How wooden shoes gave us the word sabotage

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The word sabotage actually comes from the French word sabot, meaning wooden shoe. Angry workers unhappy with working conditions would hurl their heavy footwear directly into the moving gears of industrial looms to halt production completely.

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How wooden shoes gave us the word sabotage — STACKY / Transport

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How wooden shoes gave us the word sabotage

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Keep exploring

Ancient Chinese wheelbarrows could carry passengers

Sailors originally measured the speed of their ships by throwing a literal piece of wood tied to a rope off the back of the boat and counting how many knots in the rope slipped through their hands.

Almost every massive cargo ship you see has a hull painted red below the waterline. This isn't just a tradition.

Once, passengers could smoke onboard, and pilots navigated with stars like sailors.

The woman who drove across America in 1909

Steam trains came before the modern bicycle

A bigger world.
One discovery
at a time.