Author Archives: admin

Largest superconducting magnet

The Barrel Toroid consists of eight magnet coils in an array 25 m long (82 ft) and 5 m wide (16 ft). It weighs 100 tonnes. Part of the Atlas Detector, it was first tested in 2006 at an operating temperature of -269 C and is designed to use a 4 Tesla magnetic field to bend the paths of particles produced in the collisions in the Large Hadron Collider.

Largest submarine

The worlds largest submarines are the Russian 941 Akula (designated ‘Typhoon’ by NATO) class. The launch of the first at the secret covered shipyard at Severodvinsk in the White Sea was announced by NATO on 23 Sep 1980. The vessels are believed to have a dived displacement of 26,500 tonnes (58.422 million lb), to measure 171.5 m (562 ft 7 in) overall and to be armed with 20 multiple warhead SS-N-20 missiles with a range of 8300 km (4500 nautical miles). It is thought less Continue reading →

Largest structure made of cotton tips (q-tips)

The largest structure made entirely from cotton tips was created by Monika Veidt of Schönebeck, Germany who constructed an armchair using 61,422 cotton tips on 18 April 2002. The chair has a matching lamp and coffee table also made entirely out of cotton tips. The chair has a matching lamp and coffee table also made entirely out of cotton tips.

Largest swap of spies since the end of the Cold War

On 27 June 2010, a group of 10 Russian “sleeper” agents, who had been spying for the Russian Federation’s External Intelligence Agency (SVR), were arrested in New York, USA. After pleading guilty to charges of failing to register as representatives of a foreign government, they were returned to Russia, via Austria, on 8 July 2010, under the terms of what was the largest prisoner swap between Russia and a western democracy since the end of the Cold War. They were exchanged for four Russian nationals, Continue reading →

Largest swamp

Located principally in southwestern Brazil but with small areas within neighbouring Bolivia and Paraguay too, Pantanal (which is Spanish for ‘marshland’) covers a surface area of 150,000 km² (57,915 miles²) (greater than the total surface area of England! During the rainy season (December-May), 80 per cent of Pantanal is flooded, and it contains the greatest diversity of water plants in the world. As Sudd in Sudan has sometimes been referred to as the world’s largest swamp. However, even in high flood waters its total area Continue reading →

Largest table tennis bat

The largest Table tennis bat measures (8.83 ft) tall, has a diameter of (5.83 ft) and its handle is (3.46 ft) tall. It was created by Todd Thomas (USA) and was presented and measured at the DFW Table Tennis Club in Irving, Texas, USA, on 3 May 2010. The bat is (2.75 in) thick at the blade and (21 in) thick at the handle. There are a total of 4,682 pips on both sides. It is constructed from wood and rubber, just like a regular Continue reading →