Transport
Discover facts about transport. Small discoveries that change the way you see familiar things.
Transport
New Jersey strictly forbids motorists from pumping their own gasoline, maintaining a law from 1949 that claims self-service stations are an extreme fire hazard; back then, gas…
New Jersey strictly forbids motorists from pumping their own gasoline, maintaining a law from 1949 that claims self-service stations are an extreme fire…
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UPS turned brown into a corporate signature.
UPS turned brown into a corporate signature. The company adopted its signature brown in 1919, associating the shade with the prestige of Pullman railcars.…
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Charles Babbage worked on a locomotive cowcatcher as well as calculating machines.
Charles Babbage worked on a locomotive cowcatcher as well as calculating machines. A sloping frame ahead of the wheels was meant to push obstacles away before…
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DAF's Variomatic gave reverse an unusually wide range.
DAF's Variomatic gave reverse an unusually wide range. Belts running between adjustable pulleys changed the transmission ratio continuously, without a…
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The first fatal powered-airplane crash injured Orville Wright.
The first fatal powered-airplane crash injured Orville Wright. During a U.S. Army demonstration in 1908, Orville's aircraft crashed, killing passenger…
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New York City spent over four billion dollars constructing the World Trade Center Oculus, making it the most expensive train station ever built, and its roof immediately began leaking.
New York City spent over four billion dollars constructing the World Trade Center Oculus, making it the most expensive train station ever built, and its roof…
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Skateboard wheels used to be made out of actual clay or steel, turning a simple ride down the sidewalk into an extreme, bone-shattering sport.
Skateboard wheels used to be made out of actual clay or steel, turning a simple ride down the sidewalk into an extreme, bone-shattering sport. The…
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Ford's first car needed a bigger exit than its workshop had.
Ford's first car needed a bigger exit than its workshop had. Henry Ford built the Quadricycle in a shed behind his Detroit home in 1896. To get the finished…
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Three-wheelers solved a delivery problem before becoming tourist icons.
Three-wheelers solved a delivery problem before becoming tourist icons. Daihatsu was producing small three-wheeled vehicles in Japan by the early 1930s. They…
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Bicycles completely altered human genetics in rural England by allowing young men to easily travel to neighboring villages and court women outside their immediate gene pool.
Bicycles completely altered human genetics in rural England by allowing young men to easily travel to neighboring villages and court women outside their…
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A pet's airplane ticket requires a different kind of seat.
A pet's airplane ticket requires a different kind of seat. Animals traveling as cargo must use an appropriate compartment with environmental controls, inside…
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The shiny tape on a jet can be a legitimate maintenance repair.
The shiny tape on a jet can be a legitimate maintenance repair. Speed tape is aluminum adhesive tape used for specified temporary, minor repairs. It can cover…
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Model T Fords were designed without a fuel pump, meaning drivers often had to drive up steep hills completely in reverse just to keep the engine running.
Model T Fords were designed without a fuel pump, meaning drivers often had to drive up steep hills completely in reverse just to keep the engine running. The…
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A stroad asks one stretch of asphalt to do two conflicting jobs.
A stroad asks one stretch of asphalt to do two conflicting jobs. The term combines street and road: a route designed to move traffic quickly also serves…
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America's most-stolen car in 2024 wasn't an exotic supercar.
America's most-stolen car in 2024 wasn't an exotic supercar. The Hyundai Elantra led the National Insurance Crime Bureau's 2024 list, with 31,712 reported…
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A pogo jumper cleared more than eleven feet in one leap.
A pogo jumper cleared more than eleven feet in one leap. Henry Cabelus achieved a 3.53-meter jump at Pogopalooza in Pittsburgh in June 2024, recorded by…
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Saudi Arabia finally lifted its notorious ban on female drivers in 2018, ending its status as the absolute last country on Earth where women were legally prohibited from operating a motor vehicle.
Saudi Arabia finally lifted its notorious ban on female drivers in 2018, ending its status as the absolute last country on Earth where women were legally…
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Blaring car alarms are statistically useless at preventing auto theft and exist primarily as a massive noise nuisance for everyone living in the immediate area.
Blaring car alarms are statistically useless at preventing auto theft and exist primarily as a massive noise nuisance for everyone living in the immediate…
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Putting seat belts in cars came years before making people wear them.
Putting seat belts in cars came years before making people wear them. New U.S. passenger cars were equipped with belts well before New York enacted the first…
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A train horn has a legal minimum volume.
A train horn has a legal minimum volume. U.S. locomotive horns must measure between 96 and 110 decibels under the prescribed test conditions. At most public…
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Filling potholes with temporary asphalt patches is a Sisyphean bureaucratic ritual that structurally guarantees the road will crumble again in a few months.
Filling potholes with temporary asphalt patches is a Sisyphean bureaucratic ritual that structurally guarantees the road will crumble again in a few months. A…
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Cruise-ship fins fight the roll one movement at a time.
Cruise-ship fins fight the roll one movement at a time. Sensors track the ship's motion, and stabilizer fins adjust their angle in the water to produce forces…
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Tokyo utilizes incredibly sophisticated, automated underground bicycle parking vaults called Eco Cycles to combat the severe lack of available surface space in the crowded metropolis.
Tokyo utilizes incredibly sophisticated, automated underground bicycle parking vaults called Eco Cycles to combat the severe lack of available surface space…
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Ostrich riding turned a fast bird into a tourist attraction.
Ostrich riding turned a fast bird into a tourist attraction. South African ostrich farms have offered short rides in which people attempt to stay on the bird.…
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