250 Fun Facts
250 Amazing Facts: Dinosaurs, Maths, Money, Travel & the Mind
Transport & Travel Facts
The world's first public railway to carry passengers using steam locomotives, the Stockton and Darlington Railway in England, opened in 1825.
India's first passenger train ran on 16 April 1853, travelling about 34 kilometres from Bombay to Thane.
Indian Railways carries billions of passengers every year, making it one of the busiest railway networks in the world.
The Fairy Queen, built in 1855, is recognised as the oldest working steam locomotive in the world and is preserved in India.
Japan's first bullet train, the Shinkansen, began running in 1964.
Maglev trains float above their tracks using powerful magnets. The Shanghai Maglev can reach speeds of around 430 km/h.
Kolkata became home to India's first metro railway in 1984.
Mumbai's suburban trains carry millions of passengers every single day.
The Konkan Railway, running along India's western coast, has more than 1,800 bridges and around 90 tunnels.
The Palace on Wheels brought royal travel to the rails
Launched in 1982, the Palace on Wheels is a luxury train that tours Rajasthan, stopping at cities like Jaipur, Udaipur and Jaisalmer. Its carriages were inspired by the private railway coaches once used by Indian royal families, offering travellers a taste of how maharajas journeyed in style.
The Boeing 747, nicknamed the "Jumbo Jet," made its first flight in 1969.
The Airbus A380 is the largest passenger aeroplane ever built, with two full-length passenger decks.
An aeroplane's "black box" flight recorder is actually painted bright orange, so it's easier to find after an accident.
Most planes are painted white because it reflects sunlight and makes cracks or damage easier to spot.
Aeroplane windows have rounded corners because square corners can create weak points where cracks form.
Pilots and co-pilots often eat different meals on long flights, so they won't both get sick from the same food.
Concorde, the supersonic passenger jet, could fly from London to New York in about three and a half hours.
J. R. D. Tata was the first person to receive a pilot's licence in India, and in 1932 he flew the first airmail flight from Karachi to Bombay.
The first crewed hot air balloon flight took place in France in 1783.
The Suez Canal created a shortcut between Europe and Asia
Opened in 1869, the Suez Canal in Egypt connects the Mediterranean Sea and the Red Sea. Before it existed, ships travelling between Europe and India had to sail all the way around Africa. The canal cuts thousands of kilometres from the journey and remains one of the busiest shipping routes in the world.
Ships passing through the Panama Canal are lifted about 26 metres above sea level by a series of water-filled locks.
The largest container ships can carry more than 20,000 shipping containers at once.
The right side of a ship is called "starboard," from the old "steering board," which was usually mounted on that side.
A knot, used to measure a ship's speed, means one nautical mile per hour.
In 2021, a giant container ship called the Ever Given got stuck in the Suez Canal for six days, blocking hundreds of other ships.
For several years, Ford's famous Model T car was sold only in black.
Volvo engineer Nils Bohlin invented the three-point seat belt in 1959, and Volvo made the design free for all carmakers to use.
Around a third of the world's population lives in countries where people drive on the left side of the road.
The Hindustan Ambassador car was made in India from 1958 until 2014.
The Maruti 800 put India on wheels
Launched in December 1983, the Maruti 800 was small, affordable and easy to maintain, and it quickly became known as India's "people's car." For millions of families, it was their first car ever. The very first one was handed over to a customer named Harpal Singh in Delhi.
India has one of the largest road networks in the world.
The word "rickshaw" comes from the Japanese word "jinrikisha," meaning "human-powered vehicle."
The earliest bicycles, invented in 1817, had no pedals. Riders pushed themselves along with their feet.
India is the world's largest manufacturer of two-wheelers such as motorbikes and scooters.
The world's longest straight stretch of railway track runs across Australia's Nullarbor Plain for about 478 kilometres.
The Trans-Siberian Railway in Russia is about 9,300 kilometres long and crosses seven time zones.
The Gotthard Base Tunnel in Switzerland is the world's longest railway tunnel, at about 57 kilometres.
The Channel Tunnel, linking England and France, is about 50 kilometres long, with a large part of it under the sea.
Modern passport rules were largely agreed internationally in 1920, after World War I.
Umling La in Ladakh has one of the world's highest motorable roads
The road over Umling La pass in Ladakh climbs to about 5,800 metres above sea level, higher than Everest Base Camp. Built by India's Border Roads Organisation, it was recognised by Guinness World Records in 2021 as the world's highest motorable road. Travellers need to be fit, well-prepared and careful, as the air there contains far less oxygen.
Jet lag is usually worse when you fly east, because your body finds it harder to adjust to a shorter day.
Mawlynnong in Meghalaya was named the cleanest village in Asia in 2003 by a travel magazine.
The Manali–Leh Highway crosses mountain passes more than 5,000 metres above sea level.
India's Golden Quadrilateral highway network links Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai and Kolkata, covering nearly 6,000 kilometres.
Amsterdam has more than 100 kilometres of canals, more than Venice.
Bhutan charges international tourists a daily sustainable development fee to protect its environment and culture.
The world's shortest scheduled flight, between the Scottish islands of Westray and Papa Westray, can take less than two minutes.
At Gibraltar's airport, a busy road crosses the runway, and traffic has to stop whenever a plane lands or takes off.
France is one of the most visited countries in the world, welcoming tens of millions of international tourists each year.
Vande Bharat Express is India's homegrown semi-high-speed train
Introduced in 2019, the Vande Bharat Express was designed and built in India at the Integral Coach Factory in Chennai. With automatic doors, comfortable seating and speeds designed to reach up to 160 km/h, it has made many intercity journeys faster and is now running on routes across the country.
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