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We often overlook the colors of the objects in our daily lives. Yet, we'd quickly notice if they were suddenly in an unusual color. Imagine a blue school bus, a green airplane, or a car with red tires, or even brown traffic lights.
This happens because we're subconsciously conditioned to expect certain colors for specific things—white for airplanes, black for car tires, and yellow for school buses. These colors are often chosen for practical reasons, or sometimes due to historical quirks.
10. The Reason Traffic Lights Are Red, Yellow, and Green
The traffic light was originally designed for trains. At first, it only featured two colors: red for stop and white for go. Later, green was added to signify caution. Initially, it was red for stop, green for caution, and white for go.
The white light soon became problematic because train drivers often confused it with distant stars or other lights. Train companies realized this issue and switched the white light to green. Thus, red signaled stop and green indicated go. When vehicles began using traffic lights, road traffic regulators followed suit.
A yellow light was added to signify caution. The choice of yellow was due to its wavelength, which is shorter than red but longer than green. This difference in wavelengths is why red is the most visible from a distance. Yellow is more visible than green but not as noticeable as red.
9. The Reason Taxis Are Yellow
Yellow has become the iconic color for taxis, though local regulations sometimes allow other hues. For example, New York mandates yellow taxis, while other areas have different requirements. Why yellow? The answer lies with John Hertz, the founder of the Hertz rental car company.
Taxis weren’t always yellow. In fact, the first New York taxis came in various colors, especially red and green. This changed after John Hertz launched his taxi service in Chicago in 1915. Hertz funded research to find the most visible color for a vehicle.
The study confirmed that yellow was the best choice. Thus, the yellow taxi was born. Other taxi companies quickly followed Hertz’s lead and began painting their vehicles yellow. The color became so prevalent that states like New York passed laws requiring all taxis to be yellow.
Interestingly, Hertz wasn’t the first to paint his taxis yellow. In 1909, Albert Rockwell took that step. He even named his company the Yellow Taxicab Co. in 1912. However, his reason for choosing yellow wasn’t practical—he simply picked it because his wife liked the color.
8. Why School Buses Are Yellow With White Tops and Black Lettering
US law mandates that all school buses be yellow, specifying a color known as 'school bus yellow.'
School bus yellow is an official color, a mix of yellow and orange, named after the vehicles themselves. Prior to this, buses were painted a lemon-like yellow. The distinct school bus yellow was chosen at a 1939 conference focused on defining the standards for US school buses.
During the conference, attendees agreed that yellow was the most visible color for vehicles. Studies have shown that yellow objects can be spotted even if they are not in direct view. Originally referred to as the 'national school bus chrome,' it was later renamed 'school bus yellow.'
Yellow school buses often feature black lettering because black contrasts most effectively against yellow. The tops of these buses are typically white, which, in some contexts, is considered the absence of color, as it reflects sunlight better than darker colors. Darker hues tend to absorb heat, warming the buses inside.
7. Why Fire Trucks Are Red
Red was once the standard color for fire trucks, but today, they come in a variety of shades, depending on local regulations and the fire department. The exact reason fire engines were originally red remains unclear, with various explanations, some of which contradict each other.
Some sources suggest that fire trucks were initially red because it was the cheapest paint available. Fire departments were often staffed by unpaid volunteers who had limited funds, so they painted their vehicles with the most affordable paint they could find.
A second theory, which contradicts the first, suggests that the first red fire truck was the result of a rivalry between firefighting departments. At the time, these departments were typically staffed by volunteers. Each department wanted to stand out, so they opted for the most expensive paint available, which happened to be red.
A third theory claims that early fire trucks were painted red so that they would be easily seen by other drivers. Red was chosen because it was highly visible at a time when most vehicles were black. However, this theory is disputed, as colors like yellow and lime green are actually more visible than red.
6. The Reason Zebra Crossings Are Black and White
In the late 1940s, the British government launched a nationwide experiment to identify the best colors for pedestrian crossings. This initiative was prompted by a series of accidents involving pedestrians and vehicles.
At that time, motor vehicle ownership in Britain was rapidly increasing, and drivers often hit pedestrians who were unaccustomed to sharing the roads with cars. Although pedestrian crossings were created, they were ineffective because the crossings were marked with nearly invisible metal studs, which did little to prevent accidents.
The government later decided to replace the metal studs with colored markings and conducted an experiment to determine the most visible color scheme for the roads. They found that black and white provided the best visibility, allowing drivers to see it from a greater distance. It also made pedestrians crossing the road more noticeable, as the contrasting colors helped them stand out.
The term 'zebra crossing' was coined after Jim Callaghan, a member of parliament at the time, visited a black-and-white pedestrian crossing during the experiment and remarked that it looked like zebra stripes. The first official zebra crossing was introduced on October 31, 1951.
5. Why Fire Hydrants Were Red
Fire hydrants were traditionally red, but they now come in a variety of colors. Many are painted bright colors to make them more visible to pedestrians, but the choice of color isn't purely random.
The paint on fire hydrants can indicate the water source they are connected to. A yellow hydrant shows it is linked to the public water system, while a violet one signifies a connection to a lake or pond. In some cases, the color may also indicate how much water the hydrant can supply per minute.
The most powerful fire hydrants are marked in blue, as they can deliver at least 5,680 liters (1,500 gallons) of water per minute. Green hydrants provide between 3,785 to 5,680 liters (1,000 to 1,500 gallons) per minute. Orange hydrants supply 1,890 to 3,785 liters (500 to 1,000 gallons) per minute, and red hydrants deliver less than 1,890 liters (500 gallons) per minute.
4. Why Airplanes Are White
The majority of civilian airplanes are painted white, and there are several reasons behind this. One significant factor is the cost of paint. A typical paint job can cost anywhere between $50,000 to $200,000, which can be prohibitive for budget airlines purchasing used airplanes. White paint also requires less maintenance, which further helps reduce expenses.
White is a preferred color because it reflects sunlight, helping to keep the airplane cooler. Darker colors, by contrast, absorb heat, which would make the interior of the plane warmer. Additionally, white minimizes the impact of radiation and safeguards crucial parts of the aircraft, such as the nose cone, where the radar is often housed.
A white exterior also helps maintenance crews easily spot cracks, dents, or leaks. It makes the plane more visible to birds, reducing the risk of air strikes. Furthermore, white airplane components are easier to identify if there's a crash, whether on land or water.
3. Why Tires Used To Be White But Are Now Black
Tires were originally white because natural rubber itself is white. However, these early tires were not very durable. They wore down quickly, offered poor handling, and cracked when exposed to ultraviolet rays from the sun. To address these issues, tire manufacturers began adding carbon black to their products around 1917.
The introduction of carbon black solved many of the problems associated with white tires. This is why modern black tires can last for tens of thousands of miles, while their white counterparts barely reached 8,000 kilometers (5,000 miles) before needing replacement. Of course, carbon black also gave the tires their signature black color.
2. Why Soccer Balls Were Reddish-Brown And Then Black And White
The first leather soccer balls were reddish-brown because natural leather has that color. Manufacturers typically kept the color as it was. The reddish-brown soccer ball remained in use for the World Cup until 1970, when it was replaced by the iconic black-and-white version.
FIFA commissioned Adidas to create the black-and-white ball because the World Cup was being broadcast on television more widely at that time. The contrasting colors made it easier for viewers to follow the ball on their black-and-white TVs. The black sections also helped viewers track its movement more easily.
Adidas named this new ball the 'Telstar,' a shortened form of 'television star.' However, some sources suggest that the ball was named after the Telstar satellite, which was used to broadcast the World Cup matches globally.
1. Why Toilet Paper Is White
Toilet paper is almost always white because it undergoes a bleaching process. This is the same reason regular writing paper is white. Without bleaching, both types of paper would have a brownish-gray appearance.
We know that regular paper is bleached white to make the writing on it easy to see, but why do they do this with toilet paper? Bleaching is an additional cost, and toilet paper is a one-time-use product. So what’s the reason behind it?
There are two main reasons. First, manufacturers bleach paper to eliminate lignin, a substance that makes trees stiff—and it has the same effect on paper. Nobody wants stiff toilet paper, so they bleach it to make it softer.
The second reason is psychological. People associate the color white with cleanliness. As a result, even toilet paper made from recycled paper is bleached white, even though it may not contain lignin. Unbleached paper would come in various colors and shades since it is sourced from different materials.
