Author Archives: admin

Largest raft of canoes / kayaks

18 June 2014 by admin
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The largest raft of canoes and kayaks consisted of 1,902 boats and was achieved at the event “One Square Mile of Hope”. The event was sponsored by the Central Adirondack Paddlers Society (CAPS, USA) and took place on Fourth Lake in Inlet, New York, USA, on 24 September 2011. The event raised funds for Susan G. Komen, a grassroot organization raising money for the research and awareness of the prevention of breast cancer.

Largest number of track inversions in a roller coaster

18 June 2014 by admin
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The most track inversions in a roller coaster is 14 on The Smiler, at Alton Towers Resort (UK), in Staffordshire, UK. The roller coaster is due to open to the public on 23 May 2013. The 16 passenger roller coaster cost £18 million (US $27,612,500) to complete and took 3,000 hours to construct. Riders whirl through the 14 inversions at speeds of up to 85 km/h (52.82 mph), with the highest drop reaching 30 m (98.43 ft). In total, the ride lasts 165 seconds as Continue reading →

Highest railway line

18 June 2014 by admin
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The Qinghai-Tibet railway in China, completed in October 2005, is the world’s highest railway. Most of the 1,956-km-long line lies at 4,000 m (13,123 ft) above sea level, with the highest point reaching an altitude of 5,072 m (16,640 ft). Service is due to open to the public in 2007. Passenger carriages will be pressurised like aircraft cabins and oxygen masks will be available. The Qinghai-Tibet Railway links Golmud in northwest China’s Qinghai Province and Lhasa, capital of Tibet Autonomous Region. At its highest point Continue reading →

First recorded strike

18 June 2014 by admin
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The first recorded strike in history took place in ancient Egypt on 14 November 1152 BC when the artisans of the Royal Necropolis at Deir el-Medina organised an uprising. The event, which took place under the rule of Pharaoh Ramses III, was recorded in detail on a papyrus that dates from that time.

First radio transmission

18 June 2014 by admin
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The earliest description of a radio transmission system was written by the American Dr Mahlon Loomis (1826- 1886) on 21 July 1864 and demonstrated between two kites more than 22km 14 miles apart at Bear’s Den, Loudoun County, Virginia in October 1866. He received US patent No. 129,971 entitled Improvement in Telegraphing on 30 July 1872.

Smallest roadworthy car

18 June 2014 by admin
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The smallest roadworthy car is “Wind Up” which measures 104.14 cm (41 in) high, 66.04 cm (26 in) wide and 132.08 cm (52 in). It was created by Perry Watkins (UK) and finished and measured in Wingrave, UK, on 8 May 2009. The body of the car was constructed out of an old Postman Pat coin-in-the slot childrens ride. The car took 7 months to build. The car was finished on the 8th of May this year. The car is registered in tax class PLG and has Continue reading →

Largest wing-in-ground effect (WIG) vehicle

18 June 2014 by admin
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The 540 tonne “Caspian Sea Monster” was the largest wing-in-ground (WIG) effect vehicle (known as ekranoplan in Russian, wingship in US) ever built. This 106 m (348 ft) long leviathan was capable of skimming just meters above the ocean at speeds of up to 500 km/h (311 mph) and was built by the Soviet Central Design Bureau of Hydrofoil Vehicles in Gorky in the mid-1960s. This vehicle was around twice the size of the largest aircraft of its era, with relatively stubby "wings" with a Continue reading →

Largest accordion ensemble

18 June 2014 by admin
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The largest accordion ensemble consisted of 1,137 participants at the 2011 Panonika Harmonika Festival in Cerklje ob Krki, in Slovenia on 8 August 2011. The accordion ensemble was led and conducted by Martin Tezak.

Longest-operating Earth observation satellite

18 June 2014 by admin
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Landsat 5 is an Earth Observation satellite developed by NASA and launched on 1 March 1984 from Vandenberg Air Force Base, California, USA. Managed by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (1984 to 2000) and by the U.S. Geological Survey (2001-13)as part of the Landsat Program, it has completed more than 150,000 orbits of the Earth and sent back more than 2.5 million images of the Earth’s surface. On 21 December 2012 the USGS announced Landsat 5 was to be decommissioned after the failure of Continue reading →

Most entrants in an egg hunt competition

18 June 2014 by admin
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The most entrants in an egg hunt competition is 12,773 and was achieved by The Fabergé Big Egg Hunt, as part of World Record London, in London, UK on 21 February – 1 April 2012. The 209 eggs (approximately 2ft each in size) were hidden around London and included a ‘Where’s Wally?’ egg that moved locations every three days. All eggs were eventually auctioned off for charity. The more eggs participants found, the more chances they had of winning the grand prize of a £100,000 Continue reading →