Relics of the oldest canals in the world, dated by archaeologists c. 4000BC, were discovered near Mandali, Iraq early in 1968.

When Andy Green (UK) set the land speed record in 1997 in the Black Rock Desert, it was the first time that anyone on land had gone faster than the speed of sound (usually around 1,236 km/h, or 768 mph) in dry air at 20°C (68°F). The resultant sonic boom shook a school and caused sprinkler covers to fall off in the nearby town of Gerlach. Pilot Green achieved the record 50 years and a day after the sound barrier was broken in the air by pilot Continue reading →

The world’s first passenger-carrying automobile was a steam-powered road vehicle carrying eight passengers and built by Richard Trevithick (1771-1833). It first ran at Camborne, Cornwall on 24 Dec 1801. 

Pat Sullivan’s (USA) Felix the Cat who appeared in 1919 as the animal that `kept on walking’, was not only the first cartoon character to attain the celebrity of a human star but also was the first to be as an image on packaging in 1924. Felix was also merchandised as a phenomenally successful cuddly toy two years later.

The world’s first cash dispenser was installed at Barclays Bank, Enfield, Middlesex, UK, on 27 June 1967.  

The earliest known castle is in the old city of Sana’a, Yemen. Known as Gomdan or Gumdan Castle, it dates from before AD200 and originally had 20 storeys. Castle from the Latin castellum ‘small fortified palace’

The world’s first circular cinema is located in the European Park of the Moving Image at Futuroscope near Poitiers, France. It consists of nine projectors and nine screens covering a total surface area of 272 m² (2,928 ft²). The process enables the projection of nine electronically synchronised films offering a 360° field of vision.

Released on the GameCube in Japan in June 2003, Viewtiful Joe was the first beat-em-up to feature cel-shading, a technique used to make videogame graphics appear hand drawn. Coming at the height of cel-shading mania (kicked off by Jet Set Radio in 2000), Viewtiful Joe combined traditional hand-to-hand combat with “VFX Powers”, which allowed the player to slow down and speed up time. Featured in Guinness World Records Gamer”s Edition 2010

In spring 2009, David de Rothschild (UK), founder of Adventure Ecology, will set sail in a 60-foot catamaran, made from plastic bottles, self-reinforcing plastic (Polyethylene terephthalate) and recycled waste products on a 10,500 nautical mile voyage across the Pacific from San Francisco, USA to Sydney, Australia. The aim of the voyage is to show how waste can be used as a resource by utilising a highly consumed item, such as the plastic bottle, and by sailing through an area of pollution that is popularly termed Continue reading →

Richard G ‘Dick’ Rutan and Jeana Yeager (both USA) circumnavigated the world in a westward direction from Edwards Air Force Base, California, USA, in 9 days from 14 to 23 December 1986 without refuelling. The key to their success was their specially constructed aircraft Voyager, which was designed and constructed by Dick’s brother Burt Rutan, owner of the company Scaled Composites, which achieved the first private space flight during 2004. Their flight took 9 days 3 mins 44 secs and they covered a distance of Continue reading →