Transport
Discover facts about transport. Small discoveries that change the way you see familiar things.
Transport
Massive diesel freight trains are not actually powered by turning their wheels with diesel engines like an oversized pickup truck on the highway; instead, the gigantic diesel…
Massive diesel freight trains are not actually powered by turning their wheels with diesel engines like an oversized pickup truck on the highway; instead, the…
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Volkswagen vehicles specifically the iconic beetle model were designed with a sealed steel bottom that accidentally allowed the car to float in water for a few minutes; while it…
Volkswagen vehicles specifically the iconic beetle model were designed with a sealed steel bottom that accidentally allowed the car to float in water for a…
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Standing on the right side of an escalator so impatient people can walk on the left actually reduces the overall efficiency of the machine.
Standing on the right side of an escalator so impatient people can walk on the left actually reduces the overall efficiency of the machine. Studies on…
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Ridesharing apps like Uber and Lyft were originally pitched to the public as a magical solution to reduce traffic congestion and lower carbon emissions, but they actually did the exact opposite.
Ridesharing apps like Uber and Lyft were originally pitched to the public as a magical solution to reduce traffic congestion and lower carbon emissions, but…
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Hot air balloons possess absolutely no directional steering mechanisms, making them the only form of human transport where the pilot essentially surrenders completely to the chaotic whims of the wind.
Hot air balloons possess absolutely no directional steering mechanisms, making them the only form of human transport where the pilot essentially surrenders…
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Driving a car through heavy daily commuter traffic elevates human cortisol and blood pressure levels significantly higher than almost any other routine daily activity, including working a highly demanding job.
Driving a car through heavy daily commuter traffic elevates human cortisol and blood pressure levels significantly higher than almost any other routine daily…
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American Airlines successfully saved forty thousand dollars in a single year during the late nineteen eighties simply by removing one single olive from every first-class side salad.
American Airlines successfully saved forty thousand dollars in a single year during the late nineteen eighties simply by removing one single olive from every…
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Installing dedicated bicycle lanes on city streets consistently boosts local retail sales, completely contradicting the angry protests of business owners who obsess over losing a few street parking spots.
Installing dedicated bicycle lanes on city streets consistently boosts local retail sales, completely contradicting the angry protests of business owners who…
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Automakers in the 1920s experimented with mounting literal pedestrian catchers on the front bumpers of early cars to scoop up people walking in the street instead of violently running them over.
Automakers in the 1920s experimented with mounting literal pedestrian catchers on the front bumpers of early cars to scoop up people walking in the street…
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British Airways Flight 5390 experienced a horrific incident in 1990 when an improperly installed windshield blew entirely out of the cockpit at seventeen thousand feet, violently…
British Airways Flight 5390 experienced a horrific incident in 1990 when an improperly installed windshield blew entirely out of the cockpit at seventeen…
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Ford designers in 1958 genuinely proposed building a nuclear-powered car called the Ford Nucleon, operating under the wild assumption that miniaturized atomic reactors would soon become a perfectly safe household item.
Ford designers in 1958 genuinely proposed building a nuclear-powered car called the Ford Nucleon, operating under the wild assumption that miniaturized atomic…
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Los Angeles originally boasted the largest and most efficient electric railway system in the entire world during the 1920s before completely destroying it to build endless, soul-crushing freeways.
Los Angeles originally boasted the largest and most efficient electric railway system in the entire world during the 1920s before completely destroying it to…
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Dean Kamen hyped the invention of the Segway so aggressively in 2001 that tech billionaires genuinely predicted cities would completely redesign their infrastructure just to accommodate the two-wheeled balancing stick.
Dean Kamen hyped the invention of the Segway so aggressively in 2001 that tech billionaires genuinely predicted cities would completely redesign their…
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Track 61 is a secret platform hidden beneath the Waldorf Astoria hotel in New York City that was specifically designed to transport VIPs directly into the building.
Track 61 is a secret platform hidden beneath the Waldorf Astoria hotel in New York City that was specifically designed to transport VIPs directly into the…
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High-heeled shoes were initially created in the tenth century for Persian cavalrymen to keep their feet securely locked into stirrups while shooting arrows from horseback.
High-heeled shoes were initially created in the tenth century for Persian cavalrymen to keep their feet securely locked into stirrups while shooting arrows…
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Japan Railways kept the remote Kami-Shirataki train station open for years just so a single high school girl could commute to her classes, finally closing the station only after she graduated in 2016.
Japan Railways kept the remote Kami-Shirataki train station open for years just so a single high school girl could commute to her classes, finally closing the…
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Russian cosmonauts strictly adhere to a bizarre pre-flight tradition where they must stop the transport bus taking them to the launchpad, unzip their spacesuits, and urinate on the right rear tire.
Russian cosmonauts strictly adhere to a bizarre pre-flight tradition where they must stop the transport bus taking them to the launchpad, unzip their…
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Airbus engineers designed a bizarrely shaped cargo plane known as the Beluga solely because they needed a vehicle large enough to transport entire sections of other airplanes across Europe.
Airbus engineers designed a bizarrely shaped cargo plane known as the Beluga solely because they needed a vehicle large enough to transport entire sections of…
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Honda actually designed and briefly manufactured a fully functional motorized scooter that folded perfectly into a standard piece of rectangular luggage during the early 1980s.
Honda actually designed and briefly manufactured a fully functional motorized scooter that folded perfectly into a standard piece of rectangular luggage…
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Chicago engineers spent the mid-nineteenth century physically lifting entire brick buildings, streets, and sidewalks up to fourteen feet in the air using thousands of manual jackscrews.
Chicago engineers spent the mid-nineteenth century physically lifting entire brick buildings, streets, and sidewalks up to fourteen feet in the air using…
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Hong Kong boasts a staggering 2,600-foot-long outdoor escalator system that physically drags tired office workers up and down the ridiculously steep mountainous terrain of the Mid-Levels district.
Hong Kong boasts a staggering 2,600-foot-long outdoor escalator system that physically drags tired office workers up and down the ridiculously steep…
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Germany operates a public transit system where full-sized passenger trains dangle completely upside down from a massive steel rail suspended high above a river.
Germany operates a public transit system where full-sized passenger trains dangle completely upside down from a massive steel rail suspended high above a…
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London black cab drivers must memorize 320 standard routes through 25,000 streets and know the exact location of 20,000 landmarks to pass a brutal test known as The Knowledge,…
London black cab drivers must memorize 320 standard routes through 25,000 streets and know the exact location of 20,000 landmarks to pass a brutal test known…
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Camels were successfully introduced to the Australian Outback in the nineteenth century to help explore the vast, arid interior of the continent because they can travel up to 40…
Camels were successfully introduced to the Australian Outback in the nineteenth century to help explore the vast, arid interior of the continent because they…
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