Germany.  

In May 1835, work began along the road to Furth in Germany.  After six months, about 7.3 kilometers of track had been laid.  This historic locomotive was imported from England.  Though there is no original model of that first steam locomotive (the Adler), here is a model of a later one of the same name.

While it was still dark on the morning of December 7 in 1835, a large gathering of the people of Nuremburg came out to see this historic event.  That first trip from Nuremburg to Furth on the steam locomotive shortened the time between the two placed by around 45 minutes--from an hour to just under 15 minutes.  Y

Now I realize that it is hard to place ourselves in this time period.  Sometimes we forget about how locomotives did change our lives. We forget how long buggy rides used to take.  We forget that people used to walk miles and miles.  And I think it safe to say had it not been for the steam locomotive, we surely would have no car.

If you would like more information, please check out:
http://www.nuernberg.de/internet/bahnjahr2010_e/geschichte.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bavarian_Ludwig_Railway