Design facts and facts about designs.
34 facts on this shelf
Dachshunds were bred with long bodies and short legs so they could dig into badger burrows and chase the animals underground. Their shape is basically a piece of hunting equipment, not just a cute design.
Over the years, the Toyota Corolla has been sold as a sedan, hatchback, wagon, coupe, and even a crossover, the Corolla Cross.
The Honda Civic has been sold as a sedan, hatchback, coupe, and wagon over the years.
Toyota sold a coupe and convertible version of the Camry called the Camry Solara.
The first Toyota RAV4 came as a three-door model.
The first Toyota RAV4 used car-like unibody construction rather than a truck's body-on-frame design.
The C8 Corvette, introduced for the 2020 model year, was the first production Corvette with a mid-engine design.
The first Chevrolet Corvette was designed under GM design chief Harley Earl.
The Porsche 911 was designed by Ferdinand Alexander "Butzi" Porsche.
The seven-slot grille is a trademark of the Jeep brand.
Jeep hides small Easter eggs in its vehicle designs.
Tesla released a refreshed Model Y, code-named "Juniper," in 2025.
A compass rose is the star-shaped design on maps and compasses that shows directions, and traditional ones mark 32 points.
Inventor Elisha Gray filed paperwork for a similar telephone design at the patent office on the same day as Alexander Graham Bell, which led to years of legal fights.
The Missionaries of Charity registered the blue-bordered sari design as intellectual property.
The Hang is made of two steel shells joined together, giving it a UFO-like shape.
A waterphone is made of a stainless steel bowl with bronze rods around the edge and water inside.
Some saws made for music don't have teeth.
The Otamatone is shaped like a musical eighth note.
The Otamatone comes in deluxe and jumbo versions.
Michelangelo designed the dome of St. Peter's Basilica.
Salvador Dalí designed the Chupa Chups lollipop logo.
Andy Warhol designed the banana cover for the Velvet Underground's debut album.
Susan Kare designed the card backs for Windows Solitaire.
At age 12, Ada Lovelace designed plans for a flying machine.
The Golden Gate Bridge's famous "International Orange" color began as primer, but the architect liked how it blended with the landscape and stood out in fog.
The Golden Gate Bridge is designed to sway up to about 27 feet in strong winds.
The Burj Khalifa's Y-shaped design was inspired by a desert flower called the Hymenocallis.
The Channel Tunnel is actually three tunnels: two for trains and one service tunnel.
George and Robert Stephenson's locomotive, the Rocket, won the 1829 Rainhill Trials and set the basic design for steam locomotives for the next 150 years.
Inventor Elisha Gray filed paperwork for a telephone design on the same day as Bell in 1876, which led to years of legal battles.
The first jet-powered airplane to fly was Germany's Heinkel He 178 in 1939, though British engineer Frank Whittle had patented a jet engine design in 1930.
Stethoscopes with two earpieces appeared in the 1850s.
Cardiologist David Littmann designed a popular modern stethoscope in the 1960s.