Continuing without stopping or pausing.
Originally a railroad term from the 1840s describing trains that didn't make scheduled stops at smaller stations. The concept was revolutionary because early trains stopped at every single station along the route. Airlines adopted the term in the 1930s for direct flights, and it gradually spread to describe any continuous activity.
Before 'nonstop' existed, the idea of traveling long distances without stopping was almost unimaginable - even stagecoaches had mandatory rest stops every few miles. The word represents humanity's growing obsession with speed and efficiency that began with the Industrial Revolution.
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