Friday 11th November 1921

The world’s first traffic jam happened in Washington DC, on Armistice Day. It lasted 3 hours and involved 3,000 vehicles. The jam began as the procession of world leaders led by President Warren G Harding drove from the US Capitol to Arlington National Cemetery to bury the Unknown Soldier. As the procession drove across the Pontiac River towards the cemetery, the traffic ground to a halt. The cemetery had no parking facilities and the surrounding fields were filled with cars. There was nowhere for the traffic to go.