Transport

Ghost lines, clearances inherited from the previous century, absurd routes still in service: getting around, and why it is done this way.

154 anecdotes, most recent first.
Highlights

Canadair aircraft refill in flight in a few seconds

The Canadair CL-415 is a water bomber seaplane capable of refilling while skimming over a lake or the sea. This operation, called scooping, is performed at a speed between 140 and 160 km/h over a distance of approximately 450 meters. Water rushes through small 10 × 12 cm openings to fill the two 3,000-liter tanks each in a record time of 9 to 12 seconds.

2026-06-28

A train station open only on race days

The Saint-Cloud racecourse stop opened its doors in 1903 to facilitate public access to the Fouilleuse plain hippodrome. This station operated only on days of horse racing events thanks to a special track and a metal footbridge. The attendance on site had required the widening of the rue du Calvaire bridge, known as the Trois Pierrots bridge.

2026-05-17

The Ferrari F50 GT stands out from the outside

The Ferrari F50 GT is an extreme version of the Italian supercar, designed for exclusive track use in partnership with Dallara Automobili. To reduce its weight to approximately 1,000 kg, the engineers removed the starter from the cockpit. Starting this racing vehicle is therefore done from the outside, in the manner of automobiles from the beginning of the 20th century.

2026-02-08

Oxygen generators caused an airplane crash

ValuJet Flight 592 crashed in Florida on May 11, 1996, causing the death of the 110 people on board. The accident was caused by chemical oxygen generators transported illegally in the cargo hold, which caught fire and destroyed the flight controls. The company ValuJet then changed its name to AirTran Airways to erase the consequences of this disaster on its brand image.

2026-10-15

An Italian supercar that is not so light on the scale

The Lamborghini Gallardo Superleggera is a sports car whose lightweight version differs very little from the standard model. Announced at 1,330 kg dry, it was weighed at 1,528 kg by Sport Auto magazine after filling up with its fuels and lubricants. This weight is explained by the numerous onboard features required by the buyers of this vehicle worth 190,000 euros.

2026-10-15

The Lamborghini Gallardo Superleggera loses 100 kilograms

The Lamborghini Gallardo Superleggera is a lightweight version of the vehicle that manages to lose 100 kg compared to the original model. This reduction in mass is obtained by replacing numerous elements with lighter materials, such as carbon fiber for the bodywork or Alcantara for the interior. The Italian brand specifies that nearly half of this weight loss, or 47 %, is concentrated inside the cabin.

2026-10-13

A colonial president commits suicide out of political despair

The Cochinchinese president Nguyễn Văn Thinh hangs himself in his office on November 10, 1946. His government possessed few resources and suffered from the negligence of the French, who then preferred to negotiate directly with Hô Chi Minh. This disappearance occurs in the midst of a period of political instability in Vietnam, marked by the propaganda of the Việt Minh for reunification.

2026-10-11

An American road crosses a sacred forest

The American army built roads in Wallis, including one crossing a forest considered sacred by the Wallisians. This wood, named vao tapu, surrounds Lake Lalolalo. This infrastructure is part of the numerous developments carried out by the troops during the Second World War.

2026-10-11

An aviation ace dies while performing farewell aerobatics

Fighter pilot Edgar Kain died on June 7, 1940, during a farewell flight aboard his Hawker Hurricane. Wishing to salute his comrades at the Échemines airfield, he performed low-altitude maneuvers before crashing to the ground. His family learned of the tragedy by telegram two days later, while they were traveling to attend his wedding to Joyce Phillips.

2026-10-11

Shells weighing over one ton without any explosive charge

The Gamma-Gerät is a piece of heavy artillery whose first 1 160 kg shells contained no explosive material. These projectiles named Panzergranate were simple steel masses with reinforced tips intended to crush fortifications by the force of impact alone. This tactic proving ineffective against reinforced concrete, they were replaced as early as 1912 by lighter explosive shells.

2026-10-11

Each carriage of this ride costs 180,000 pounds

Oblivion is a roller coaster featuring seven individual carriages. These large rectangular black and orange vehicles weigh several tons. Each of them cost the sum of 180,000 pounds to accommodate sixteen passengers spread over two rows.

2026-10-11

King Albert's first flight

King Albert performed his maiden flight in the company of Fernand Jacquet during a reconnaissance mission over the front line. The flight took place on 18 March 1917 with an escort of five Nieuports to ensure the sovereign's protection. This royal initiative led shortly after to the creation of the first fighter aircraft group of the Belgian army.

2026-10-11

More than five thousand prototypes for a vacuum cleaner

The G-Force vacuum cleaner is a household appliance using the cyclonic separation technology developed by James Dyson. This product required the manufacturing of more than five thousand prototypes before being marketed in 1993 under the name Dual Cyclone. This device became so iconic that it entered the permanent collections of the MoMA as well as the Centre Georges-Pompidou.

2026-10-11

Temple doors were automatic two thousand years ago

The automatic opening of temple doors is a mechanism described by Hero of Alexandria in his work Pneumatica. The fire lit on the altar heated the air in a hollow base, causing the expansion of this air which pushed water into a container connected to a system of ropes and pulleys. This weight of water triggered the opening of the doors, while the extinguishing of the fire allowed the counterweight to close the whole system.

2026-10-11

Seventy tons of coal were loaded by hand during the occupation

La Tanche is a trawler that became trapped in the exodus of May-June 1940 in Lorient. Seventy tons of coal were loaded by hand to operate it, because the port crane operators had left the premises the day before. This effort allowed refugees and soldiers to flee the German advance aboard the last available ships.

2026-10-11

Léon Gambetta recruited 200,000 men to face the Prussians

Léon Gambetta is a French politician who held the positions of Minister of War and Minister of the Interior. He partnered with Charles de Freycinet to raise a massive army of 200,000 men, which had to be fed, equipped, and trained in eleven dedicated camps. Despite this considerable logistical effort, the military action resulted in failure against the numerical and material superiority of the Prussian army.

2026-10-09

The transport and installation of a heavy artillery piece

The Gamma-Gerät is a heavy artillery piece whose transport is carried out exclusively by rail. Each cannon requires about ten specific wagons to convey its seven main elements, forming convoys of about forty wagons for a standard battery. Their setup requires the excavation of a pit 2.25 m deep to seat the foundations, mobilizing crews for an entire day in the most favorable cases.

2026-10-08

The Nemmersdorf bridge was the only strategic crossing over the Angrapa

The village of Nemmersdorf possessed the only concrete bridge over the Angrapa river in a wide perimeter in October 1944. The authorities then decided to evacuate the inhabitants of many villages through this unique crossing point. The German commanders refused to destroy it so as not to block civilians fleeing the Red Army, despite the imminent threat.

2026-10-08

A giant German howitzer was powerless against the forts of Verdun

The Gamma-Gerät is a 420 mm German siege howitzer designed by Krupp to destroy reinforced concrete fortifications. Developed between 1906 and 1910 and produced in ten units, this massive armament required transport by rail. Despite this immense firepower, it quickly showed limitations against the large forts of Verdun which totally resisted its shells.

2026-10-06

Honoré de Balzac's fake nobility

Honoré de Balzac added a noble particle to his own surname to give himself an aristocratic veneer. He went as far as having fake coats of arms painted on the carriage he had rented to travel to Vienna. This trip was intended to meet Mme Hańska, with whom he was having a long affair.

2026-10-04

An interstate highway ends abruptly because of local residents

Interstate 70 is an American highway that stops abruptly at the city limits of Baltimore. This interruption was decided following strong protests from residents opposing its passage through the city center. The opposition to these development projects was led by Democratic Senator Barbara Mikulski.

2026-10-04

The final fatal flight of Hobey Baker

Hobey Baker is an aviator who died in a plane crash in France on December 21, 1918. Wishing to complete one last flight despite the reluctance of his comrades, he insisted on testing a newly repaired aircraft in pouring rain. The engine stalled in mid-flight and the order to return to the United States was found in his jacket pocket after the crash.

2026-10-04

A stop order saved German troops

General Bradley decided on August 13 to stop his advance just south of Argentan instead of seizing the city. This decision was made without referring to General Montgomery, for fear of a collision between Allied forces. This unfortunate episode earned Bradley sharp criticism for letting a large part of the Germans escape.

2026-10-04

Micronesian sailors drifted to the Philippines after a storm

In 1697, twenty-nine Micronesians who had left Fais for Lamotrek drifted to the Philippines, pushed by a storm. A similar event occurred in 1963 when six men from Ulithi heading for Fais ended up landing in Samar after a typhoon. In both cases, the crews had chosen to abandon their initial route to seek a safe refuge that they knew how to locate.

2026-10-04

The DAMS racing team abandoned Formula 1 due to a lack of money

The French team DAMS abandoned its project to participate in the Formula 1 world championship. Jean-Paul Driot had only raised half of the 15 million francs deemed necessary and had not paid the 500,000 dollar deposit requested by the Fédération internationale de l'automobile on time. Due to an insufficient budget, the team stopped testing its GD-01 single-seater to redirect itself towards the 1996 international Formula 3000 championship with Jean-Philippe Belloc and Laurent Redon.

2026-10-04

A gearbox shared between several teams

The DAMS GD-01 gearbox is a six-speed semi-automatic model designed in 1994 by the company Xtrac. This equipment required modifications after difficulties encountered during its initial development. Subsequently, this same mechanism was adjusted to be installed on the Minardi M195 and Dome F105.

2026-10-04

A massive anti-doping control on the 1977 Tour de France

The cyclist Luis Ocaña received a ten-minute penalty during the eighteenth stage of the Tour de France. This sanction followed a positive anti-doping test for a stimulant detected during the race. Other famous participants, including the Dutchman Joop Zoetemelk and the Portuguese Joaquim Agostinho, suffered the same punishment during this event.

2026-10-04