Transport
Discover facts about transport. Small discoveries that change the way you see familiar things.
Transport
Snowboard binding highbacks transfer calf pressure to the heel edge
That tall piece of plastic stabbing the back of your leg is entirely responsible for your ability to stop. The highback transfers pressure directly from your…
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Why flying takes longer than it did in the 1970s
Welcome to the glorious future of aviation, where we somehow managed to actively go backward. Airlines eventually realized that flying slightly slower saves…
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Trolleybuses are buses that can't leave their wires
Someone looked at a tram and a bus and decided to smash their absolute worst qualities together. Trolleybuses are tied to overhead electric wires, meaning…
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Monobobs are standardized single-person racing bobsleds
If coordinating a four-person crew is too much hassle, you can just push the heavy fiberglass tub by yourself. Monobob racing features identical, standardized…
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Fuel pump handles feature tiny clips so you can walk away
Those tiny metal latches allow drivers to let the pump run on autopilot while they stare blankly at the station marquee. It is the only time humanity fully…
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Heavy derricks balance massive loads via counterweights
Without a giant hunk of concrete strapped to the back, these massive lifting towers would instantly tip over. The entire system relies on keeping gravity…
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A freight train can haul a ton 470 miles
While your massive pickup truck cries for mercy and guzzles gas just hauling groceries, the freight train laughs at your inefficiency. Because steel wheels on…
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Why Roman carts had standardized wheelbases
The concept of 'staying in your lane' used to be a very literal, violently enforced mandate. The stone roads of the Roman Empire were heavily trafficked,…
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Your rearview mirror can dim itself
When the glaring headlights of the truck behind you magically dim, it is not a tinted glass sliding down. It is basically an electric charge running through a…
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Potholes form when underground moisture expands
Your local municipality isn't just ignoring the street, the pavement is literally blowing itself up from within. Water seeps into microscopic cracks in the…
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Taxi partitions exist purely to protect the driver
Sitting in the back seat peering through a heavily scratched panel of bulletproof plastic completely kills the mood of the ride. Those impenetrable dividers…
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The giant sail that pulls boats downwind
When the wind is directly behind a yacht, standard flat sails are surprisingly inefficient. Enter the spinnaker: a gigantic, colorful, wildly uncontrollable…
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Why seatbelts are designed to stretch in a crash
Your safety harness is not designed to rigidly hold you completely solid against an impact. The fabric contains carefully engineered stitching that…
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Paddlewheelers push water with a giant bucket wheel
Long before submerged metal propellers became the standard, river vessels moved by slapping the water with a giant rotating drum. This drum was lined with…
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Gondola cabins are clamped directly onto a moving cable
The pods themselves do absolutely none of the actual work and possess zero motors. They just utilize an incredibly aggressive metal clamp to bite down firmly…
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Driving backward won't lower your odometer
Despite what Ferris Bueller’s Day Off meticulously taught an entire generation of teenagers, you cannot commit mileage fraud by putting the car in reverse.…
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Stroller under-seat baskets have strict weight limits
That convenient hammock strung underneath a child’s seat is an illusion of unlimited cargo space. It is attached via thin fabric loops explicitly designed to…
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Early hot-air balloons needed a ground crew
Landing a giant balloon safely required a small militia. The pilot would throw a rope down and pray that a dozen confused, angry farmers were willing to…
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Thermal airships use standard heated air instead of helium
Helium is wildly expensive, so someone brilliantly decided to just staple a blimp's shape onto a standard hot air balloon system. It results in a highly…
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Your steering wheel is dirtier than a public bench
Drivers happily touch public door handles, rub their faces, and immediately grip the wheel for hours. It is a highly touched, rarely scrubbed leather circle…
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Transit trains run through massive automated washing bays
You can't exactly hand-wash a twelve-carriage underground metro. Instead, railway depots feature comically oversized, heavily mechanized drive-through wash…
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The diesel engine once ran on peanut oil
Long before his eponymous invention became the dirty, smog-spewing villain of global warming, Rudolf Diesel had a remarkably green vision. He proudly…
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The airport runway that crosses a public road
Space is so tight on the tiny British territory of Gibraltar that city planners were forced to get extremely creative and recklessly dangerous. The main…
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Why recumbent bikes are fast—and hard to see
By placing the rider in a reclining position with boots elevated, these cycles drastically cut through the air easily. They achieve blistering speeds on flat…
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