Transport
Discover facts about transport. Small discoveries that change the way you see familiar things.
Transport
Why sailors once feared bananas
For centuries, boat captains have actively refused to transport this specific yellow fruit, convinced it brings absolute doom. Historically, boats carrying…
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Wheelchair folding cross-braces enable collapse
Transporting a rigid metal chair in a normal trunk is geometrically impossible. The ingenious cross-brace sits beneath the seat in an X-shape, providing rigid…
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Why yaks haul goods in winter
It seems incredibly counterintuitive to wait for the absolute most brutal, freezing time of the year to haul heavy cargo across high mountain passes. However,…
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Why armored cars cannot stop a bomb
Thick bulletproof glass absolutely will not stop a massive explosive from completely flipping the vehicle. They are purely designed to survive a minor…
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Trim tabs act as tiny underwater leveling wedges
Fast vessels often bounce violently on choppy water. Small adjustable flaps on the rear act like wedges, forcing the nose down against the water pressure,…
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Mailboats toss packages to ships that cannot stop
Because massive freighters physically cannot stop just to let sailors buy a postcard, specialty delivery boats race out to meet them on rivers. They match…
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Airlines once screened movies with real film reels
Before digital seatback screens, airlines literally hauled massive, clunky film projectors onto commercial flights. Flight attendants had to physically string…
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Captains hold ultimate authority while mid-flight
Once the doors close, you are essentially living in a flying dictatorship. The pilot in command holds absolute legal authority to write fines, restrain…
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Curtainside trailers use heavy-duty tarps
Because opening a pair of metal doors at the back is entirely too much work. These massive trailers lack rigid side walls, instead relying on gigantic, thick…
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Dry ice is severely restricted on all flights
While you can legally bring it to keep your snacks perfectly frozen, exceeding the strictly mandated five-pound limit turns you into a hazard. Apparently,…
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Fifth wheels require extremely thick grease
Without a horrific amount of messy lubrication, the metal-on-metal scraping between a heavy trailer and the truck's coupling plate would scream like a dying…
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Why sled dogs wear booties in the snow
Mushers do not dress their pups up for fashion points. Without fabric protecting their paws, snow packs tightly between their warm toes and immediately turns…
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Blaise Pascal created an early public bus system
Before he was torturing high schoolers with his probability theories and triangles, Blaise Pascal was just a guy trying to get around Paris. In 1662, he…
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No, highways were not built as emergency runways
We've all heard that annoying trivia guy claim Eisenhower mandated one mile of straight road for every five miles of highway so fighter jets could land during…
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Why some London Underground stations sit on hills
Long before regenerative braking was a corporate buzzword, Victorian engineers were using basic physics to save a quick buck. Many older stations in the…
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Cruise ships can ride on a carpet of bubbles
A multi-billion dollar floating luxury resort basically operates on the exact same physical principles as a cheap arcade air hockey table. To drastically save…
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Why standing still can take more energy than walking
Staying completely upright requires a massive, constant firing of micro-muscles to keep you from toppling over. Simply walking shifts the burden to momentum,…
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Why jet suits demand serious upper-body strength
You can't just slap a pair of arm-thrusters on an out-of-shape civilian and expect them to majestically soar. If you lack heavy core and tricep stability,…
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Maine state ferries link isolated islanders to the mainland
Living on a remote island sounds peaceful until you run out of toilet paper. This lifeline fleet ensures residents can occasionally return to civilization to…
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Vacuum-sealed clothing bags invite forced opening
Thinking you outsmarted the suitcase capacity limit is a rookie mistake. Security agents love to randomly slice open dense, suspiciously shaped plastic blobs…
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Factory conveyor belts rely on thick rubber layers to survive
Those seemingly simple moving pathways are practically armored tank treads. To survive endless thousands of hours dragging heavy, jagged rocks or boxes,…
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Thomas Jefferson measured every walk with a pedometer
Before it became a tool to shame you into taking 10,000 steps, the pedometer was designed to track physical distance. Thomas Jefferson was completely obsessed…
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Heated seats utilize basic wire elements under the fabric
That immense, soothing warmth radiating into your back during a bitter winter commute isn't some miraculous automotive wizardry. Underneath the incredibly…
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The Pope once traveled in a train with a gilded throne
Heaven forbid the Pope sits on standard upholstery. His personal 19th-century train carriage was essentially a rolling cathedral, complete with heavy velvet…
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