October 1, 1940: The 1st section of America's 1st true superhighway, the Pennsylvania Turnpike, opens between Irwin and Carlisle. It was extended to Philadelphia and Pittsburgh in 1950, to the New Jersey and Ohio Turnpikes in 1954, and the Northeast Extension to Scranton opened in 1957.
Today, it runs 360 miles, using what is now Interstates 70, 76 and 276 (going west to east). It costs $86.50 to drive its entire length using cash, but only about half that, $42.80, using E-Z Pass.
Since the 1950s, it has been used by travelers to get to the games of the Philadelphia and Pittsburgh sports teams, although the main Penn State campus is considerably north of it. Interstate 99 connects the campus with the Turnpike's Exit 146 in Bedford, 77 miles away; and with Exit 161 on Interstate 80, 13 miles away.
Unlike its stepbrother in New Jersey, the Pennsylvania Turnpike isn't a pop culture touchstone, although Billy Joel mentioned it in his song "You're My Home," and the road was used as a backdrop in the 2009 film The Road.
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October 1, 1940 was a Tuesday. There were no scores on this historic day. Baseball was between the regular season and the World Series, which started the next day, and would be won in 7 games by the Cincinnati Reds over the Detroit Tigers. Football was in midweek. The NBA hadn't been founded yet. And it was too soon for the NHL.
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