Transport
Discover facts about transport. Small discoveries that change the way you see familiar things.
Transport
Panama Canal lock masters employ specialized electric locomotives known as mules to physically pull colossal cargo ships through the narrow concrete locks because the vessels cannot safely steer themselves.
Panama Canal lock masters employ specialized electric locomotives known as mules to physically pull colossal cargo ships through the narrow concrete locks…
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Bolivia's capital city of La Paz uses a massive network of aerial cable cars called Mi Teleférico as its primary public transit system instead of subways or buses.
Bolivia's capital city of La Paz uses a massive network of aerial cable cars called Mi Teleférico as its primary public transit system instead of subways or…
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Alaskan state troopers still actively utilize dog sleds as an entirely legitimate form of official law enforcement transportation in highly remote, snowbound areas.
Alaskan state troopers still actively utilize dog sleds as an entirely legitimate form of official law enforcement transportation in highly remote, snowbound…
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Under many international traffic and penal codes, you can absolutely be arrested and charged with a DUI for aggressively riding a horse while heavily intoxicated.
Under many international traffic and penal codes, you can absolutely be arrested and charged with a DUI for aggressively riding a horse while heavily…
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Dubai police officers actively patrol the wealthy metropolis in a ridiculous fleet of multimillion-dollar luxury supercars, including Bugattis, Ferraris, and Lamborghinis.
Dubai police officers actively patrol the wealthy metropolis in a ridiculous fleet of multimillion-dollar luxury supercars, including Bugattis, Ferraris, and…
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Russian Typhoon-class submarines were engineered to be the largest underwater vessels ever constructed, featuring bizarre amenities like an onboard swimming pool, a sauna, and a bird sanctuary.
Russian Typhoon-class submarines were engineered to be the largest underwater vessels ever constructed, featuring bizarre amenities like an onboard swimming…
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Horse-drawn carriages navigating the congested streets of midtown Manhattan in the late nineteenth century actually moved at a faster average speed than modern combustion-engine vehicles do today.
Horse-drawn carriages navigating the congested streets of midtown Manhattan in the late nineteenth century actually moved at a faster average speed than…
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Fully automated driverless metro systems have been safely operating in major cities like London, Paris, and Dubai for decades without the need for a human sitting at the controls.
Fully automated driverless metro systems have been safely operating in major cities like London, Paris, and Dubai for decades without the need for a human…
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New Amsterdam which is now known as modern day New York City passed the very first speeding law in North American history back in 1652 to crack down on reckless horse-drawn wagons.
New Amsterdam which is now known as modern day New York City passed the very first speeding law in North American history back in 1652 to crack down on…
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Before the widespread invention of the internal combustion engine oil refineries considered gasoline to be a completely useless and highly dangerous byproduct of producing kerosene for lamps.
Before the widespread invention of the internal combustion engine oil refineries considered gasoline to be a completely useless and highly dangerous byproduct…
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Southwest Airlines co-founder Herb Kelleher literally settled a trademark dispute over an advertising slogan in 1992 by challenging the CEO of a rival aviation company to a highly publicized arm wrestling match.
Southwest Airlines co-founder Herb Kelleher literally settled a trademark dispute over an advertising slogan in 1992 by challenging the CEO of a rival…
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Icebreakers are specialized ships with massively reinforced hulls that do not simply push through frozen ocean sheets, but actually ride up onto the ice and crush it using their own immense weight.
Icebreakers are specialized ships with massively reinforced hulls that do not simply push through frozen ocean sheets, but actually ride up onto the ice and…
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Zip lines were not invented for exhilarating eco-tourism through rainforest canopies, but were originally utilized as a highly practical method for transporting cargo across treacherous mountainous terrain.
Zip lines were not invented for exhilarating eco-tourism through rainforest canopies, but were originally utilized as a highly practical method for…
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Raymonde de Laroche became the first woman in the world to receive a pilot's license in 1910, issued by the Aero Club of France after she taught herself to fly a rudimentary biplane.
Raymonde de Laroche became the first woman in the world to receive a pilot's license in 1910, issued by the Aero Club of France after she taught herself to…
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Illinois manufactured its vehicle license plates out of a soy-based fiberboard during the height of World War II to conserve metal for military efforts.
Illinois manufactured its vehicle license plates out of a soy-based fiberboard during the height of World War II to conserve metal for military efforts. These…
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German engineers constructed the gas cells of early Zeppelin airships during World War I using the outer membrane of cow intestines, a material known as goldbeater's skin.
German engineers constructed the gas cells of early Zeppelin airships during World War I using the outer membrane of cow intestines, a material known as…
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Honking your car horn in massive gridlock traffic does absolutely nothing to make the cars move faster but it certainly raises your blood pressure.
Honking your car horn in massive gridlock traffic does absolutely nothing to make the cars move faster but it certainly raises your blood pressure. In major…
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Astronauts aboard the International Space Station experience sixteen sunrises and sunsets every single day because their vehicle is traveling at a blistering seventeen thousand five hundred miles per hour.
Astronauts aboard the International Space Station experience sixteen sunrises and sunsets every single day because their vehicle is traveling at a blistering…
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Commercial flights cruise at exactly thirty-five thousand feet primarily because the air is incredibly thin, which allows the plane to fly faster while burning significantly less jet fuel.
Commercial flights cruise at exactly thirty-five thousand feet primarily because the air is incredibly thin, which allows the plane to fly faster while…
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Gas gauges in almost every modern car have a tiny, easily ignored triangular arrow right next to the fuel pump icon that points directly to the side of the car where the gas tank cap is located.
Gas gauges in almost every modern car have a tiny, easily ignored triangular arrow right next to the fuel pump icon that points directly to the side of the…
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Tony Jannus piloted the world's very first scheduled commercial airline flight in 1914, transporting a single paying passenger across Tampa Bay in a trip that lasted a mere twenty-three minutes.
Tony Jannus piloted the world's very first scheduled commercial airline flight in 1914, transporting a single paying passenger across Tampa Bay in a trip that…
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Digging the massive underground Channel Tunnel between England and France produced such an unfathomable amount of excavated chalk and dirt that the British literally used their…
Digging the massive underground Channel Tunnel between England and France produced such an unfathomable amount of excavated chalk and dirt that the British…
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Astronauts returning to earth from the international space station do not gently glide down to a runway but rather plummet through the atmosphere inside a capsule that…
Astronauts returning to earth from the international space station do not gently glide down to a runway but rather plummet through the atmosphere inside a…
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Climbing to an absolutely dizzying elevation of over sixteen thousand feet, the Qinghai-Tibet railway comfortably holds the record as the highest functional train route on earth.
Climbing to an absolutely dizzying elevation of over sixteen thousand feet, the Qinghai-Tibet railway comfortably holds the record as the highest functional…
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