A Brief History
On November 15, 1968, the Cleveland Transit System of Cleveland, Ohio linked downtown with the metro airport, becoming the first city in the western hemisphere to link its downtown and its main airport by rapid transit.
Digging Deeper
CTS ran the buses and the Rapid Transit electric trains in Cleveland, linking the East and West sides of the city and its inner suburbs with the downtown area. Later, CTS would become the Regional Transit Authority.
Despite jokes about its burning river and the “Mistake on the Lake,” and of course the recent history of alleged pro football, Cleveland has had major innovations and firsts, especially regarding its airport.
Carl Stokes became the first African American mayor of a major US city in November of 1967, and Frank Robinson became the first African American MLB manager in 1975. Some Clevelanders include John D. Rockefeller, Bob Hope, Halle Berry, Paul Newman, Dr. Oz, Drew Carey, Eric Carmen, Jesse Owens, Wes Craven, Henry Mancini, and too many to name!
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Historical Evidence
For more information, please see…
Sherna, Robert. Badge 387: The Story of Jim Simone, America’s Most Decorated Cop. Black Squirrel Books, 2016.
Toman, James. Horse Trails to Regional Rails: The Story of Public Transit in Greater Cleveland. The Kent State University Press, 1996.
The featured image in this article, a map of Cleveland Rapid Transit, has been released into the public domain worldwide by its author, SPUI.
You can also watch video versions of this article on YouTube.