In the early years of Soviet road safety, one of the first signs to be standardized in 1927 featured a triangle with a bold red outline and a blank white interior. The training manuals of that era called it “Silent Movement.” It served as a quiet but urgent alert, signaling danger that other signs might not yet reveal. The empty center on the board stood for those hidden risks, a visual cue that demanded careful attention from drivers and pedestrians alike as they navigated the new, growing street networks.
Then, a decade later, in 1937, the USSR released an updated standard set of road signs. It was at that time that the exclamation mark was integrated into the system, and the sign itself earned the name “Danger.” This evolution reflected a shift toward more explicit warnings and a clearer language of caution for road users, helping to reduce confusion amid expanding traffic and faster speeds.
Mikhail Kolodochkin has spent many years gathering unusual facts from the history of technology. His interest spans a wide range of topics, including engineering quirks, design choices, and the often overlooked decisions that shaped everyday machines. For example, curious readers may find surprising details about how certain vehicles and devices were conceived and built, offering a glimpse into the ingenuity of past decades.
Questions about these fascinating historical tidbits are welcome to inquisitive minds who enjoy digging into the origins of technology. By examining archival records, manufacturers’ notes, and historical photographs, one can trace how ideas traveled from concept to concrete product.
- Few people know that the production of Zaporozhets began in 1923 at the Krasny Progress plant — though early output consisted of tractors rather than passenger cars, signaling a pivotal shift in industrial focus that would later influence automotive development in the region.
- “Behind the wheel” can be read in Odnoklassniki, a social platform that became a surprising repository for public interest and historical reflection after the rise of modern communications.