Transport
Discover facts about transport. Small discoveries that change the way you see familiar things.
Transport
This Antarctic vehicle sank on its first trip
You would think that designing a multi-million-dollar vehicle for the harshest terrain on Earth would involve testing its tires on, you know, actual snow. The…
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Inspectors once pedaled along active railway tracks
Before the era of high-tech drones and automated sensors, track safety was largely entrusted to a guy pedaling a glorified bicycle down active rail lines.…
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Camels have built-in sandstorm goggles
Camels are biological tanks built for the harshest environment possible. Alongside closing their nostrils at will, they have a set of windshield-wiper eyelids…
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Modern trains are essentially giant metal snakes
We simply bolted thousands of heavy steel boxes together and forced them to slither along parallel iron strips. It is beautifully primitive yet wildly…
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Why a bicycle stays upright while you ride
Bicycles somehow stay upright entirely due to momentum and subtle steering corrections. You are practically defying gravity while wearing aggressively tight…
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Why a short ferry ride can cost so much
Taking a boat across a narrow harbor is rarely the fastest route. It is mostly just a scenic excuse to sell you a highly overpriced damp hotdog.
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Toll roads are basically highway extortion
Paying to drive on a strip of asphalt you already funded with taxes is a masterclass in double dipping. Governments put down some concrete and then charge you…
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Why roller coasters were meant to replace saloons
The original switchback railways were aggressively pitched as wholesome distractions to keep rowdy Americans out of saloons and brothels. Now they just charge…
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Trolleybuses run smoothly on electric wires without rails
They offer all the aesthetic clutter of a streetcar system combined with the unpredictable swerving of a massive bus. They are tethered directly to the sky…
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When a broken escalator becomes stairs
The only machine that, when it breaks down, simply becomes the exact thing it was supposed to replace, just with aggressively uncomfortable metal ridges.
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Hoverboards could send riders into walls
They neither hover nor function as boards, but they do excel at randomly catching fire and launching unprepared teenagers into drywall.
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Sliding down a massive steel rope for an adrenaline rush
Willingly throwing yourself off a perfectly safe platform just to slide down a heavily tensioned metal string while screaming at the top of your lungs.
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Guarding completely empty street asphalt
Leaving neon orange cones on a street for six consecutive months without a single worker ever appearing to fix the pavement.
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Commuting aggressively on inline rollerblades
Strapping wheels to your boots and dodging terrified pedestrians on a sidewalk just to get to an office job slightly faster.
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Why people tossed tokens at moving toll booths
Attempting to throw small plastic tokens into a collection basket while moving, an activity that guarantees they will end up under your seat forever.
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Rowing slowly through flooded city streets
Paying a person in a striped shirt an exorbitant fee to paddle a highly decorated wooden canoe through narrow waterways filled with incredibly questionable…
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Using water boxes to lift massive ships
A beautifully simple aquatic step system that traps boats in a concrete tub, pumps in water, and gracefully floats them up to the next level of the river.
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Mechanical steps constantly break down globally
Escalators are bizarrely fragile pieces of public transit. Despite supposedly being heavy-duty machines, a single misaligned shoelace can shut down a moving…
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Wooden boards on wheels remain a public nuisance
Skateboards terrify pedestrians simply by existing. The unmistakable clacking sound of polyurethane on concrete signals impending chaos, turning simple…
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The ferries with no real front or back
Rather than going through the immense hassle of turning a massive boat around in a tight harbor, creators just made both ends identical. The captain literally…
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Riding animals into battle was terrible
Cavalry charges look magnificent on film, but relying on easily startled herbivores in a loud combat zone was a logistical nightmare for centuries.
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Highway booths charging for terrible roads
You are forced to toss cash into a bucket just to drive on a crumbling stretch of asphalt that is constantly under construction and entirely full of potholes.
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Why an empty intersection keeps you waiting
You will sit entirely alone at an empty intersection at three in the morning, held hostage by a glowing red bulb that stubbornly refuses to turn green.
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Some regular commutes require literal boat rides
Millions of people cannot access their incredibly mundane office jobs without boarding a massive nautical vessel every single morning. Their daily corporate…
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