Transportation, THU-WAS

Automobile, byname auto, also called motorcar or car, a usually four-wheeled vehicle designed primarily for passenger transportation and commonly propelled by an internal-combustion engine using a volatile fuel.
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Transportation Encyclopedia Articles By Title

Thunderbirds
Thunderbirds, U.S. Air Force fighter aircraft squadron that performs aerobatics at air shows and other events throughout......
Tiangong
Tiangong, any of a series of three Chinese space stations, the first of which was launched on September 29, 2011.......
Ticonderoga-class cruiser
Ticonderoga-class cruiser, class of warships used by the United States Navy. First commissioned in 1983, they were......
Timeline and Map of the Panama Canal
The Panama Canal, which was completed in 1914, connects the Atlantic and Pacific oceans and significantly shortens......
Timeline of the Apollo Space Missions
Apollo was a project conducted by the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) in the 1960s and......
tire
tire, a continuous band that encircles the rim of a wheel and forms a tread that rolls on either a road, a prepared......
TIROS
TIROS, any of a series of U.S. meteorological satellites, the first of which was launched on April 1, 1960. The......
Titan rocket
Titan rocket, any of a series of U.S. rockets that were originally developed as intercontinental ballistic missiles......
Titanic
Titanic, British luxury passenger liner that sank on April 14–15, 1912, during its maiden voyage, en route to New......
Today in History—April 17: The Introduction of the Ford Mustang
On this day in 1964, visitors to the largest exhibit at the New York World’s Fair didn’t just get to glimpse Ford......
Today in History—August 15: The Mayflower’s First Attempt
On this day in 1620, the Mayflower and the Speedwell set out from Southampton, England, and headed for North America.......
Today in History—August 30: The Mystery of the Golden Blob Begins
Find blob? Check. Poke blob? Uh-huh. ID blob? That one’s gonna take a while. On this day in 2023, a remotely operated......
Today in History—January 17: From Concept Car to Cultural Icon
On this day in 1953, GM’s Motorama traveling auto show rolled into New York’s Waldorf Astoria. It was a lavish......
Today in History—January 21: When Supersonic Travel Took Off
Stop, hey, what’s that sound? Everybody look what’s going
up. That sound was a sonic boom from Concorde, the world’s......
Today in History—January 8: The Mysterious Sighting at Trans-en-Provence
In the long span of UFO sightings, which range from obvious hoaxes to truly unexplained phenomena, the Trans-en-Provence......
Today in History—July 11: The Balloon-Based Polar Expedition Launches
No one had ever laid eyes on the North Pole, but many had died trying. Swedish engineer Salomon August Andrée had......
Today in History—July 8: A Local Newspaper Kicks Off Roswell’s UFO Mania
On July 7, 1947, soldiers at the Roswell Army Air Field (RAAF) in New Mexico recovered the remains of a flying......
Today in History—June 18: The First American Woman in Space
STS-7, which launched on this day in 1983, was one of the first operational space shuttle flights. On paper, it......
Today in History—March 18: The Debut of the World’s First Public Transit System
In the early 1660s, French mathematician and philosopher Blaise Pascal knew he didn’t have much time left. He decided......
Today in History—March 25: All Aboard History for the First Passenger Railway Launch
Today in 1807 the first fee-paying passenger railway in the world began operating in Wales, with the proprietors......
Today in History—May 23: The First Great American Road Trip
On this day in 1903, Horatio Nelson Jackson and Sewall Crocker embarked on the first transcontinental automobile......
Today in History—November 2: The Spruce Goose Is Loose
On this day in 1947, aviation pioneer Howard Hughes took the controls of the enormous Spruce Goose seaplane docked......
Today in History—November 3: A Dog Is Launched into Space
On this day in 1957, the first earthling launched into orbit around our planet. (We don’t count the fruit flies......
Today in History—November 7: The Mary Celeste Sets Sail
On this day in 1872, a cargo ship named the Mary Celeste set sail from New York City. On board was 37-year-old......
Today in History—October 19: Alain Bombard’s Shipwreck Survival Experiment Launches
On this day in 1952, a French doctor began a dangerous experiment. On himself. In an inflatable raft. In the Atlantic......
Today in History—September 1: The Secret Story of the Titanic’s Discovery
What do the Titanic and two nuclear submarines have in common? All three sank in the Atlantic. And all were part......
Today in History—September 5: The Garbage Ship Sets Sail
On this day in 1986, about 28 million pounds of incinerated garbage set sail from Philadelphia aboard a rusty ship......
tonnage
tonnage, in shipping, the total number of tons registered or carried or the total carrying capacity. Gross tonnage......
torpedo plane
torpedo plane, aircraft designed to launch torpedoes. In about 1910 the navies of several countries began to experiment......
torsion bar
torsion bar, rod or bar that resists twisting and has a strong tendency to return to its original position when......
Toyota Motor Corporation
Toyota Motor Corporation, Japanese parent company of the Toyota Group. It became the largest automobile brand and......
Tractor
Tractor, high-power, low-speed traction vehicle and power unit mechanically similar to an automobile or truck but......
traffic control
traffic control, supervision of the movement of people, goods, or vehicles to ensure efficiency and safety. Traffic......
trainer
trainer, in military aviation, an airplane that is designed and used to train pilots to operate advanced aircraft......
tramp steamer
tramp steamer, one of the two principal types of merchant ships as classified by operating method (the other is......
Trans World Airlines, Inc.
Trans World Airlines, Inc. (TWA), former American airline that maintained extensive routes in the United States......
Trans-Siberian Railroad
Trans-Siberian Railroad, the longest single rail system in the world, stretching 5,771 miles (9,288 km) across......
transcontinental railroad
transcontinental railroad, first railroad to connect the East and West coasts of the United States, linking established......
Transit
Transit, any of the first series of U.S. navigation satellites. Launched by the U.S. Navy from 1960 to 1988, the......
Transport and General Workers’ Union
Transport and General Workers’ Union (TGWU), labour union that was the largest in Great Britain throughout much......
transportation in India
transportation in India, networks that facilitate mobility and commerce at a national scale. Transportation systems......
Transportation Security Administration
Transportation Security Administration (TSA), U.S. agency created following the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks......
Transportation, U.S. Department of
U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT), executive agency of the U.S. federal government responsible for programs......
trireme
trireme, oar-powered warship that reached its highest point of development in the eastern Mediterranean during......
troika
troika, (Russian: “three”), any vehicle drawn by three horses abreast, usually a sleigh with runners but also a......
trolleybus
trolleybus, vehicle operated on the streets on rubber tires and powered by electricity drawn from two overhead......
truck
truck, any motor vehicle designed to carry freight or goods or to perform special services such as fire fighting.......
TRW Inc.
TRW Inc., major American industrial corporation providing advanced-technology products and services primarily in......
Tu-16
Tu-16, one of the principal strategic bombers of the Soviet Union, designed by Andrei Nikolayevich Tupolev (1888–1972)......
tugboat
tugboat, small, powerful watercraft designed to perform a variety of functions, especially to tow or push barges......
tumbrel
tumbrel, French two-wheeled dumpcart or wagon designed to be drawn by a single draft animal. Originally used to......
Tupolev Tu-144
Tupolev Tu-144, world’s first supersonic transport aircraft, designed by the veteran Soviet aircraft designer Andrey......
turbo train
turbo train, high-speed passenger train powered by a gas-turbine engine similar to that used in jet aircraft. Unlike......
Turtle
Turtle, one-man submarine, the first to be put to military use, built and designed by the American inventor David......
Types of Landing Craft of World War II Infographic
During World War II, Allied forces employed a variety of landing craft—relatively small naval vessels used primarily......
Typhoon
Typhoon, British fighter and ground-attack aircraft used in the latter half of World War II. Conceived as a replacement......
U-2
U-2, single-seat, high-altitude jet aircraft flown by the United States for intelligence gathering, surveillance,......
U-boat
U-boat, (“undersea boat”), a German submarine. The destruction of enemy shipping by German U-boats was a spectacular......
Uber
Uber, American company that provides services related to mobility. The business’s signature product is an application......
Ulysses
Ulysses, joint European-U.S. space probe launched in 1990 that was the first spacecraft to fly over the poles of......
umiak
umiak, boat used by the Greenland and later by the Alaskan Eskimos for transport. It was called the woman’s boat,......
uncrewed aerial vehicle
uncrewed aerial vehicle (UAV), military aircraft that is guided autonomously, by remote control, or both and that......
undersea exploration
undersea exploration, the investigation and description of the ocean waters and the seafloor and of the Earth beneath.......
unidentified flying object
unidentified flying object (UFO), any aerial object or optical phenomenon not readily identifiable to the observer.......
Unidentified Flying Objects: What We Know
Everything we know (and only what we know) about the phenomenon of UFOs. Companion, UFO, UFOs, flying saucers,......
Union Pacific Railroad Company
Union Pacific Railroad Company (UNP) is an American rail company established by an act of Congress on July 1, 1862,......
unit train
unit train, freight train composed of cars carrying a single type of commodity that are all bound for the same......
United Airlines
United Airlines is a major U.S. airline headquartered in Chicago. It is the principal subsidiary of United Airlines......
US Airways
US Airways, former American airline that was incorporated on March 5, 1937, as All American Aviation, Inc. It underwent......
USS Arizona
USS Arizona, U.S. battleship that sank during the Japanese attack on the naval base at Pearl Harbor, Oahu island,......
USS Gerald R. Ford
USS Gerald R. Ford, U.S. Navy nuclear-powered aircraft carrier commissioned in 2017. It is the lead ship in the......
USS Indianapolis
USS Indianapolis, U.S. Navy heavy cruiser that was sunk by a Japanese submarine on July 30, 1945, shortly after......
V-22
V-22, tilt-rotor military aircraft built by Bell Helicopter (a subsidiary of Textron) and Boeing. The V-22’s unique......
Vanguard
Vanguard, any of a series of three uncrewed U.S. experimental test satellites. Vanguard 1, launched March 17, 1958,......
Varig
Varig, Brazilian airline founded on May 7, 1927, with the assistance of a Berlin trading concern, Kondor Syndicat,......
Vasa
Vasa, 17th-century Swedish vessel, the mightiest warship of its day, that sank on its maiden voyage on August 10,......
vehicular safety devices
vehicular safety devices, seat belts, harnesses, inflatable cushions, and other devices designed to protect occupants......
Vela
Vela, any of a series of 12 unmanned U.S. reconnaissance satellites developed to detect radiation from nuclear......
velocipede
velocipede, version of the bicycle reinvented in the 1860s by the Michaux family of Paris. Its iron and wood construction......
Venera
Venera, any of a series of unmanned Soviet planetary probes that were sent to Venus. Radio contact was lost with......
Venus Express
Venus Express, European Space Agency spacecraft that orbited the planet Venus. The design of Venus Express was......
victoria
victoria, French carriage, named for Queen Victoria at least by 1844, and renowned for its elegance. It was first......
Victoria Station
Victoria Station, railway station in the borough of Westminster, London. It stands just south of Buckingham Palace.......
Victory
Victory, flagship of the victorious British fleet commanded by Admiral Horatio Nelson in the Battle of Trafalgar......
Viking
Viking, either of two robotic U.S. spacecraft launched by NASA for extended study of the planet Mars. The Viking......
Voisin-Farman I
Voisin-Farman I, aircraft built by the French aeronautical pioneer Gabriel Voisin for the French aviator Henri......
volante
volante, Spanish one- or two-passenger carriage, having two wheels and an open, hooded body. The body was set in......
Volkswagen Group
Volkswagen Group, major German automobile manufacturer, founded by the German government in 1937 to mass-produce......
Volvo Aktiebolaget
Volvo Aktiebolaget (Volvo AB) is a Swedish manufacturer of commercial vehicles, construction equipment, and industrial......
Voskhod
Voskhod, second series of manned Soviet spacecraft. Following the triumph of the Vostok launchings that had put......
Vostok
Vostok, any of a series of manned Soviet spacecraft, the initial flight of which carried the first human being......
Voyager
Voyager, in aeronautics, American experimental aircraft that in 1986 became the first airplane to fly around the......
Voyager
Voyager, in space exploration, either of a pair of robotic U.S. interplanetary probes launched to observe and to......
Voyager 1
Voyager 1, robotic U.S. interplanetary probe launched in 1977 that visited Jupiter and Saturn and was the first......
VTOL airplane
VTOL airplane, any of several unconventional aircraft with rotating wing systems, such as the helicopter and autogiro.......
wagon
wagon, four-wheeled vehicle designed to be drawn by draft animals and known to have been used as early as the 1st......
wagon train
wagon train, caravan of wagons organized by settlers in the United States for emigration to the West during the......
wagonette
wagonette, horse-drawn carriage designed to carry a large number of passengers who sat on long bench-style seats......
Was Chicago’s ‘Rat Hole’ Really Made by a Rat?
The city of Chicago is known for many things: the Great Chicago Fire of 1871, 1930s gangster Al Capone, the Democratic......

Transportation Encyclopedia Articles By Title