Transport
Discover facts about transport. Small discoveries that change the way you see familiar things.
Transport
Harley-Davidson's first attempt needed a rethink.
Harley-Davidson's first attempt needed a rethink. The founders initially fitted a small engine and belt drive to a bicycle, but it lacked the power they…
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The hovercraft's key idea was tested with two tins and a vacuum cleaner.
The hovercraft's key idea was tested with two tins and a vacuum cleaner. Christopher Cockerell used airflow between nested tins to investigate a ring-shaped…
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Venice's black gondolas reflect a history of restrained display.
Venice's black gondolas reflect a history of restrained display. Rules against extravagant decoration helped standardize boats that wealthy owners had used to…
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Some Paris Metro trains carry rubber tires and steel wheels.
Some Paris Metro trains carry rubber tires and steel wheels. The rubber tires provide grip for acceleration and braking. Conventional steel wheels remain…
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Postal delivery in the early twentieth century occasionally included the shipping of actual living children through the standard mail system.
Postal delivery in the early twentieth century occasionally included the shipping of actual living children through the standard mail system. Parcel Post…
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The Channel Tunnel's hardest meeting happened under the seabed.
The Channel Tunnel's hardest meeting happened under the seabed. British and French survey teams had to guide tunnels toward the same point without a direct…
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Uber started with black cars, not bargain rides.
Uber started with black cars, not bargain rides. Its early San Francisco service connected customers with professionally driven black cars through a phone…
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Traveling to the edge of the Earth's atmosphere is theoretically a much shorter journey than driving across a large terrestrial state, meaning you could technically reach the…
Traveling to the edge of the Earth's atmosphere is theoretically a much shorter journey than driving across a large terrestrial state, meaning you could…
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Japanese railway researchers made a train sound like a warning animal.
Japanese railway researchers made a train sound like a warning animal. They tested a deterrent combining deer alarm calls with barking sounds, emitted from a…
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Queensland put trivia questions beside the highway.
Queensland put trivia questions beside the highway. In designated fatigue zones, roadside signs pose a question and reveal the answer farther along the road.…
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Ford tried to grow his own rubber supply in the Amazon.
Ford tried to grow his own rubber supply in the Amazon. Fordlândia, founded in 1928, combined a plantation with an American-style company town. Dense…
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South African inventor Charl Fourie won an Ig Nobel Peace Prize for inventing the Blaster, a literal car-mounted flamethrower designed to deter violent carjackings in the late nineties.
South African inventor Charl Fourie won an Ig Nobel Peace Prize for inventing the Blaster, a literal car-mounted flamethrower designed to deter violent…
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India's train-tracking service gives a late train a visible location.
India's train-tracking service gives a late train a visible location. The National Train Enquiry System provides running information so passengers can check…
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Virginia built test roads that can order their own bad weather.
Virginia built test roads that can order their own bad weather. At Virginia Tech's Smart Roads facilities, researchers can create rain, snow, fog, and…
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A steam-car inventor wanted to spare the horses.
A steam-car inventor wanted to spare the horses. Richard Dudgeon built an early self-propelled road vehicle hoping to reduce the mistreatment of working…
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The Soviet Alfa submarine traded ordinary steel for a titanium hull.
The Soviet Alfa submarine traded ordinary steel for a titanium hull. Titanium helped reduce hull weight, while a compact nuclear power plant drove the boat to…
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Airport slots gave airlines a reason to preserve a timetable.
Airport slots gave airlines a reason to preserve a timetable. At congested airports, failing to use enough allocated slots can cost an airline its future…
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Mopeds were originally designed as motorized bicycles, combining the exhausting pedal power of a standard bike with a weak, sputtering little engine that barely managed to conquer a mild incline.
Mopeds were originally designed as motorized bicycles, combining the exhausting pedal power of a standard bike with a weak, sputtering little engine that…
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Canals were the economic lifeblood of the industrial revolution, allowing heavy raw materials to be dragged slowly through man-made ditches by miserable mules plodding along the towpath.
Canals were the economic lifeblood of the industrial revolution, allowing heavy raw materials to be dragged slowly through man-made ditches by miserable mules…
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China completed the Danyang-Kunshan Grand Bridge in 2010, an absolutely massive piece of high-speed rail infrastructure that stretches for an incomprehensible one hundred and two miles between Shanghai and Nanjing.
China completed the Danyang-Kunshan Grand Bridge in 2010, an absolutely massive piece of high-speed rail infrastructure that stretches for an incomprehensible…
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Shuttle crews rode to their rockets in an Airstream.
Shuttle crews rode to their rockets in an Airstream. From 1984, NASA's silver Astrovan carried shuttle astronauts from crew quarters to the launch pad. The…
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A Nobel-winning physicist made speeding uncomfortable outside his university.
A Nobel-winning physicist made speeding uncomfortable outside his university. Arthur Holly Compton designed speed humps installed at Washington University in…
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The wartime Jeep was built to be useful almost anywhere.
The wartime Jeep was built to be useful almost anywhere. The compact four-wheel-drive vehicle carried people and equipment across rough ground while remaining…
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Project Sea Hunt trained pigeons to spot people lost at sea.
Project Sea Hunt trained pigeons to spot people lost at sea. Birds in a compartment beneath a rescue helicopter pecked a switch when they saw target colors…
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