Transport
Discover facts about transport. Small discoveries that change the way you see familiar things.
Transport
Belgian officials in Liège genuinely attempted to employ thirty-seven cats as official mail carriers in 1879 to deliver letters to surrounding villages.
Belgian officials in Liège genuinely attempted to employ thirty-seven cats as official mail carriers in 1879 to deliver letters to surrounding villages.…
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The bicycle started as a machine you ran while sitting down.
The bicycle started as a machine you ran while sitting down. Karl Drais demonstrated his two-wheeled running machine in 1817. Riders pushed against the ground…
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Early automobiles were steered using a tiller instead of a circular wheel, meaning the first drivers navigated roads by yanking a wooden stick back and forth like they were commanding a very angry boat.
Early automobiles were steered using a tiller instead of a circular wheel, meaning the first drivers navigated roads by yanking a wooden stick back and forth…
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Paris operated a massive pneumatic tube network starting in 1866 that relied on pressurized air to blast cylindrical canisters of mail beneath the city streets.
Paris operated a massive pneumatic tube network starting in 1866 that relied on pressurized air to blast cylindrical canisters of mail beneath the city…
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A black box is orange for the people who must find it.
A black box is orange for the people who must find it. The recorder's bright casing helps it stand out among wreckage. An underwater locator beacon can also…
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Titanic's fourth funnel had a different job.
Titanic's fourth funnel had a different job. Three funnels carried exhaust from the boilers; the fourth provided ventilation rather than another boiler…
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An Apollo 11 customs form lists the Moon as the departure point.
An Apollo 11 customs form lists the Moon as the departure point. The document, later shared by Buzz Aldrin, names the three astronauts and records Moon rocks…
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Why highway lanes are wider than your car
A lane needs room for more than a car’s body: mirrors, small steering errors and passing trucks all claim space. That margin keeps a driver from having to…
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A traffic jam can form with no obstacle ahead
In a circular-track experiment, 22 drivers tried to maintain steady movement, yet a stop-and-go wave emerged. Small changes in spacing and speed grew as…
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The gas station's real prize may be what you buy inside
A station can sell fuel on a thin margin while earning a larger percentage on drinks, snacks, and other convenience items. Fuel brings customers to the…
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Most car trips are shorter than three miles
Short drives often end before the engine warms up. A cold engine burns fuel less efficiently, and stop-start streets add more work, so a quick errand can be…
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Ralph Teetor invented modern automotive cruise control in 1948 despite being completely blind since the age of five.
Ralph Teetor invented modern automotive cruise control in 1948 despite being completely blind since the age of five. Teetor’s mechanism linked the car’s speed…
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Victorian critics gave cyclists a diagnosis: bicycle face.
Victorian critics gave cyclists a diagnosis: bicycle face. Some nineteenth-century commentators warned that the strain of balancing and riding could leave a…
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The pilot whose historic flight lost to the Titanic
Harriet Quimby became the first woman to fly across the English Channel in April 1912. The Titanic sank just before her flight, swallowing the headlines; a…
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The train station inside a Chongqing apartment block
The station and apartment tower were designed together, with the train passing through a dedicated section of the building. Sound insulation and vibration…
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Why birds may target red cars
Some retailer studies have found more bird droppings on red cars, though the reason is unclear. One proposed explanation is that red resembles ripe fruit.
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An ancient dugout canoe predates the earliest known wheels
The Pesse canoe from the Netherlands dates to roughly 8000 BC, thousands of years before the earliest known wheeled vehicles. Hollowing a tree trunk created a…
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Kenya's mobile libraries travel by camel
The Kenya National Library Service developed a camel library service in the Garissa region to reach communities far from conventional branches. Animals…
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A famous airport story turns walking time into a waiting-time solution.
A famous airport story turns walking time into a waiting-time solution. In a widely repeated account about Houston, directing arriving passengers on a longer…
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Bridget Driscoll holds the unfortunate historical distinction of being the first recorded pedestrian killed by a motor vehicle in Great Britain in 1896.
Bridget Driscoll holds the unfortunate historical distinction of being the first recorded pedestrian killed by a motor vehicle in Great Britain in 1896. Cars…
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Cincinnati built subway tunnels that never carried a subway.
Cincinnati built subway tunnels that never carried a subway. Construction in the 1920s left tunnels and stations, but financing failed before trains began…
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New-car smell is the interior slowly releasing chemicals.
New-car smell is the interior slowly releasing chemicals. Plastics, adhesives, fabrics, and other materials release volatile compounds into the cabin air.…
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London Underground platforms are infested with a unique species of mosquito that specifically evolved to survive in the dark, subterranean tunnels and feed off the blood of miserable commuters.
London Underground platforms are infested with a unique species of mosquito that specifically evolved to survive in the dark, subterranean tunnels and feed…
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Chinese National Highway 110 experienced a traffic jam in 2010 that lasted for 12 agonizing days and stretched for 62 miles, moving at a blistering pace of two miles per day.
Chinese National Highway 110 experienced a traffic jam in 2010 that lasted for 12 agonizing days and stretched for 62 miles, moving at a blistering pace of…
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