Transport
Discover facts about transport. Small discoveries that change the way you see familiar things.
Transport
Paris transit authorities attempted to revolutionize the moving walkway in 2003 by installing a high-speed conveyor belt designed to move commuters at blazing speeds.
Paris transit authorities attempted to revolutionize the moving walkway in 2003 by installing a high-speed conveyor belt designed to move commuters at blazing…
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Sao Paulo, Brazil, holds the record for some of the world's worst traffic jams, with a historic gridlock on November 15, 2013, stretching an apocalyptic 192 miles.
Sao Paulo, Brazil, holds the record for some of the world's worst traffic jams, with a historic gridlock on November 15, 2013, stretching an apocalyptic 192…
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Carmelit in Haifa, Israel, is arguably the most bizarre underground transit system on Earth because it is essentially a subterranean funicular functioning as a subway.
Carmelit in Haifa, Israel, is arguably the most bizarre underground transit system on Earth because it is essentially a subterranean funicular functioning as…
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Homing pigeons were officially used by the Indian police force in Odisha until 2002 to transport emergency messages across remote mountainous areas where radio signals consistently failed.
Homing pigeons were officially used by the Indian police force in Odisha until 2002 to transport emergency messages across remote mountainous areas where…
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Denver International Airport attempted to build the most advanced automated baggage system in the world during the 1990s, only to create a massive machine that mercilessly chewed up and spat out luggage.
Denver International Airport attempted to build the most advanced automated baggage system in the world during the 1990s, only to create a massive machine…
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The nuclear-powered bomber that exposed its crew to radiation
During the Cold War, the USSR figured out how to keep a plane flying for weeks at a time using an unshielded nuclear reactor. The Tupolev Tu-119 actually took…
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Why British warships were painted like optical illusions
Because blending in is for cowards. 'Dazzle camouflage' was a tactic where British ships and submarines were painted in chaotic, high-contrast, zebra-like…
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NASCAR began with cars built to outrun police
America's most popular motorsport is essentially a glorified monument to illegal alcohol trafficking. During Prohibition, moonshine runners extensively…
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How Roman potters helped create potholes
The annoying craters destroying your suspension share an origin with your favorite ceramic mug. During the Roman Empire, artisans known as potters would…
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Motorola introduced the first commercially successful car radio in 1930, initially selling it for around one hundred and thirty dollars, which was roughly one-fifth the price of an entire automobile back then.
Motorola introduced the first commercially successful car radio in 1930, initially selling it for around one hundred and thirty dollars, which was roughly…
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Netherlands boasts more bicycles than actual human residents, with an estimated twenty-three million bikes compared to a population of just seventeen million.
Netherlands boasts more bicycles than actual human residents, with an estimated twenty-three million bikes compared to a population of just seventeen million.…
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Suitcases with wheels were not officially invented and patented until 1970, meaning humanity successfully put a man on the moon before we figured out how to roll a heavy box across a flat surface.
Suitcases with wheels were not officially invented and patented until 1970, meaning humanity successfully put a man on the moon before we figured out how to…
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New York City dumped thousands of obsolete subway cars into the Atlantic Ocean between 2001 and 2010 to create artificial reefs for marine life.
New York City dumped thousands of obsolete subway cars into the Atlantic Ocean between 2001 and 2010 to create artificial reefs for marine life. Once…
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Volvo engineer Nils Bohlin invented the modern three-point seatbelt in 1959, fundamentally changing vehicle safety by securing both the upper and lower body during a crash.
Volvo engineer Nils Bohlin invented the modern three-point seatbelt in 1959, fundamentally changing vehicle safety by securing both the upper and lower body…
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Gas-lit traffic lights were installed outside the British Parliament in London in 1868, decades before the invention of the automobile, primarily to control horse-drawn carriages and pedestrians.
Gas-lit traffic lights were installed outside the British Parliament in London in 1868, decades before the invention of the automobile, primarily to control…
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Why the passenger seat is called shotgun
Calling 'shotgun' to get the passenger seat is not just some quirky modern sibling rivalry game; it is deeply rooted in brutal Old West survival. The…
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The first passenger submarines were underwater sightseeing buses
Why use revolutionary underwater technology for scientific exploration when you can use it to entertain the elite? Long before they were stealthy weapons of…
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The unlimited flight pass that cost an airline millions
Corporate oversight at its absolute finest. American Airlines sold a lifetime unlimited first-class pass for $250,000 in the 1980s, only for a guy named…
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The US speed limit reaches 85 mph in Texas
Everything is bigger in Texas, including the kinetic energy of vehicular manslaughter. State Highway 130 boasts the highest speed limit in the United States…
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When towns sprayed oil on dirt roads
Welcome to the environmental nightmare of early road maintenance. Before paved asphalt became standard, rural towns would literally spray thousands of gallons…
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Why Hawaii has Interstate highways
Bureaucratic naming conventions strike again. The 'Interstate' Highway System is funded by the federal government for national defense purposes, not because…
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Why gas pump hoses are designed to break away
Engineering is mostly just idiot-proofing the world against the chronically distracted. Those black cylinders on gas station hoses are breakaway valves…
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Nuclear submarines move slower than you might think
Hollywood lied to you about the thrilling, breakneck pace of underwater warfare. Despite housing miniature nuclear reactors and enough firepower to erase a…
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When airlines weighed passengers before takeoff
Before computerized flight physics, getting on a plane was basically a trip to the deli counter. In the 1920s, commercial airlines demanded that passengers…
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