The Arctic tern (Sterna paradisaea) migrates the greatest distance of any bird species, breeding north of the Arctic circle and then flying south to the Antarctic for the northern winter and back again, a round trip of approximately 80,467 km (50,000 miles). They make this journey to spend a second summer in the sourthern hemisphere so they can use the long daylight hours for feeding. Most terns travel by sea, feeding as they go, but some do take overland routes such as the Marsh tern Continue reading →

The maximum known extension of a human neck is 40 cm (15.75 in) and was created by the successive fitting of copper coils, as practiced by the women of the Padaung or Kareni tribe of Myanmar (Burma) as a sign of beauty. Their necks eventually become so long and weak that they cannot support their heads without the coils. In some tribes the coils are removed to punish women who have committed adultery. Only initial discomfort is reported after the coils are set, yet the Continue reading →

The longest natural arches in the world are both in Utah, USA, which span openings of equal width. Landscape Arch, in Arches National Park, and Kolob Arch, in Zion National park, both stand over openings 94.5 m (310 ft) wide. Landscape Arch is the more dramatic as it spans an open gully and narrows to only 5 m (16 ft) thick, while Kolob Arch stands close to a high cliff face.

To celebrate the launch of their new route from Dubai, UAE, to São Paulo, Brazil, the Emirates airline created a video commercial lasting 14 hr 40 min – the same length of time as the journey itself. It features Fernando Ferreira (Brazil, aka Non-Stop Fernando), who talks (without cuts) for the entire time about the delights of his home country and the benefits of flying Emirates. Interested viewers are able to watch a short trailer for the commercial through Fernando’s own page on YouTube (http://uk.youtube.com/profile?user=nonstopfernando ) while Continue reading →

The common bedbug (Cimex lectularius), which feeds upon human blood is famously able to survive without feeding for more than a year. However the soft tick (Ornithodoros turicata) (which spreads the spirochaete that causes relapsing fever) can survive for periods of up to five years without food.

The longest known palindromic word is saippuakivikauppias (19 letters), which is Finnish for a dealer in lye (caustic soda). A palindrome is a word or phrase where the letters read backwards, give the same word or phrase, eg: the phrase ‘Madam I’m Adam’, with the reply ‘Eve’.Some baptismal fonts in Greece and Turkey bear the circular 25-letter inscription NIYON ANOMHMATA MH MONAN OYIN, meaning wash (my) sins, not only (my) face. This appears at St Marys Church, Nottingham, at St Pauls, Woldingham, Surrey and at Continue reading →

Miss Millicent Barclay who was born on 10 Jul 1872, three months after the death of her father, Col. William Barclay, became eligible for a Madras Military Fund pension to continue until her marriage. She died unmarried on 26 Oct 1969, having drawn the pension for every day of her life  –  97years 3months.

In a nail-biting finish, the final of the 2005 Namibian Cup had to be settled by a record-breaking 48 penalty kicks, with KK Palace holding their nerve to defeat the Civics 17–16 following a 2–2 draw in normal time. A number of players on each side had to take three spot kicks in the shootout, which lasted almost as long as the game.

In February 2009, a man in Brazil’s Distrito Federal carried out a 10-hour stand-off with local police, holding a 60-year-old woman hostage with a SEGA Light Phaser – the light gun used to play rail shooters such as Gangster Town, Hang On and Missile Defence 3D on the Master System. Thankfully, the incident ended without the woman being harmed. Featured in Guinness World Records Gamer”s Edition 2010

The world’s longest crude oil pipeline is the Interprovincial Pipe Line Inc. installation, which spans the North American continent from Edmonton, Alberta, Canada through Chicago to Montreal: a distance of 3787.2km 2353 miles. Along the length of the pipe, 82 pumping stations maintain a flow of more than 254,000 m3 1.6 million barrels a day.