Transport
Discover facts about transport. Small discoveries that change the way you see familiar things.
Transport
New York's subway has two different ways to keep trains apart.
New York's subway has two different ways to keep trains apart. Older fixed-block signals detect whether a section of track is occupied and keep following…
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A highway curve is a calculation, not just a bend in a line.
A highway curve is a calculation, not just a bend in a line. Engineers coordinate curve radius, banking, speed, and sight distance so drivers can follow the…
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A wider highway can attract the traffic it was meant to relieve.
A wider highway can attract the traffic it was meant to relieve. Drivers change routes, departure times, and how many trips they make when driving becomes…
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A dirty hull makes a ship burn more fuel.
A dirty hull makes a ship burn more fuel. Barnacles and other growth roughen the underwater surface, increasing the drag a ship's engines must overcome.…
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Tokyo's rush hour has needed staff to help the doors close.
Tokyo's rush hour has needed staff to help the doors close. At heavily crowded stations, attendants help passengers and belongings clear the doorway so a…
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Japanese traffic lights use blue instead of green to signal 'go' because historically the language used the same word, 'ao', for both colors, and when international laws dictated…
Japanese traffic lights use blue instead of green to signal 'go' because historically the language used the same word, 'ao', for both colors, and when…
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Nunavut brought back its bear-shaped license plates in 2025.
Nunavut brought back its bear-shaped license plates in 2025. The territory announced the return of the distinctive outline after years of public feedback. The…
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An eight-mile-an-hour drive became a famous speeding case.
An eight-mile-an-hour drive became a famous speeding case. Walter Arnold was prosecuted in Kent in 1896 for driving at about 8 mph when the town limit was 2…
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For years, the entire bustling metropolis of Paris contained exactly one single official stop sign within its city limits, and it was located at the exit of a random building…
For years, the entire bustling metropolis of Paris contained exactly one single official stop sign within its city limits, and it was located at the exit of a…
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Astronauts flying to the moon during the Apollo program were required to learn celestial navigation, using a highly sophisticated optical sextant to measure the angles of specific stars.
Astronauts flying to the moon during the Apollo program were required to learn celestial navigation, using a highly sophisticated optical sextant to measure…
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Some airliners have a horn, but it is for the ground crew, not the plane ahead.
Some airliners have a horn, but it is for the ground crew, not the plane ahead. A cockpit button sounds an external alert to get a mechanic's attention while…
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Wright brothers' very first successful airplane flight in 1903 covered a distance of one hundred and twenty feet, which is actually shorter than the wingspan of a modern Boeing 747.
Wright brothers' very first successful airplane flight in 1903 covered a distance of one hundred and twenty feet, which is actually shorter than the wingspan…
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Early Honda CR-Vs hid a picnic table in the cargo floor.
Early Honda CR-Vs hid a picnic table in the cargo floor. The removable panel could be lifted out and unfolded into outdoor furniture, giving the car's storage…
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Criminals in New York City used to routinely steal subway tokens by jamming the turnstile slots with paper and then physically sucking the trapped token out with their mouths.
Criminals in New York City used to routinely steal subway tokens by jamming the turnstile slots with paper and then physically sucking the trapped token out…
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Some Moscow strays learned to travel by subway.
Some Moscow strays learned to travel by subway. Reports documented a small number of dogs boarding trains and moving between familiar stations. Researchers…
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Elizabeth II drove without holding a driving license.
Elizabeth II drove without holding a driving license. The British sovereign was exempt from the normal licensing requirement, and official state cars could…
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Personal automobiles remain completely stationary and parked for roughly ninety-five percent of their operational lifespan, making them one of the most inefficient capital investments a human being can make.
Personal automobiles remain completely stationary and parked for roughly ninety-five percent of their operational lifespan, making them one of the most…
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NASA spent nearly thirty-eight million dollars developing the Apollo Lunar Roving Vehicle in the early 1970s, creating a foldable, battery-powered buggy that astronauts could use…
NASA spent nearly thirty-eight million dollars developing the Apollo Lunar Roving Vehicle in the early 1970s, creating a foldable, battery-powered buggy that…
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Harrods department store in London installed England's first moving staircase in 1898, designed by Jesse W.
Harrods department store in London installed England's first moving staircase in 1898, designed by Jesse W. Reno as an inclined conveyor belt made of woven…
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An airline's first female cabin crew were all nurses.
An airline's first female cabin crew were all nurses. Ellen Church helped persuade Boeing Air Transport to hire eight nurses in 1930. Their training was…
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Electric cars were a serious contender around 1900.
Electric cars were a serious contender around 1900. They were quiet, produced no exhaust at the vehicle, and avoided the hand crank needed to start many…
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Genetic testing conducted on the New York City subway system revealed that nearly half of the DNA found on the handrails and seats matched absolutely no known organism in any scientific database.
Genetic testing conducted on the New York City subway system revealed that nearly half of the DNA found on the handrails and seats matched absolutely no known…
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British warships tried wearing pink to disappear at twilight.
British warships tried wearing pink to disappear at twilight. Mountbatten Pink was a grayish-mauve camouflage intended to reduce a ship's visibility in…
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A fight over chicken put a tax on imported trucks.
A fight over chicken put a tax on imported trucks. When Europe restricted American poultry, the United States retaliated in 1964 with higher tariffs on…
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