In 1979, the first stage version of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy had the entire audience wafted 1/2000th-of-an-inch above the floor aboard an industrial hovercraft during set changes. Zaphod Beeblebrox was portrayed by two actors inside one large costume. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ken…
Avon Fire and Rescue Service have a hovercraft dedicated to helping people who have got stuck in the mud or exhausted from walking on the beach in Weston-Super-Mare. avonfire.gov.uk/north-som…
The owner of a brand name can lost their legal protection for it if people started using it as the common or generic name for a type of product or service. This is what happened to Cellophane, Escalator, Flip Phone, Frisbee, Hovercraft, Kerosene, Sellotape, Trampoline, and Videotape. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lis…
Today I learned of the Russian 'Zubr' class hovercraft, a 555 ton monstrosity powered by 5 engines with a combined output of ~60,000 horsepower. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zub…
From 1954 to 1975, Hoover sold a small spherical vacuum cleaner that acted as a hovercraft; it lacked wheels and floated on its downward-facing exhaust. They worked well on both carpeted and hardwood floors. A modern version was sold in the US and UK from 2006 to 2009. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vac…
Real hovercrafts called "Ionocrafts" exist, flying by ionizing the air around them. However they only exist on the small scale because of the high voltage they require to operate. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ion…
The British military developed one of the first hovercraft as a military program to provide an all terrain amphibious military vehicle. But they were beaten by a rural doctor from Illinois who did not even know the program existed. He simply wanted a way to reach patients during winter weather. youtube.com/watch?v=1sDMO…
There is a school in Wisconsin that uses hovercrafts to get children to and from school when the ice bridge isn't sturdy enough. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ice…
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