Cars & Other Vehicles, GRA-LIT
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
Granite Railway, first chartered railroad in the United States (March 4, 1826). It was designed and built by Gridley......
Gravity Probe B (GP-B), U.S. spacecraft, launched April 20, 2004, into polar orbit, that tested Einstein’s general......
Great Britain, first Atlantic ocean liner that was built of iron and had screw propulsion. It was the world’s largest......
great circle route, the shortest course between two points on the surface of a sphere. It lies in a plane that......
Great Eastern, steamship considered to be the prototype of the modern ocean liner. Designed by Isambard Kingdom......
Great Northern Railway Company, American railroad founded by James J. Hill in 1890. It developed out of a struggling......
Great Railroad Strike of 1877, series of violent rail strikes across the United States in 1877. That year the country......
Great Republic, American clipper ship designed and built by Donald McKay. At about 4,555 registered tons and a......
Great Western, earliest regular transatlantic steamer. On its maiden voyage, the Great Western left Bristol, England,......
gyrocompass, navigational instrument which makes use of a continuously driven gyroscope to accurately seek the......
H-II Transfer Vehicle (HTV), uncrewed Japanese spacecraft that carries supplies to the International Space Station......
H.L. Hunley, Confederate submarine that operated (1863–64) during the American Civil War and was the first submarine......
hackney, any carriage plying for hire, although hackney coach usually refers to a four-wheeled carriage drawn by......
Halifax, British heavy bomber used during World War II. The Halifax was designed by Handley Page, Ltd., in response......
hang gliding, sport of flying in lightweight unpowered aircraft which can be carried by the pilot. Takeoff is usually......
hansom cab, low, two-wheeled, closed carriage patented in 1834, whose distinctive feature was the elevated driver’s......
Hargrave box kite, kite designed, built, and flown by the aeronautical pioneer Lawrence Hargrave in the 1890s.......
harness, the gear or tackle other than a yoke of a draft animal (as a horse, dog, or goat). The modern harness......
Harrier, single-engine, “jump-jet” fighter-bomber designed to fly from combat areas and aircraft carriers and to......
Hayabusa, is a series of Japanese spacecraft that explored asteroids. The first, Hayabusa, studied the asteroid......
Heathrow Airport, the largest and busiest airport in the United Kingdom and one of the busiest and most connected......
Hejaz Railway, railroad between Damascus, Syria, and Medina (now in Saudi Arabia), one of the principal railroads......
helicopter, aircraft with one or more power-driven horizontal propellers or rotors that enable it to take off and......
Helios, either of two unmanned solar probes developed by West Germany in cooperation with the U.S. National Aeronautics......
Tower of Hercules, probably the only ancient Roman lighthouse still in use, named for one of the most famous heroes......
High Speed Train (HST), British long-distance passenger train operating nationwide since 1976, when the first service......
high-speed rail (HSR), passenger train that generally travels at least 200 km (124 miles) per hour and can cruise......
highway, major road, usually in rural areas, but more recently a rural or urban road where points of entrance and......
Hindenburg, German dirigible, the largest rigid airship ever constructed. In 1937 it caught fire and was destroyed;......
HMS Hood, British battle cruiser, launched in 1918 and destroyed on May 24, 1941, during World War II in the Battle......
Holland, submersible vessel considered the principal forerunner of the modern submarine, designed by John Holland......
Honda Motor Company, Ltd. is a leading Japanese manufacturer of motorcycles and a major producer of automobiles......
Horsa, the main British-built assault glider of World War II. Designed by Airspeed Ltd., the Horsa first flew in......
horse brass, decorative metal plaque fitted to the martingale, a set of straps attached to saddle and bridle that......
horse collar, device of leather, or leather and metal, encircling a horse’s neck, to which traces are attached,......
horsecar, street carriage on rails, pulled by horse or mule, introduced into New York City’s Bowery in 1832 by......
houseboat, in its simplest form, a cabin of one or two rooms built on a flat-bottomed scow, drawing only from 12......
Hovercraft, any of a series of British-built and British-operated air-cushion vehicles (ACVs) that for 40 years......
At the core of an electric car is its battery, which stores the electrical energy needed to power the vehicle.......
Hughes H-1, record-breaking racing plane that was designed by American aviator Howard Hughes and engineer Richard......
Hurricane, British single-seat fighter aircraft manufactured by Hawker Aircraft, Ltd., in the 1930s and ’40s. The......
hydrofoil, underwater fin with a flat or curved winglike surface that is designed to lift a moving boat or ship......
Hyundai Group, major diversified corporation in South Korea. The international company supplies a product line......
Iberia, Spanish airline created by law on June 7, 1940, and given rights to the air transport of persons and cargo......
Illinois Central Railroad (IC), former U.S. railroad founded in 1851 that expanded service from Illinois to much......
Ilyushin Il-2, single-seat assault bomber that was a mainstay of the Soviet air force during World War II. The......
Ilyushin Il-76, -76, Soviet military transport aircraft, first flown in 1971 and first produced in 1975. It was......
Indian Airlines, former domestic and regional airline of India that merged with Air India in 2007, thereafter operating......
industrial truck, carrier designed to transport materials within a factory area with maximum flexibility in making......
inertial guidance system, electronic system that continuously monitors the position, velocity, and acceleration......
Infrared Astronomical Satellite (IRAS), U.S.-U.K.-Netherlands satellite launched in 1983 that was the first space......
instrument landing system (ILS), electronic guidance system designed to help airline pilots align their planes......
International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), intergovernmental specialized agency associated with the United......
Interstate Highway System, a network of public highways established across the United States by federal law. Though......
ironclad, type of warship developed in Europe and the United States in the mid-19th century, characterized by the......
Ishikawajima-Harima Heavy Industries Company, Ltd., major Japanese manufacturer of heavy machinery and oceangoing......
itinerarium, a list of villages, towns, cities, and mail stations of the Roman Empire, with the distances between......
Among the pleasures to be derived from venturing through the early editions of Britannica is the one we think of......
Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), Japanese government agency in charge of research in both aviation and......
Japan Airlines (JAL), Japanese airline that became one of the largest air carriers in the world. Founded in 1951,......
Japan Railways Group, principal rail network of Japan, consisting of 12 corporations created by the privatization......
Japanese Red Army, militant Japanese organization that was formed in 1969 in the merger of two far-left factions.......
jaunting car, two-wheeled, open vehicle, popular in Ireland from the early 19th century. It was unusual in having......
jeep, outstanding light vehicle of World War II. It was developed by the U.S. Army Quartermaster Corps and was......
jib, in sailing ships, triangular sail rigged to a stay extending from the foremast, or foretopmast, to the bowsprit......
junk, classic Chinese sailing vessel of ancient unknown origin, still in wide use. High-sterned, with projecting......
Juno, U.S. space probe designed to orbit the planet Jupiter. The probe is named for a Roman goddess, the female......
Kaguya, Japan’s second unmanned mission to the Moon, launched by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency in September......
Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Ltd., major Japanese manufacturer of transportation equipment and machinery and an important......
kayak, one of the two common types of canoe used for recreation and sport. It originated with the Eskimos of Greenland......
keel, in shipbuilding, the main structural member and backbone of a ship or boat, running longitudinally along......
kite, oldest known heavier-than-air craft designed to gain lift from the wind while being flown from the end of......
KLM, Dutch airline founded on Oct. 7, 1919, and flying its first scheduled service, between Amsterdam and London,......
Korea Space Launch Vehicle-1 (KSLV-1), series of South Korean launch vehicles that were designed to launch Earth-orbiting......
Kosmos, any of a series of uncrewed Soviet and then Russian satellites launched from the early 1960s to the present......
Kuiper Airborne Observatory (KAO), a Lockheed C-141 jet transport aircraft specially instrumented for astronomical......
Kursk submarine disaster, one of Russia’s most serious naval disasters. WHEN: August 12−13, 2000 WHERE: Barents......
Kwangmyŏngsŏng, any of a North Korean series of satellites. The first successful satellite, Kwangmyŏngsŏng 3, entered......
Lancaster, the most successful British heavy bomber of World War II. The Lancaster emerged from the response by......
landau, four-wheeled carriage, invented in Germany, seating four people on two facing seats with an elevated front......
landing craft, small naval vessel used primarily to transport and tactically deploy soldiers, equipment, vehicles,......
landing ship, tank (LST), naval ship specially designed to transport and deploy troops, vehicles, and supplies......
Landsat, any of a series of unmanned U.S. scientific satellites. The first three Landsat satellites were launched......
Langley aerodrome No. 5, aircraft designed and built by Samuel Pierpont Langley in 1896, the first powered heavier-than-air......
Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA), European group of three spacecraft that are designed to search for gravitational......
lateen sail, triangular sail that was of decisive importance to medieval navigation. The ancient square sail permitted......
launch, largest of a ship’s boats, at one time sloop-rigged and often armed, such as those used in the Mediterranean......
launch vehicle, in spaceflight, a rocket-powered vehicle used to transport a spacecraft beyond Earth’s atmosphere,......
LCROSS, U.S. spacecraft that was deliberately crashed into the Moon on October 9, 2009, resulting in the discovery......
Lehigh Valley Railroad Company, American railroad whose growth was based on hauling coal from the anthracite mines......
lifeboat, watercraft especially built for rescue missions. There are two types, the relatively simple versions......
light rail transit, system of railways usually powered by overhead electrical wires and used for medium-capacity......
lighter, shallow-draft boat or barge, usually flat-bottomed, used in unloading (lightening) or loading ships offshore.......
lighthouse, structure, usually with a tower, built onshore or on the seabed to serve as an aid to maritime coastal......
lighthouse of Alexandria, one of the Seven Wonders of the World and the most famous lighthouse in antiquity. It......
lightship, marine navigation and warning beacon stationed where lighthouse construction is impractical. The first......
Lilienthal standard glider, monoplane hang glider designed, built, and first flown by the German aviation pioneer......
Link Trainer, airplane cockpit replicated, with full instruments and controls, in such a way that it can be used......
A ship is any large floating vessel capable of crossing open waters, as opposed to a boat, which is generally a......
litter, portable bed or couch, open or enclosed, that is mounted on two poles and carried at each end on the shoulders......