MAGNETIC MOMENTUM
Maglev might sound futuristic, but the first patents for magnetic levitation transport systems were filed in the early 1900s, so it’s hard to tell who invented the maglev train. Those patents became more sophisticated after the World War II, and in 1979 the first maglev train opened for passengers at a transport exhibition in Hamburg. It was called Transrapid 05 and was so popular that its opening times were extended. The world’s first commercial maglev train was a low-speed airport shuttle that ferried passengers between Birmingham’s airport and train stations, but it only operated for 11 years and used a 600-metre track.