#askunb

Clouds float because their water is not sitting in one giant bucket. It is spread out as billions of tiny water droplets or ice crystals. Each droplet is so small that air can hold it up for a long time, especially when gentle rising air pushes upward. Clouds can contain a lot of water, but that water spreads across a huge space. When the droplets join together and become heavy enough, they fall as rain.

Those brushes on the side of an escalator are not for cleaning your shoes. They are safety brushes. They help push your feet, clothes, bags, or laces a little away from the skirt area, which is the side panel next to the moving steps. That side area is there because the escalator needs a fixed wall around the moving steps and inner machinery, and the steps also need a tiny gap so they can move smoothly without rubbing and getting stuck. If that side panel was not there, the moving parts would be more exposed, which would be much less safe. And if there was no small gap, the steps could scrape the sides, causing friction, damage, or jams. So the gap is necessary, but the brushes help remind people not to stand too close to it.

In 1999, Mexia Supermarket in Fort Worth, Texas was abandoned with food still inside the building. After the power went out, meat, dairy, and produce rotted in the heat, creating a terrible smell and attracting flies, rats, and other pests. The Fort Worth Health Department declared the store a health hazard. Cleanup crews wearing protective gear then spent about two weeks removing the spoiled food, fumigating the building, and cleaning the site. The case later appeared on Life After People as a real example of what can happen when a grocery store is left abandoned.

When the cruise ship MTS Oceanos sank off South Africa in 1991, the engine room flooded and the ship lost power. The captain and some crew members left while many people were still on board. Instead of freezing, the ship’s entertainers stepped up. Musicians, a magician, and other staff helped radio for help, guide passengers, and keep the rescue moving until helicopters and nearby ships arrived. In the end, all 571 people on board were safely rescued.

Airplane windows do not always line up with seats because the windows are built into the aircraft body, but the seats are arranged later by the airline. Airlines can choose different cabin layouts, seat spacing, business-class sections, extra-legroom rows, galleys, and lavatories. That means the same type of plane can have different numbers of seats depending on the airline.

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