MUST-301 Lessons

As students come into the classroom, they can see lots of interesting contraptions along the walls - wheeled objects and broomsticks alike are available to inspect and compare. When Professor Soleil comes into the room though, the students quickly take their seats.

Hello! I hope that you were able to look at some of the artefacts that I brought in for class today. Some may be familiar to you, and some may not… but never fear, I will be discussing them all in depth today. Today’s topic is transportation, and I hope you are all ready to take plenty of notes!

Just like any person, Muggles need to get places. Whether that be a commute to their respective school or workplace, or a faraway land for a holiday, moving oneself to another spot is an integral part of everyone’s life. Beginning this year, you are able to take Magical Transportation, an entire class devoted to the various ways magical people move from one place to another. But of course, some of the magical transportation devices in that class are not ones that Muggles use.

Around you, you’ll see Muggle transportation modes that you may recognize. While these are Muggle inventions, some of them are used by witches and wizards as well. I’ve been told that you’ll touch on them in your Magical Transportation class so I will not go over them fully here, but nevertheless, feel free to examine them more closely. 

Bicycles (sometimes referred to as bikes or cycles) are two wheeled vehicles that are powered only by the pedaling of one’s feet. While their look has changed and adapted greatly over the years since their invention in the early nineteenth century, the mechanism still remains the same. Bicycles are good for people, Muggle or otherwise. Everyone that enjoys being out in nature or likes having a more healthy way of travel would like cycling. This is because the rider has to do most of the work to make the bike move, making it a great way to exercise!  

Scooters are another form of transportation that is more of a form of entertainment than it is for serious travel. It works by standing on the platform one-footed thusly, then pushing off with the other foot. Sometimes one can find a scooter that is powered by electricity, but often it is a recreational toy you might see young Muggle children playing with. Although, admittedly I find it quite fun as well!

The common thread between the bicycle and the scooter is that they are both forms of ground transportation. That means they move via the ground as opposed to another way, such as the broomstick in the air. There are other forms of ground transportation though, some of which you should be familiar with.

Beep Beep

Before the invention of any sort of vehicle, Muggles had to rely on their own feet or on animals to get anywhere far. Certain animals were bred and domesticated over the years for this very purpose, the main one being the horse. 

Horses are very large and strong animals that can carry a human on their back for a long while, transporting the person practically any distance. But any one horse can really only transport one human at a time, thus the carriage (also referred to as a buggy) was created. The buggy is a cart the horse pulls behind it that allows it to hold multiple people or cargo. However, this also had complications as the heavier the load got, the more work on the horse! Usually the horse and buggy system would be operated by one to two horses, but larger carriages sometimes required more. Horses and buggies were most commonly used in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, but one may still see them today as forms of entertainment. They can also be seen being used by people that believe in old-world technologies, such as the Amish. 

From the horse and buggy came a more efficient way to travel. A device that nearly every home in the Muggle world has  is an automobile, and at times, one home may have multiple. The automobile is also known as a car, which is short for carriage. Coming from the Greek word ‘auto’ (meaning ‘self,’ think autograph, autobiography) and Latin word ‘mobilis’ (meaning ‘moving’), it literally means a machine that can move itself. This may not seem to be an impressive feat to us, people that have grown up with either cars or flying broomsticks, but at the time of its invention it was a massively important discovery. 

The car as we know it was invented by the German designer Karl Benz (a name that is still used in the luxury car brand Mercedes-Benz) in 1885. However, there were other forms of automobiles before his model, they were just not as practical. The modern car operates by a combustion engine, but previous iterations were powered by more infeasible materials such as steam. A combustion engine works by burning a fuel source (in the case of modern cars, that would be gasoline or petrol) which powers the mechanics inside the device. Engines as a whole are incredibly fascinating but a bit complicated; they are usually studied by skilled professionals called engineers. As you are not engineers, I will not go into depth about the innards of a car, but suffice it to say, the invention of one was quite the achievement!

The insides of a car are intricate, and so is the handling of one. Getting inside is the easy part, but if you were to find yourself behind the wheel you’d be a bit overwhelmed with all the levers and buttons. I am from a Muggle family with plenty of car-drivers and admittedly even I find the method of driving a bit confusing! Since it is difficult to operate one of these machines, and because there is the likelihood of hurting someone if you do not know what you are doing, Muggles have to acquire licenses in order to drive a car. 

Licenses are essentially permits that someone can receive saying that they are allowed to do something. In this case, it is the ability to operate an automobile. A license is usually given to those that have passed tests demonstrating that they know what they are doing. 

In magic history, there was a time in the United States in which wand permits were required by law to demonstrate that you were knowledgeable enough to handle one. The Ministry of Magic also required anyone that wanted to leave the UK to have a travel permit on them. These permits and licenses are used to keep everyone safe, in the same way car driver’s licenses do. If the Muggle demonstrates that they know how to operate this large piece of machinery, then they can do so and travel with it wherever they wish.  

Get Your Tickets Ready

While cars are vehicles that are intended for one person or one family, there are modes of transport that are for a larger number of people. These are generally referred to as public transportation, as they are vehicles for the public and funded by the public through taxes. The most common examples are ones that you will likely have heard before, as we use them in the wizarding world as well: the bus (like the Knight Bus) and the train (like the Hogwarts Express). 

In both magical and Muggle versions of the train and bus, you will have to purchase a ticket in order to ride it. These can be purchased the day of at convenient kiosks located at the train or bus station, or you may purchase a ‘pass’ that covers many rides, if you plan on taking the bus or train very often. 

There are many reasons to use public transportation rather than a personal car. First, it is significantly cheaper to pay for a bus or train ticket than buying a car and its fuel. It also helps reduce the amount of vehicles on the road, which is better for the environment. And of course, it is a good alternative for those that do not have a car or license to drive one. So if you find yourself in an area that allows you to use public transportation, don’t be afraid to try it out! Many attendants are present at bus and train stations to help you where you need to go, as the process is a little chaotic at times. 

Conclusion

And that ends today’s lecture on transportation. This is actually only the first part in our discussion on the topic, as next week we will be taking a look at some other forms of transportation. Before then though, I have a bit of homework I’d like for you to do for me. I have a short opinion essay for you to complete and then our first midterm of the course. If you have any questions about any of the assignments, please feel free to contact me. 

Sources:

http://paintermommy.com/on-the-move-with-boys-scooters 

https://www.livestrong.com/article/103079-lose-weight-cycling/ https://www.cbsnews.com/media/7-of-the-best-cars-for-2018/3/ 

https://www.co.rice.mn.us/gallery.aspx?PID=46 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Car#History

https://www.spannerhead.com/2012/10/31/3-car-interior-likes/ 

http://harrypotter.wikia.com/wiki/MACUSA_Application_for_Wand_Permit 

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Hogwarts_Express_(16658835527).jpg 

http://harrypotter.wikia.com/wiki/Hogwarts_Express_ticket