Transport
Discover facts about transport. Small discoveries that change the way you see familiar things.
Transport
Mountain bike suspensions rely on air pressure
Hook: Those massive shocks on a mountain bike are essentially just tightly sealed metal balloons. Explanation: Instead of heavy metal coil springs, modern…
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Why jetpack pilots need fireproof pants
Wearing twin jet engines like a backpack means your shins become collateral damage in the quest for personal flight. Pilots have to wear heavily insulated…
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The hidden button that frees your airplane armrest
Hook: That immovable barrier keeping you locked in the aisle seat is actually completely optional. Explanation: If you feel underneath the hinge of the aisle…
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Pointing a laser at an aircraft is a major crime
That cheap little pen light you use to distract your cat can literally land you in federal prison. Blinding a pilot who is trying to safely land hundreds of…
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Why orbit is basically falling sideways at 17,500 mph
Defeating gravity requires a terrifying amount of brute force. To keep the Space Shuttle from simply plummeting back down to Earth like a multimillion-dollar…
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How texters dodge people using peripheral vision
Staring at a glowing screen while moving forward has created entirely new urban collision patterns. Entire sidewalks are now navigated by zombies relying…
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The tiny wing that makes flying easier
Fighting the heavy control column for hours would exhaust any pilot. Enter the trim tab: a ridiculously small movable surface on the edge of the main control…
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Wheelchair solid tires completely prevent flats
Hook: Getting a flat tire while pushing yourself down the street is an unparalleled nightmare. Explanation: To avoid catastrophic punctures, many mobility…
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Military paratroopers rely on simple static canvas lines
When jumping out of perfectly good aircraft at low altitudes, there is no time to manually pull a ripcord. Soldiers are physically clipped to a long static…
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Why adult tricycles don't need your balance
Having three wheels completely eliminates the need to tip gracefully into corners. You sit upright in a giant basket-equipped chariot, aggressively ringing…
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Big Wheel tricycles locate pedals on the front wheel
The ultimate symbol of neighborhood superiority skips the complexity of chains entirely. These low-riding plastic trikes feature pedals stuck right onto the…
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How cells take out their trash
When a cell realizes it has hoarded too much trash, it resorts to the biological equivalent of opening a window and tossing it out. Exocytosis transports…
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The woman who pedaled a bicycle at 183.9 mph
Because going 20 mph in a spandex suit isn't terrifying enough, a woman named Denise Mueller-Korenek decided to flirt with death. By riding in the slipstream…
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Sleep-deprived pilots hallucinated phantom copilots
Flying alone for days meant pilots completely lost their minds. Charles Lindbergh and others regularly hallucinated friendly phantom co-pilots sitting right…
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Airplanes navigate utilizing overlapping radar zones
A cross-country flight involves being constantly handed off from one air traffic controller to the next, like a giant game of aerial hot potato. Pilots tune…
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Natural track luge features curves made entirely of ice
While artificial luge tracks use perfectly smooth, refrigerated concrete tubes, natural tracks lean into absolute wilderness chaos. Carved directly into…
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Public charging cables are constantly covered in street grime
Unlike a tidy gas pump handle, heavy EV charging cables spend half their lives dragged across filthy concrete parking structures. Plugging in your…
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The 35-person bicycle that is nearly 66 feet long
Because coordinating with one person on a bike wasn't infuriating enough, some visionaries in the Netherlands built a tandem bicycle almost 66 feet long. It…
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The ancient Greek who mapped the world with a grid
Over 2,200 years ago, a Greek mathematician got sick of not knowing exactly where anything was. Eratosthenes slapped an imaginary grid over the known world,…
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Why drift trikes slide around every corner
The rear wheels are encased in hard, frictionless tubes, ensuring they can never grab the pavement. The moment the rider turns sharply, the back end violently…
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Tarmac pathways are strictly mapped for safety
When walking from the terminal to a tiny commuter plane, wandering off the heavily painted white lines is completely forbidden. Stepping even a few feet away…
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Why elevator close buttons may do nothing
Your frantic jamming of the close button while making awkward eye contact with a running coworker is a theatrical performance. Those buttons are mostly…
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Your luxury car hides miles of copper wiring
Your sleek, minimalist dashboard is a filthy liar. Hidden immediately behind those plush leather panels is a terrifying, chaotic rat king of electrical…
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When a monarch flies, the call sign changes
Whenever a reigning monarch steps onto a commercial plane, the airline immediately changes the call sign to sound as pretentious as possible. It ensures air…
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