Science & Industry
The Weirdest Cars Ever Made
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Article
Automobile designers and engineers have often pushed boundaries to make faster, sleeker, and more attractive cars. But sometimes that effort results in vehicles so eccentric that the world looks on in bemusement. These automotive oddities aren’t necessarily bad cars, but they certainly stand out for being well beyond the norm, whether it’s a vehicle so tiny it can fit through a doorway or a propeller-powered safety hazard. Here are seven of the most curious cars ever presented to an unsuspecting public. Credit: © Jim/stock.adobe.com Leyat Helica In 1913, French biplane designer Marcel Leyat had what ...Read More
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Science & IndustryFact3Boats used to be powered by horses.
Horses tend to be known for their land-based achievements, but that doesn’t mean equines aren’t sometimes aquatic. In fact, for more than a century, beginning in the 1810s, horse-powered ferries…
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Science & IndustryFact1A volcanic eruption indirectly led to the invention of the bicycle.
The bicycle may seem like a symbol of leisure or health today, but its roots lie in disaster. In 1815, Mount Tambora in Indonesia erupted with extraordinary force, blasting ash,…
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Science & IndustryFact2Before the invention of price tags, shoppers weren’t used to fixed prices.
If you’re shopping for goods in the Western world, you expect to see a price tag on most things, whether it’s a secondhand toaster at a garage sale or a…
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Science & IndustryFact4The stethoscope was invented because a doctor felt awkward pressing his ear to a woman’s chest.
In 1816, a French physician named René Laennec found himself in a delicate situation. He needed to listen to the heart of a young female patient but didn’t have an…
