FUN WITH MAPS – ISSUE 2022-054 DAILY FEATURE:

By Steve Kovacs (Introduction by Chuck Gibson)

LOVELAND, OH (March 18, 2022) – In Issue 2022-054 of Steve Kovacs Fun with Maps, a different kind of public transportation.

FIRST PUBLIC BUS SERVICE

Inexpensive public transportation started in Paris in 1662 on this day.  Larger horse-drawn carriages transported passengers on set routes.  Well, not all passengers – just gentry and nobility, not peasants or soldiers. 

Likely due to fading interest, the initially popular service was discontinued 13 years later. 

The whole enterprise was conceived and promoted by Blaise Pascal.  However, he is better known for his scientific work: the study of atmospheric pressure and fluid mechanics (Pascal’s law) as well as creation of early calculating machine.

Vullemin’s 1861 folding map of Paris is shown.

Steve Kovacs and his wife Theresa reside in Loveland, Ohio where they raised their two children. He is a passionate collector of antique maps.

Visit his antique map boutique world-on-paper online. Watch for his daily feature Steve Kovacs: Antique Maps & Fun Facts here on Loveland Beacon.