In 1873, Andrew Hallidie tested San Francisco’s first cable car on Clay Street, creating a new way to travel up the city’s steep hills without horses

In 1873, Andrew Hallidie tested San Francisco’s first cable car on Clay Street, creating a new way to travel up the city’s steep hills without horses

PC: Cable Car Heritage Museum In August 1873, San Francisco tested a new cable railway system designed to operate on streets where horses struggled with steep grades. Andrew Smith Hallidie tested the first cable car on Clay Street on 2 August, using an endless wire rope placed in a tube below the surface of the … Read more

Children in China’s Nizhuhe village trekked three hours up and down an 800 metre cliff to go to school; now two elevators and a cable car ride have reduced the journey to half hour

Children in China's Nizhuhe village trekked three hours up and down an 800 metre cliff to go to school; now two elevators and a cable car ride have reduced the journey to half hour

For years, going to school was a daily test of endurance for children living in Nizhuhe village in southwest China. Their route to the classroom involved steep mountain paths, narrow trails and an exhausting climb along the side of an 800-metre cliff. The journey could take nearly three hours, with children leaving home before sunrise … Read more