Transport
Discover facts about transport. Small discoveries that change the way you see familiar things.
Transport
Inventors in the nineteenth century actively tried to create steam-powered airplanes by strapping incredibly heavy, coal-burning train engines onto fragile wooden wings with…
Inventors in the nineteenth century actively tried to create steam-powered airplanes by strapping incredibly heavy, coal-burning train engines onto fragile…
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Apollo astronauts found that the Moon needed a different walk.
Apollo astronauts found that the Moon needed a different walk. Low gravity let them push off and float forward between steps. Several favored a loping gait,…
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A modern bike helmet protects you partly by destroying itself.
A modern bike helmet protects you partly by destroying itself. The foam liner crushes during a serious impact, extending the time and distance over which the…
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New York's subway had a train for collecting the money.
New York's subway had a train for collecting the money. Armored cars carried fare revenue from stations to a money-processing facility at 370 Jay Street in…
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Bloodhound hit 628 mph without its planned rocket.
Bloodhound hit 628 mph without its planned rocket. In its 2019 South African tests, the land-speed car reached 628 mph using a Eurofighter-type jet engine. A…
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Engineers made a drone from da Vinci's aerial-screw idea.
Engineers made a drone from da Vinci's aerial-screw idea. University of Maryland students built Crimson Spin with four spiral-shaped rotors inspired by…
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Ferdinand Porsche designed the original Volkswagen Beetle under the direct orders of Adolf Hitler, who wanted a cheap, mass-produced vehicle for the newly built autobahns.
Ferdinand Porsche designed the original Volkswagen Beetle under the direct orders of Adolf Hitler, who wanted a cheap, mass-produced vehicle for the newly…
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Amphibious DUKW vehicles, better known today as the ridiculously painted duck boats used for goofy tourist sightseeing tours, were originally designed to storm beaches while dodging bullets during World War II.
Amphibious DUKW vehicles, better known today as the ridiculously painted duck boats used for goofy tourist sightseeing tours, were originally designed to…
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A bicycle lets the same human engine travel much farther.
A bicycle lets the same human engine travel much farther. Walking repeatedly lifts and redirects your body; wheels let it roll forward with much less effort…
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Air Force One is not actually the registered name of a specific, hyper-advanced presidential airplane, but rather the designated air traffic control call sign for any United…
Air Force One is not actually the registered name of a specific, hyper-advanced presidential airplane, but rather the designated air traffic control call sign…
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Mail trucks waited decades for something cars take for granted.
Mail trucks waited decades for something cars take for granted. The familiar Grumman LLV was built without air conditioning, leaving carriers exposed to…
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A moving walkway adds speed, but passengers can give some of it back.
A moving walkway adds speed, but passengers can give some of it back. Your speed over the floor combines the belt's motion with your walking speed relative to…
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A 2013 count found Wyoming’s escalators in just two bank buildings, both in Casper.
A 2013 count found Wyoming’s escalators in just two bank buildings, both in Casper. Each location had an up-and-down pair, which explains why the same story…
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An aviation pioneer studied a flying toy to explore rotor flight.
An aviation pioneer studied a flying toy to explore rotor flight. George Cayley experimented with aerial tops, small devices that lift when their blades spin.…
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Autopilot follows instructions; pilots manage what those instructions mean.
Autopilot follows instructions; pilots manage what those instructions mean. A crew can tell the system to hold an altitude, follow a route, or fly an…
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Ultra-wealthy individuals routinely take flights lasting less than fifteen minutes in luxury aircraft, burning more fossil fuels in a single weekend than the average citizen uses…
Ultra-wealthy individuals routinely take flights lasting less than fifteen minutes in luxury aircraft, burning more fossil fuels in a single weekend than the…
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A ferry's hardest weather problem can be the last few meters.
A ferry's hardest weather problem can be the last few meters. Open water gives a vessel room to maneuver; docking requires precise control beside solid…
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Government space orbiters were originally pitched as a cheap, reusable delivery truck for low Earth orbit, promising weekly launches that would make spaceflight completely…
Government space orbiters were originally pitched as a cheap, reusable delivery truck for low Earth orbit, promising weekly launches that would make…
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The quiet car is a rule, not a soundproof room.
The quiet car is a rule, not a soundproof room. A train's quiet car depends on passengers keeping calls and conversation elsewhere. The carriage can have the…
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Inline skates make accelerating easier than learning to stop.
Inline skates make accelerating easier than learning to stop. Their wheels roll smoothly in one direction, while the common heel brake works only when the…
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Victorian society considered bicycles a bizarre and dangerous menace to pedestrians when they first became popular, leading many cities to pass strict laws banning them from…
Victorian society considered bicycles a bizarre and dangerous menace to pedestrians when they first became popular, leading many cities to pass strict laws…
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A 1931 Duesenberg already packed 265 horsepower.
A 1931 Duesenberg already packed 265 horsepower. The Model J's straight-eight engine used two overhead camshafts and four valves per cylinder—features…
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A performer spent two years eating an airplane.
A performer spent two years eating an airplane. Guinness records Michel Lotito consuming a Cessna 150 between 1978 and 1980. Known as Monsieur Mangetout—Mr.…
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Sixteen-year-old Darius McCollum famously hijacked a New York City subway train in 1981 and drove it flawlessly for several stops before anyone even noticed he wasn't an actual employee.
Sixteen-year-old Darius McCollum famously hijacked a New York City subway train in 1981 and drove it flawlessly for several stops before anyone even noticed…
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