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Transportation

Denali's dogsled teams mush for weeks at a time to the far-flung corners of a park that stretches over 6 million acres.

How Denali National Park’s Sled Dogs Prepare for Winter

For nearly a century, park rangers have relied on dogsledding to patrol the public land and collect data for scientists

U.S. Air Force Captain Charles E. "Chuck" Yeager became the first person to fly faster than the speed of sound in this airplane, the Bell X-1, on October 14, 1947. The aircraft is currently housed at the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum.

Remember Chuck Yeager by Exploring the Plane He Flew to Break the Sound Barrier

In 1947, the pilot—who died Monday at age 97—made history by flying the Bell X-1 faster than the speed of sound

On November 2, a metro train shot through a stop block at the De Akkers metro station outside of Rotterdam but narrowly missed catastrophe.

In Fluke Accident, Sculpture of Whale Tails Saves Train From 33-Foot Plunge

Aptly named “Saved by the Whale’s Tale,” the art installation prevented a potentially deadly accident in the Netherlands

Pirsig’s 1966 Honda Super Hawk motorcycle, featured in his novel Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: An Inquiry Into Values.

Why Robert Pirsig’s ‘Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance’ Still Resonates Today

The author’s meditation on technology treads a whole new path in the modern, digital world

A two-page spread in a 1903 Brooklyn Daily Eagle supplement shows an aerial depiction of the "Brooklyn of the Future," complete with ferry lines and projected bridges, subways, tunnels and elevated roads.

Virtual Travel

Explore Centuries of Brooklyn’s History With These Newly Digitized Maps

The Brooklyn Historical Society recently launched a portal featuring almost 1,500 documents dating back to the 17th century

Chicago-based publisher Haymarket Books will launch the reimagined London tube map next International Women’s Day, March 8, 2021.

A New London Tube Map Will Highlight Women and Nonbinary People

Co-organizers Emma Watson and Reni Eddo-Lodge drew inspiration from a 2016 project centered on the New York City subway

An MTA worker in New York sprays disinfectant in a subway car in May.

Will Mass Transit Recover From the Pandemic?

Financial losses from low ridership and unexpectedly low sales tax revenue threaten the future of public transportation

Researchers say the Iron Age man—found facedown with his hands bound together near the waist—was likely murdered or executed.

Iron Age Murder Victim’s Skeleton Found in England

The man was buried with his hands bound together at the waist

Some cities are turning to on-demand programs called microtransit.

Covid-19

Cities Are Eyeing Microtransit During COVID-19 Pandemic

From Los Angeles to Abu Dhabi, transit authorities are creating on-demand systems. But experts say there are tradeoffs

A storm on the Great Salt Lake in Utah exposed the wreckage of what may be a 100-year-old boat.

Cool Finds

Storm Unearths Wreck of Century-Old Boat in Utah’s Great Salt Lake

The vessel may belong to a fleet used to construct and maintain a railroad causeway that crosses the briny body of water

Even the approximately 60 A&W Restaurants nationwide that already offer carhop services are seeing an increase in business.

Covid-19

The Timely Return of the Drive-In Restaurant

During the COVID-19 pandemic, carhop service is making a comeback. Is it here to stay?

People in France bike wearing masks down the "Rue de Rivoli."

Covid-19

How Cities Plan to Keep Traffic Out When Lockdowns Lift

Extended bike lanes and wider sidewalks are among solutions to keep car traffic down as people continue to avoid public transit

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These Four Trends Are Changing Mobility as We Know It

See how mobility, electrification, connectivity, and autonomous vehicles are transforming the future of transportation

A Dixie Highway marker on Georgia State Route 3

Parts of Florida Highway Honoring the Confederacy Will Be Renamed in Honor of Harriet Tubman

Miami-Dade County commissioners unanimously approved plans to rename local stretches of Dixie Highway

Photosynthetic bacteria in the concrete make it bright green until it dries and turns brown.

New Research

Scientists Design Bacteria-Based Living Concrete

Its designers hope that it could help with construction in deserts or even on Mars

Rumor has it the Manta5 Hydrofoil Bike is extremely fun to ride.

Eight Remarkable Inventions Unveiled at This Year’s CES

From a smart grill to a bike that rides on water, these were the coolest—and strangest—gadgets at the Consumer Electronics Show

A New Yorker captured this image of a flooded subway entrance on November 20.

How the New York City Subway Is Preparing for Climate Change

“We’re doing this because climate change is real,” the MTA account wrote on Twitter after a local shared a snapshot of a flooded subway entrance

E-scooters swarm city streets, but their advent is far from the first personal mobility revolution America has seen.

What the Fight Over Scooters Has in Common With the 19th-Century Battle Over Bicycles

The two-wheelers revolutionized personal transport—and led to surprising societal changes

Children cross the street in front of a yellow school bus in 1965.

The History of How School Buses Became Yellow

Rural educator Frank Cyr had the vision and pull to force the nation to standardize the color of the ubiquitous vehicle

The VW Beetle is retiring

Trending Today

The Volkswagen Beetle Says Auf Wiedersehen

The iconic car with a history stretching from Nazi Germany to the Summer of Love stops production

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