Bright Side

Fastening your seatbelt while in a car is something you learn even without knowing the rest of the road traffic regulations. But have you ever wondered why buses don’t have seatbelts at all? It seems only natural that a vehicle that carries so much more people than a car should have seatbelts, but buses have none — not even school buses. And how can they be safer than cars then?

Speaking about safety, have you ever thought why buses stop and open their doors at railroad tracks? It’s actually a must for any vehicle to stop at a designated point before railroad tracks and check if there’s a train coming. For a bus driver, it’s also important to open the doors. But why? Well, let’s find out the answers to these questions and more!

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Wouldn't it be amazing to see the tallest mountain on the planet from an airplane window? Just imagine yourself nestled in your seat, sipping on a coffee and admiring that snow covered mountain peak! The only problem is that planes don’t fly over Mount Everest, or the Himalayan range, for that matter. But why?

Let's imagine a scheduled commercial flight that decides to fly over the Himalayas. At first, the flight is going smoothly: the plane reaches its usual cruising altitude of 35,000 feet and is traveling at a speed of about 550 miles per hour. Soon, the pilots see a range of tall mountains straight ahead, with one peak standing out among the rest. It's the world-famous Everest - the highest mountain above sea level on the whole planet! The pilots realize they shouldn't have been so careless! Because that's when everything goes awry!

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Have you ever thought why trains blow their horns so often and so loudly? The truth is that they have to. And the main reason for that is safety. Locomotive engineers are required to honk every now and then, which is written down in the regulations called the "Final Rule on the Use of Locomotive Horns."

So, as you can see from the name, all this honking business is pretty strict and obliges trains to make four blasts approximately 20 seconds before they reach a crossing. But that's not all! Trains whistles and horns are an effective method of communication! There is a whole system of locomotive horn signals, where different sound combinations mean totally different things!

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In August 2018, a UK woman was sailing on the Adriatic Sea. Seems like nothing out of the ordinary, just the perfect summer vacation out on the open water! The Norwegian Star cruise liner was heading to Venice, Italy after departing from Vargarola, Croatia. The woman was on the 7th deck, when, right before midnight, she fell off the back of the ship! It happened about 60 miles off the coast of a city called Pula. Too far away to call for help…

As soon as the crew found out about the incident, they launched a major search-and-rescue. They checked onboard CCTV cameras to find out exactly when the fall happened. That way, they could pinpoint the ship’s precise location at that time. The liner also contacted the authorities, and they dispatched a patrol ship, a plane, and 2 rescue boats to look for the woman. 

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Feeling tired and weak? Perhaps you were buried in your workload and didn’t notice the time. You look at the clock and what?!? It’s 4 hours passed your lunchtime! And you remember that you haven’t eaten anything since last night because you were too tired to make anything and just went to bed. You make the excuse to yourself that you’re on a diet anyway, and this is a good way to accelerate it. Stop right there. The reality is, it’s a big NO!

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What comes to your mind when you see the color yellow? One of your top 5 answers is “Taxi”, right? And even though not all taxis are yellow around the world, this color is strongly associated with the industry. But why is that?

 

The first taxis in the U.S. weren’t yellow. In 1907, businessman Harry Allen bought red and green vehicles in France and transported them to New York. However, he had to face some competition, since a lot of other cab-companies popped up. And their owners painted the vehicles in different colors – black, brown, white, checkered – so that each company had a signature color.

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The glorious day has finally come when you can take your new baby home! But you haven’t given the hospital a name for your new bundle of joy yet. How about Barnaby? Or Dumbledore? Or not. Or perhaps you want to understand your baby’s personality better before choosing a name. What’s the worst that could happen? 

Well, our name is one of the biggest parts of who we are. In some parts of the world, parents don’t choose a name for their baby: children are allowed to choose one for themselves when they’re old enough. Without a name, a child may have an undeveloped sense of self. Not having a name doesn’t just create practical issues; it could create emotional ones too.

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Graphology is the science of analyzing signatures. Yeah, people actually study this stuff! Your signature and handwriting are completely unique to you! Have you ever wondered what they reveal about your personality?

For example, if you can clearly read the first and last name, that means that person is straightforward, sincere, and honest, and they likely have nothing to hide. If you can’t read the signature, that individual may have problems with authority and isn’t very confident in themselves. They may have some secrets, too…

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The Amazon Rainforest is big news right now as fires continue to consume its lush landscape. It’s essential to our planet’s climate, ecosystem, and more. If we do nothing, the Amazon could be gone within 100 years. What would that mean for us?

Well, did you know that a lot of the ingredients in our modern medicines come from the plants of the Amazon? These include the most important medications, such as essential vaccines. Millions of people depend on the Amazon basin for their income. So it would certainly be devastating for South American people. Also, if the fires continue, not only will we lose the huge oxygen source, but extra pollution will be released. And that is not all!

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Although modern royal families are way more down-to-earth than their predecessors, there are still a lot of everyday things they never do. Queen Elizabeth II was brought up in a pretty strict environment. As a result, she’s never done a lot of the things you do every day without giving it a second thought!

Do you know, for example, that the Queen has never taken a selfie? Yep, unfortunately, royal protocols don't approve of this innocent hobby. Also, she’s never taken a driving test. But that doesn't mean that the Queen can't drive - oh, she CAN and DOES! In fact, she loves driving very much and is often seen behind the wheel of her favorite Range Rover. 🚙

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