Commonest element Hydrogen is the commonest element in both the Universe (over 90%) and the Solar System (70.68%). Iron is the commonest element in the earth, accounting for 36% of the mass, whilst molecular nitrogen (N2) is the commonest in the atmosphere at 78.08% by volume or 75.52% by mass.
According to the World Health Organisation, the most common cause of death in children worldwide in 2010 was pneumonia, which kills an estimated 1.6 million children every year – more than AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis combined.
The most common puzzle game for Nintendo DS is Sudoku, the classic number puzzle, which has been released in 20 different versions for the platform as of November 2010. Featured in Guinness World Records Gamers Edition 2011
The television set in its earliest and most primitive form is based on a cathode ray tube, in which electrons are emitted from a hot metal cathode, accelerated by electric fields and directed by magnets onto the inside of the screen, making the individual pixels glow to form a moving image. Estimates of the number of these ‘domestic particle accelerators’ range from 1 to 2 billion globally.
A language isolate is a spoken language which has no discernable origins or commonality with any other spoken language, either current or extinct. Basque is the most common, spoken by the Basque people of the Basque country, northern Spain/southern France. This language is spoken by around 600,000 people.
The most common first language is Chinese, spoken by more than 1.1 billion people. The `common speech’ (Pûtônghuà) is the standard form of Chinese, with a pronunciation based on that of Beijing. The most widespread, as well as the second most spoken language, is English, with a conservative estimate of 800 million speakers. Of these, some 310 million are native speakers, mainly in the US (about 270 million) and the UK (60 million). The third most spoken language is Spanish.
Although they share around 95% of their DNA with us, compared to 98.9% for the pygmy chimp, pigs are considered to the most compatible animals for potential organ transplants into humans. This is because pig organs are more similar in size to human organs, and there is a risk of AIDS from primate organs. Also, there are more ethical problems with the use of primates compared to pigs – eg, in the western world we rear pigs to eat, but not monkeys.
The longest winning streak in UEFA Champions League matches is 11 games by FC Barcelona in the 2002-03 season. With this run Barcelona equalled Ajax’s record in all European competitions, set in the European Cup Winners Cup in 1987-88
Lee Chin-Yong (Korea), achieved 612 chin-ups at Jongmyo Park, Seoul, South Korea on 29 December 1994. Aged 70, he completed them in 2 hr 40 min. Palms faced outwards.
The most consecutive head spins is 25 and was achieved by B-girl Roxy aka Roxanna Milliner (UK), in the UK B-Boy Championships – World Finals at the O2 Academy Brixton in London, United Kingdom, on 10 October 2010. The B-Boy Series attracted competitors from all over the world.