Transport
Discover facts about transport. Small discoveries that change the way you see familiar things.
Transport
Why tractor exhaust pipes point upward
If a heavy agricultural vehicle had its exhaust pointing directly downward like a normal vehicle, it would blast superheated, toxic exhaust gases directly…
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Why logging trucks carry their own trailers
Because dragging an empty trailer back from the forest is apparently beneath them. Once a logging truck drops off its payload of timber, the unburdened…
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Why Scottish bus drivers can ban bagpipes
Even the Scots know that there is a proper time and place for their national instrument, and a claustrophobic double-decker bus is absolutely not it. Transit…
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Bulldozer ripper claws physically shatter the earth
Sometimes pushing dirt isn't enough; you must violently tear it apart. The ripper is a massive, single metal tooth mounted to the rear of the machine,…
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Rowboat oars function as massive physical water levers
Rather than being mere paddles, an oar secured to an oarlock acts as a classic first-class lever. You pull the short end backward, the pivot point translates…
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The first flight attendants were all men
The modern stereotype of the graceful female flight attendant completely ignores history. The original commercial cabin crews were strictly men, hired largely…
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Satellites could fling each other into higher orbits
Instead of burning propellants, satellites can literally throw each other. By connecting two masses with an incredibly long cable and spinning them, momentum…
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Tandem bicycles force the rear rider to stare at a back
Ah, the romance of a bicycle built for two, where the person in the back gets zero steering control and an incredibly intimate view of the front rider’s spine…
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Tunnels require massive ceiling fans to clear exhaust
Digging a hole through a mountain is only half the battle; keeping everyone inside from suffocating is the real challenge. Tunnels are packed with colossal…
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Riding hands-free can earn you a ticket
Showing off your incredible balance by letting go of the handlebars is officially frowned upon by local law enforcement. In many jurisdictions, this childhood…
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Why most helicopters aren't pressurized
Unlike an airliner that seals you in a nice, breathable bubble, typical passenger helicopters are extremely leaky metal boxes. Because they generally don't…
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The WWII aircraft that glided silently into battle
Engines are loud, which makes sneaking up on enemies difficult. The solution was packing heavily armed men into flimsy, engineless wooden gliders, towing them…
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Military submarines are painted black to hide in deep water while research vessels use bright yellow
The color of a submarine dictates its willingness to be rescued. Warships use stealthy black acoustic tiles to vanish into the pitch-dark oceanic abyss.…
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Why car turn signals rarely blink together
If you sit at a red light and watch the blinkers of the cars ahead, they will almost never sync up. It is a maddening, chaotic light show that serves as a…
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Why helicopter rotors can spark in desert sand
Nothing screams stealth quite like accidentally generating a massive, glowing ring of sparks while trying to land in the desert. Titanium rotor blades…
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Conestoga trailers use a rolling tarp cover
A flatbed is great until it rains, and throwing a heavy tarp over it manually is pure torture. This system uses an accordion-style metal frame covered in…
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Passport stamps once helped track epidemics
Before they were colorful souvenirs for backpackers, border stamps were deadly serious. In the 19th century, they were primarily used to track travelers…
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Why pioneers walked beside their wagons
Wagons were so unspeakably uncomfortable that pioneers preferred their own two feet. Instead of riding in the back, travelers would gladly walk thousands of…
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Why walkers wear tennis balls
Instead of inventing an advanced gliding mechanism for medical walkers, someone realized slicing a bright yellow sporting good in half worked perfectly. It…
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Why snowmobiles melt on bare ground
These machines are so hilariously over-specialized for winter that running them on bare ground destroys them almost immediately. The sliders aggressively melt…
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English Channel foot ferries cross one of the busiest waters
Navigating between England and France means weaving a passenger boat through an absurd amount of international marine traffic. Commuters just sit inside,…
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Why spacecraft shake violently on the way to orbit
Despite what sci-fi movies show, leaving the atmosphere is not a smooth elevator ride. Pushing a blunt object through a thick atmosphere at thousands of miles…
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The driver merging late may be helping traffic
Everyone aggressively blocks the driver trying to merge at the absolute last second of a lane closure, assuming they are just being rude. In reality,…
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The peace symbol that began as Hitler’s people’s car
The peace-loving, flower-power symbol of the 1960s hippie movement has a remarkably dark origin story. The 'People's Car' (Volkswagen) was aggressively…
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