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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Karl Drais invented the first two-wheeled, human-powered vehicle in 1817, but this early version of the bicycle had no pedals, chains, or brakes.
Karl Drais invented the first two-wheeled, human-powered vehicle in 1817, but this early version of the bicycle had no pedals, chains, or brakes. Known as a…
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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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Flight data recorders, universally known to the terrified flying public as black boxes, are actually painted bright international orange so investigators can find them in the smoldering wreckage of a crash.
Flight data recorders, universally known to the terrified flying public as black boxes, are actually painted bright international orange so investigators can…
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RMS Titanic was designed with four massive smokestacks, but the fourth one was entirely fake and built strictly to make the doomed ocean liner look cooler and more intimidating.
RMS Titanic was designed with four massive smokestacks, but the fourth one was entirely fake and built strictly to make the doomed ocean liner look cooler and…
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Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, and Michael Collins had to fill out official US Customs and Border Protection forms upon returning to Earth from the Moon in 1969.
Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, and Michael Collins had to fill out official US Customs and Border Protection forms upon returning to Earth from the Moon in…
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Why highway lanes are wider than your car
Because civil engineers implicitly know that the average driver can barely steer a straight line without drifting. The standard US interstate lane is a…
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Why honking can make a traffic jam worse
Because unleashing a sonic assault on the bumper ahead of you defies the actual mathematics of traffic flow. Studies show that aggressive honking triggers…
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Why gas stations make so little on fuel
Because the pump is really just a clever, high-stakes trap to get you inside to buy wildly overpriced beef jerky. The profit margins on raw fuel at the…
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Most car trips are shorter than three miles
Because humanity's sheer laziness has successfully engineered the act of walking right out of our daily routines. Despite owning two-ton, heavily armored…
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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. He came up with the idea because he was…
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Bicycles were heavily criticized in the nineteenth century for causing a terrifying medical condition known as "bicycle face".
Bicycles were heavily criticized in the nineteenth century for causing a terrifying medical condition known as "bicycle face". Victorian doctors legitimately…
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The pilot whose historic flight lost to the Titanic
Timing is absolutely everything in the history books. In April 1912, Harriet Quimby achieved the monumental feat of being the first woman to fly solo across…
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The train station inside a Chongqing apartment block
Eminent domain is for amateurs; real engineers just bore through the living room. Faced with extreme urban density, the Chinese city of Chongqing ran its Line…
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Why birds may target red cars
If you bought a candy-apple red sports car to attract attention, congratulations, the avian population noticed. Studies from auto retailers have shown that…
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People built canoes before they invented the wheel
Humans figured out how to cowardly float away from their problems long before they figured out how to roll. Archaeological evidence of dug-out canoes used for…
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Kenya's mobile libraries travel by camel
Forget high-speed internet; knowledge in the desert requires humps. In remote regions of Kenya, the National Library Service utilizes a fleet of camels to act…
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Houston Airport executives received numerous passenger complaints about agonizingly long waits at baggage claim, despite the fact that the actual waiting time was only about eight minutes.
Houston Airport executives received numerous passenger complaints about agonizingly long waits at baggage claim, despite the fact that the actual waiting time…
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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. She…
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Cincinnati boasts the largest abandoned subway system in the United States, featuring a network of tunnels and stations that have been sitting empty and unused beneath the city streets for a century.
Cincinnati boasts the largest abandoned subway system in the United States, featuring a network of tunnels and stations that have been sitting empty and…
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New car smell is actually a toxic cocktail of volatile organic compounds off-gassing from the freshly manufactured adhesives, plastics, and vinyls used in the interior of the vehicle.
New car smell is actually a toxic cocktail of volatile organic compounds off-gassing from the freshly manufactured adhesives, plastics, and vinyls used in the…
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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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