Cars & Other Vehicles, DAW-GRA
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.
Cars & Other Vehicles Encyclopedia Articles By Title
Dawn, U.S. spacecraft that orbited the large asteroid Vesta and the dwarf planet Ceres. Dawn was launched September......
DC-3, transport aircraft, the world’s first successful commercial airliner, readily adapted to military use during......
dead reckoning, determination without the aid of celestial navigation of the position of a ship or aircraft from......
Deep Impact, a U.S. space probe that in 2005 studied cometary structure by shooting a 370-kg (810-pound) mass into......
Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad Company, American railroad built to carry coal from the anthracite fields......
DeLorean DMC-12, an innovative sports car, produced from 1981 to 1983, with gull-wing doors and stainless-steel......
Delta, series of American launch vehicles, originally based on the Thor intermediate-range ballistic missile, that......
Delta Air Lines, Inc., American airline incorporated on Dec. 31, 1930, as Delta Air Corporation, which adopted......
Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad Company (D&RGW), former American railroad chartered in 1870 as the Denver......
destroyer, fast naval vessel that has served a variety of functions since the late 19th century, mainly in defense......
Deutsche Bahn AG, the railway system of Germany created in 1994 by the merger of the Deutsche Bundesbahn (German......
dhow, one- or two-masted Arab sailing vessel, usually with lateen rigging (slanting triangular sails), common in......
diligence, large, four-wheeled, closed French stagecoach employed for long journeys. It was also used in England......
dinghy, any of various small boats. Rowboats or sailboats called dinghies are used to carry passengers or cargo......
direction finder, radio receiver and antenna system for determining the direction of the source of a radio signal.......
Discoverer, any of a series of 38 unmanned experimental satellites launched by the United States Air Force. Although......
distance-measuring equipment (DME), in aerial navigation, equipment for measuring distance by converting the time......
dive bomber, in early military aircraft, a plane that was designed to dive directly at a target, release bombs......
diving bell, small diving apparatus that is used to transport divers between the seafloor or lower depths and the......
Cows are notorious for their emissions of methane (CH4), a greenhouse gas. Cows produce methane through digestion,......
dory, small boat with pointed ends and high, flaring sides. A dory may be up to 22 feet (7 m) long and commonly......
draft animal, any domesticated animal used in drawing heavy loads. Draft animals were in common use in Mesopotamia......
Dragon, privately developed spacecraft built by the American corporation SpaceX and the first private spacecraft......
dray, the heaviest type of dead-axle wagon used in conjunction with a team of draft animals. Drays were either......
Dreadnought, British battleship launched in 1906 that established the pattern of the turbine-powered, “all-big-gun”......
dry dock, type of dock (q.v.) consisting of a rectangular basin dug into the shore of a body of water and provided......
dugout, any boat made from a hollowed log. Of ancient origin, the dugout is still used in many parts of the world,......
DUKW, 2.5-ton six-wheel amphibious truck used in World War II by the U.S. Army and Marine Corps. Its primary purpose......
Earth satellite, artificial object launched into a temporary or permanent orbit around Earth. Spacecraft of this......
East Indiaman, large sailing vessel of the type built from the 16th to the 19th century for the trade between Europe......
Eastern Air Lines, Inc., former American airline that served the northeastern and southeastern United States. Founded......
Eddystone Lighthouse, lighthouse, celebrated in folk ballads and seamen’s lore, standing on the Eddystone Rocks,......
Edmund Fitzgerald, American freighter that sank during a storm on November 10, 1975, in Lake Superior, killing......
Edsel, an automobile (1958–60) whose name commemorates Henry Ford’s son, Edsel (1893–1943), who had been the much......
El Al Israel Airlines, Israeli airline founded by Israel in November 1948 after the establishment of the new nation.......
electric car, battery-powered motor vehicle, originating in the late 1880s and used for private passenger, truck,......
elevated transit line, railroad line, usually electric, raised above the ground or street level, usually on a trestle,......
Energia, Soviet heavy-lift launch vehicle. In 1976 approval was given for development of Energia (named for the......
Enterprise, the first nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, launched in 1960 and commissioned by the U.S. Navy in 1961.......
Erie Railroad Company, U.S. railroad running between New York City, Buffalo, and Chicago, through the southern......
Essex, American whaling ship that was rammed by a sperm whale on November 20, 1820, and later sank. Although all......
Europa Clipper, robotic, solar-powered orbiter launched to Jupiter’s moon Europa by the National Aeronautics and......
Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA), organization dedicated to supporting and promoting recreational aviation......
Explorer, any of the largest series of unmanned U.S. spacecraft, consisting of 55 scientific satellites launched......
expressway, major arterial divided highway that features two or more traffic lanes in each direction, with opposing......
F-100, U.S. Air Force jet fighter aircraft, the first operational fighter to exceed the speed of sound in level......
F-104, jet day fighter aircraft built by Lockheed Aircraft Corporation for the U.S. Air Force but adopted by a......
F-117, single-seat, twin-engine jet fighter-bomber built by the Lockheed Corporation (now part of the Lockheed......
F-14, two-seat, twin-engine jet fighter built for the U.S. Navy by the Grumman Corporation (now part of the Northrop......
F-15, twin-engine jet fighter produced by the McDonnell Douglas Corporation of the United States. Based on a design......
F-16, single-seat, single-engine jet fighter built by the General Dynamics Corporation (now part of the Lockheed......
F-4, two-seat, twin-engine jet fighter-bomber built by the McDonnell Aircraft Corporation (later the McDonnell-Douglas......
F-86, U.S. single-seat, single-engine jet fighter built by North American Aviation, Inc., the first jet fighter......
Falcon, privately developed family of three launch vehicles—Falcon 1, Falcon 9, and Falcon Heavy—built by the U.S.......
Farman III, aircraft designed, built, and first flown by the French aviator Henri Farman in 1909. (See also history......
Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), agency of the U.S. federal government that is responsible for ensuring the......
Ferrovie dello Stato (FS), largest railway system of Italy. FS operates lines on the mainland and also on the islands......
ferry, a place where passengers, freight, or vehicles are carried by boat across a river, lake, arm of the sea,......
fiacre, French coach for hire, named for the Hôtel Saint-Fiacre, in Paris, where it was introduced in the 1640s.......
Fiat, major Italian manufacturer of automobiles that is a subsidiary of the multinational automobile manufacturer......
fighter aircraft, aircraft designed primarily to secure control of essential airspace by destroying enemy aircraft......
fin stabilizer, fin or small wing mounted on a ship or aircraft in such a way as to oppose unwanted rolling motions......
fire engine, mobile (nowadays self-propelled) piece of equipment used in firefighting. Early fire engines were......
flight recorder, instrument that records the performance and condition of an aircraft in flight. Governmental regulatory......
flight simulator, any electronic or mechanical system for training airplane and spacecraft pilots and crew members......
In the history of flight, the most important landmarks and events include an understanding of the dynamic reaction......
- Introduction
- Construction, Lift, Sustaining Wings
- Propulsion, Aviation, Aeronautics
- Aviation Pioneers, Wright Brothers, Hot Air Balloons
- Airlines, Aviation, Pioneers
- Airmail, Airlines, US
- Aeronautical Infrastructure, Aviation Pioneers, Air Travel
- Aviation Pioneers, Aircraft Design, Flight Records
- Jet Engines, Aviation Pioneers, Air Travel
- Jet Engines, Civil Aviation, Air Travel
- Engines, Airframes, Progress
- Avionics, Passenger Support, Safety
Floating Instrument Platform (FLIP), oceanographic study platform developed in the United States. It combines the......
Flying Dutchman, in European maritime legend, spectre ship doomed to sail forever; its appearance to seamen is......
fog signal, sound or light signal emitted in fog or mist by lighthouses and buoys to indicate a shoreline, channel,......
Ford Motor Company is an American automotive corporation that was founded in 1903 by Henry Ford and 11 associate......
fore-and-aft sail, one of the two basic types of sailing rig, the other being the square sail. The fore-and-aft......
forklift truck, specialized form of industrial truck (q.v.) for elevating or lowering a...
formation flying, two or more aircraft traveling and maneuvering together in a disciplined, synchronized, predetermined......
freeboard, distance from the waterline to the freeboard deck of a fully loaded ship; it is measured amidships at......
freight car, railroad car designed to carry cargo. Early freight cars were made largely of wood. All-steel cars......
frigate, any of several different types of small and fast warships, usually either the square-rigged sailing ships......
Fulton, first steam-powered warship, weighing 2,745 displacement tons and measuring 156 feet (48 metres) in length,......
fuselage, central portion of the body of an airplane, designed to accommodate the crew, passengers, and cargo.......
Fw 190, German fighter aircraft that was second in importance only to the Bf 109 during World War II. A low-wing......
Féderátion Aéronautique Internationale (FAI), nongovernmental and nonprofit international organization that encourages......
Gaganyaan, crewed spacecraft being developed by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). The first uncrewed......
Galileo, in space exploration, robotic U.S. spacecraft launched to Jupiter for extended orbital study of the planet,......
galleon, full-rigged sailing ship that was built primarily for war, and which developed in the 15th and 16th centuries.......
galley, large seagoing vessel propelled primarily by oars. The Egyptians, Cretans, and other ancient peoples used......
gauge, in railroad transportation, the width between the inside faces of running rails. Because the cost of construction......
Gemini, any of a series of 12 two-man spacecraft launched into orbit around Earth by the United States between......
General Dynamics Corp., major American defense contractor. The company’s headquarters are in Falls Church, Va.......
General Motors (GM), American corporation that was the world’s largest motor-vehicle manufacturer for much of the......
Genesis, U.S. spacecraft that returned particles of the solar wind to Earth in 2004. Genesis was launched on Aug.......
gig, any of several members of a class of light, open, two-wheeled, one-horse carriages, popular in France, England,......
glider, nonpowered heavier-than-air craft capable of sustained flight. Though many men contributed to the development......
gliding, flight in an unpowered heavier-than-air craft. Any engineless aircraft, from the simplest hang glider......
Glomar Challenger, oceanographic drilling and coring vessel, active from 1968 to 1983. The exploratory ship of......
Golden Spike National Historic Site, national historic site at Promontory in Box Elder county, northern Utah, U.S.,......
gondola, tapered, 32-foot- (10-metre-) long flat-bottomed boat historically associated with the canals and lagoon......
GPS, space-based radio-navigation system that broadcasts highly accurate navigation pulses to users on or near......
Graf Spee, German pocket battleship of 10,000 tons launched in 1936. The Graf Spee was more heavily gunned than......
Grand Central Station, railroad terminal in New York City. It was designed and built (1903–13) by Reed & Stem in......
Grand Trunk Railway, early Canadian railway line, incorporated in 1852–53 to build a railway connecting the key......
Granger movement, coalition of U.S. farmers, particularly in the Middle West, that fought monopolistic grain transport......