15 fascinating things you don't know about Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport

For most of us, the airport is just a brief, stress-filled stop on our way to someplace else.

But Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport is a fascinating destination in and of itself: A mini city that never sleeps, a hub of international cargo, an incredibly sophisticated law enforcement operation.

An average of 275,000 passengers travel through Hartsfield every single day and to keep the well-oiled machine running, it takes a lot of moving parts.

Here are some pretty cool things you probably don't know about Hartsfield:

1. Hands off the knives: At all of the airport's 100 restaurants, any sharp utensils have to be tethered to tables and accounted for so people can't smuggle them onto flights.

2. Speaking of things you don't want to wind up on a plane: This replica of The Walking Dead's "Lucille" -- discovered in a carry-on bag last year -- is one of the many odd things people have tried to carry on to planes. Note to travelers: You may want to check that mace.

3. We had no idea: The plane trains are orange, y'all. Passengers typically only see the slick metal doors when boarding the plane trains -- but behind the silver tube they are a jolly bright orange.

4. Um, feels: Customs officials train rescued beagles to sniff out illegal goods because of their amazing sense of smell and chill attitude. They are rewarded with treats. Lots of treats.

5. Remember these "marijuana limes"? Food packaging is a common way for smugglers to get drugs into the country so all imported food is thoroughly inspected.

6. One bad apple: Be vigilant about what you pack to snack on. One diseased piece of fruit you pack in your bag can cause millions of dollars in damage to crops in the U.S and an invasive species can wreak havoc on native flora and fauna (think kudzu). Customs agents who specialize in agriculture carefully inspect all produce for disease and invasive bug species.

7. Rethink that brass knuckle purse: Some of the more common items that end up getting confiscated are brass knuckles, mace, corkscrews and household tools. When in doubt, check it.

8. World's strangest lost and found? If you do get something confiscated from customs, it might get re-sold. The airport works with surplus supply stores, which take thousands of pounds of merchandise that didn't make it onto the plane and either gets rid of it or sells it at auction.

9. Close to home: Atlanta is within a two-hour flight of 80 percent of the United States population, which goes a long way toward explaining why Hartsfield-Jackson has become such a bustling airport.

10. Taking (on) the heat: When planes land and are being prepared for the next flight, this yellow hose is inserted to keep the plane the right temperature while it's not running. It pumps heat in the winter and cool air when it's hot out so passengers always board a cozy flight.

11. Game of Thrones or Hartsfield? The workers who direct planes where to park are called "wing walkers." We're going to go ahead and call it and say that's one of the world's coolest job titles.

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12. Made for speed: The land the on which the airport was built was once home to a racetrack named the Atlanta Speedway. The original name of the airport was Candler Field and the first flight took off in 1926.

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13. ATL is #1: Hartsfield-Jackson has been named the busiest airport in the world every year since 1998, based on number of passengers and number of flights.

14. Need a job? The airport is Georgia's largest employer, with over 63,000 employees. But don't bother to apply if you've committed a serious crime. Workers with felonies are prohibited from employment.

15. Did we mention ATL is #1? Hartsfield-Jackson has the tallest air traffic control tower in North America at 398 feet. It is the fourth tallest in the world.

Cox Media Group