Transport
Discover facts about transport. Small discoveries that change the way you see familiar things.
Transport
Fighter jets turn with a tiny squeeze
If you think aggressively yanking a joystick is the only way to execute a barrel roll, you've watched too many exaggerated action movies. The control sticks…
Discover more
The Mustang was once marketed as a practical car for women
The ultimate symbol of American muscle didn't start out as a testosterone-fueled drag racer. When the Mustang launched in 1964, Ford heavily targeted young,…
Discover more
Why British drivers call speed bumps sleeping policemen
Leave it to colorful British slang to make mundane urban infrastructure sound mildly morbid. Instead of calling them speed bumps or traffic calming devices,…
Discover more
Traditional dumbwaiters strictly isolate internal noises
Small rope-pulled shafts were primarily used in large mansions to keep the clatter of kitchens far away from rich residents. It is a heavy mechanical solution…
Discover more
Why babies cry during plane flights
Next time you want to glare at a screaming infant on a plane, remember their anatomy is fundamentally broken. Babies possess tiny Eustachian tubes that cannot…
Discover more
Jet bodyboards are motorized floating planks
Removing the effort from swimming, these battery-powered slabs feature a tiny jet drive at the rear. The user simply lays on top, presses a button, and lets…
Discover more
STACKY FOR IPHONEA bigger world.
One discovery
at a time.
Keep discovering with Stacky. Interesting facts in an app that is always within reach.
A fully loaded airplane snack cart can weigh 200 pounds
That innocent-looking beverage cart the attendant is casually pushing down the aisle is actually a heavy metallic battering ram. Packed with soda cans, ice,…
Discover more
Why paratroopers land with a roll
Hitting the dirt under a heavy military canopy is the equivalent of jumping off a two-story building. To keep their shin bones from instantly snapping,…
Discover more
How a van becomes a minibus
Instead of building a smaller chassis from scratch, fabricators literally purchase a heavy-duty commercial van, completely chop off the rear cargo shell, and…
Discover more
Space stations are assembled piece by piece in orbit
Because rockets cannot lift an entire complex building at once, space stations are launched in completely separate modules. These modular cans then have to be…
Discover more
Packing cubes revolutionized modern suitcase organization
Instead of tossing clothes into a bag and hoping for the best, obsessive organizers invented packing cubes. They essentially turned packing into a game of…
Discover more
Montreal’s subway brakes are made of oiled wood
Nothing screams 'futuristic transit' like braking with a piece of wood marinated in a sandwich ingredient. Montreal's subway system specifically uses peanut…
Discover more
Hand truck P-handles allow one-handed steering
Standard dual handles require both hands, which is useless when you need to open a door. The giant, loop-shaped P-handle extending from the top center gives…
Discover more
Wearing excessive metal jewelry guarantees a pat-down
If your aesthetic resembles a medieval knight or a heavily decorated chandelier, expect to be stopped. The millimeter-wave scanners aggressively highlight…
Discover more
Why Greenwich became the world's longitude zero
Why is Greenwich, London the absolute zero of global longitude? Because in 1884, a bunch of diplomats got together and essentially voted on it. The French…
Discover more
Dual-sided car keys allow insertion without looking
Humanity's greatest struggle used to be flipping a piece of metal three times before it finally went into a slot. Older ignition keys were single-sided,…
Discover more
The woman who drove across America in 1909
At a time when society discouraged women from doing anything physically taxing, Alice packed her Maxwell roadster and bailed on New York. With no maps, barely…
Discover more
Lincoln's funeral train crossed the country in black
Mourning in the 1800s was intensely dramatic. Following his assassination, an opulent private locomotive was stripped down, painted completely black, and…
Discover more
Massive steel ships float by displacing heavy water
Because solid steel naturally sinks like a rock, shipbuilders bypass this inconvenience by spreading the weight over a massive hollow volume. As long as the…
Discover more
How a rental car mistake can get you arrested
Corporate databases are so tragically mismanaged they accidentally arrange for paying customers to be arrested. Returning a sedan a day late can literally…
Discover more
Why matter forms a ring around black holes
Before devouring gas and dust, immense gravity forces the material into a superheated, swirling flat ring. It is the universe's most aggressive waiting room,…
Discover more
Aristocrats refused to share carriages with lower classes
An elite lord would genuinely rather delay a vital trip for three entire weeks than endure the unparalleled horror of sitting next to a successful merchant in…
Discover more
Freight container corrugated walls maximize rigidity
Flat steel bends incredibly easily, which is disastrous for a box getting smashed against other boxes. By folding the metal into vertical, wavy ridges, the…
Discover more
Why camel milk resists the desert heat
When your environment resembles an oven, your bodily fluids better adapt. The milk produced by these beasts lacks certain proteins found in cow dairy, meaning…
Discover more