Submission timeline
2007–2026One slot for every year since HN launched. Height is that year's peak points; orange marks a 100+ point or 50+ comment breakout. Select a bar to open its strongest thread.
First comments on top threads
HN comment orderIf you make it big enough, you don't even need the vacuum: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cloud_Nine_(sphere)
The linked articles from the 1887 New York Times are wonderful: "The means by which passengers will be landed en route is also in doubt. Some suggest that they will simply be dropped overboard and their luggage thrown after them, while others maintain that a coil of greased rope for the purposes of descent will be carried on each and every machine." Truly the Hyperloop of its day. http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9904E7D815...
I think this is the logical conclusion a lot of kids come to in science class when learning about buoyancy. I remember asking about the idea and being told the container would have to be too heavy in order to resist the forces. I suspect the real answer is much more complicated. I wonder about the actual possibilities that come with modern material science.
The first top-level comment from each of the four biggest threads, in HN’s own order. Excerpts are shortened; open a comment for full context.
- Breakout years
- 2
- Total points
- 168
- Total comments
- 134
100+ points or 50+ comments
reference only — not used in Hall rules or ranking
reference only — not used in Hall rules or ranking
Every submission
| Date | Title as submitted | By | Points | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014-08-12 | Vacuum airshipFirst breakout | ejr | 56 | 59 |
| 2020-12-02 | Vacuum Airship | as89 | 4 | 0 |
| 2023-02-12 | Vacuum Airship | drclau | 4 | 2 |
| 2023-07-20 | Vacuum AirshipBest thread · Latest 20+ point return | guerrilla | 101 | 73 |
| 2026-01-29 | Vacuum Airship | thunderbong | 3 | 0 |