Why are the steering wheels of English cars on the right-hand side?

The term left-hand traffic refers to road traffic which, in contrast to right-hand traffic, keeps to the left side of the road seen from the driver's perspective. Left-hand traffic countries are mainly those formerly governed by Britain. There are many theories and explanations for this way of traffic routing.

For example, it is assumed that right- or left-handed people determined the respective standards. Some believe, among other things, that this way of driving, which seems unusual to us German right-hand drivers, originates from the days when we travelled the roads in horse-drawn carriages. In those days, the reins were held on the left, right or in the middle or the vehicle was steered with the left or right hand.

Although this may seem arbitrary, there is no need to worry; a change from right-hand to left-hand traffic is very complex and, therefore no longer feasible.



Further information:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Right-_and_left-hand_traffic

When was the first chariot built?

A full-scale model of a chariot in a grave in Crete can be dated back to 1 900 B.C. Chariots were already used in Central Asia.

You will find further information here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chariot

High lift rescue vehicle

High lift rescue vehicles save human life even at great height.

The fire brigades have high lift rescue vehicles to save people in dangerous situations at great height. They thus secure the second escape route for trapped persons as required in building laws.

High lift rescue vehicles are special fire engines used to rescue persons, animals and goods at great height. For this purpose a turntable ladder is used. A "turntable ladder" is the movable part of a high lift rescue vehicle which is located above the truck chassis.

Have a look here:
German Youtube Video

On 26 June 1974 ...

... the cashier Sharon Buchanan scanned a ten pack of chewing gum according to the UPC standard (Universal Product Code) in a supermarket in Troy, Ohio.

The code had, however, already been developed and patented at the end of the 40s by two students of the Drexel Institute of Technology in Philadelphia: Joseph Woodland and Bernard Silver.



Further information:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barcode

When and where was the first bar code scanned...

... thus changing the world of logistics forever?

Shell Eco-marathon

The Shell Eco-marathon challenges high school and college student teams from around the world to design, build and test energy efficient vehicles. With annual events in the Americas, Europe and Asia, the winners are the teams that go the farthest distance using the least amount of energy.

More information:
http://www.shell.com/home/content/ecomarathon/

Trailing Suction Hopper Dredger?

Is it a hopping dredger or is it named after its inventor?

No, it is a swimming dredger used to excavate easily removable sediments such as sand. The self-driven cargo hold suction dredger removes solid material from the bottom of waters through trailing heads and pumps it into the hopper tanks in the ship through a suction pipe. Among others, the hopper dredger is used to deepen ship channels.

The biggest hopper dredger so far is the Vasco da Gama, built in 2000. It was also used for the construction of the Palm Islands of Dubai.

http://www.shipcad.com/en/03_ref_vdg.php


Image source: Wikimedia "Crestway"

"The new mechanical wagon with the awful name automobile has come to stay..." New York Times (1897 article)

The New York Times' mention of the name automobile was the first public use of the term by the media and helped to popularize that name for motor vehicles. However the credit for the name automobile goes to a 14th century Italian painter and engineer named Martini. Martini never built an automobile but he did draw plans for a man-powered carriage with four wheels. Martini thought up the name automobile from the Greek word, "auto," (meaning self) and the Latin word, "mobilis," (meaning moving).
The other popular name for an automobile is the car. The word car is derived from Celtic word "carrus," (meaning cart or wagon).

link: inventors.about.com

Pre-college science competition

Society for Science and the Public (SSP) and Intel hosted the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair 2011 in Los Angeles on May 8-13. The Intel ISEF is the world's largest international pre-college science competition for students in grades 9–12.



It provides an annual forum for more than 1,500 high school students from 65 countries, regions, and territories to showcase their independent research as they compete for over $4 million annually.

This years top prize winners were Matthew Feddersen and Blake Marggraff from Lafayette, Calif.. They won the Gordon E. Moore Award, and $75,000, for developing a potentially more effective and less expensive cancer treatment that places tin metal near a tumor before radiation therapy.

The next ISEF will take place in May 13-18, 2012 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Here you can find more information:

http://www.societyforscience.org/intelisef2012

As light as a feather

... with a weight of 120 kg including batteries Elektra One is a real ultralight aircraft. The one-seater can fly about 400 km with a maximum flight time of three hours. Elektra is driven by an electric motor HPD13.5 from Geiger Engineering with a weight of 4.7 kg and a power of 16 kW.

In March 2011 the aircraft completed its first test flight. In summer 2011 the PC-Aero team wants to participate with Elektro One in the NASA-/CAFE-Green Flight Challenge competition in California. Two and four-seater variants are planned for the future.

Click here for more information:
http://www.aircraft-certification.de/