The fastest torpedo is Russia’s Shkval (or Squall), initially revealed in 1995 and developed by the Moscow Sergo Ordzhonikidze Aviation Institute, Russia. This rocket-propelled reaches a top-speed of approximately 230 mph (100 m/sec) with an estimated range of 6.8 km (4.2 miles). This makes it three to four times faster than regular torpedos. Other conversions of speed: 360 kph, 200-knots. It measures 533 mm (2 in) diameter and 8.23 m (27 ft) long. This missile is pilot-guided rather than having a homing device. It is Continue reading →

The Ig Nobel Prizes began in 1991 and are awarded for seemingly trivial or amusing advances in research. They are organised by the Annals of Improbable Research, a US publication which takes a humorous approach to science. Andre Geim (Russia), won an Ig Nobel in 2000 for levitating a frog using magnets. Geim then won a Nobel Prize in Physics in 2010 for his research into graphene.

The world´s first farm devoted to the domestication and rearing of the moose (Alces alces) – the world´s biggest species of deer – primarily for milk and cheese production is Kostroma Moose Farm in Kostroma Oblast, Russia. An experimental moose farm was launched in 1949 by Yevgeny Knorre and the staff of the Pechora-Ilych Nature Reserve outside Yaksha in Russia´s Komi Republic. Then in 1963, Kostroma´s Moose Farm was established, where a herd of free-ranging semi-domesticated moose is maintained. It presently includes 10-15 milk-producing moose Continue reading →

During the Cold War research was conducted by both the USA and the Soviet Union into military aircraft that could stay aloft for months at a time, powered by a nuclear reactor. The USA used a converted B-36 bomber which flew 47 test flights between 1955 and 1957. An onboard nuclear reactor was operational during some of these tests but never powered the aircraft. The Soviets performed similar experiments from 1961 to 1965 using a Tupolev Tu-119. Both projects were ultimately cancelled.

The first modern Olympics, held in Athens in 1896, hosted just 43 events across nine sports, the fewest in Olympic history. However, as interest in the Games spread and more nations began taking part, so the number of sports and individual events grew. London 1908 was the first Games to breach the 100-event barrier, with 110 events across 22 sports, but it would be another 72 years before the 200 mark was passed, with Moscow 1980 hosting 203 events across 21 sports. In 2000, the Continue reading →

The greatest weight lifted with the hair (male) is 81.5 kg (179 lb 10.82 oz) and was achieved by Abdurakhman Abdulazizov (Russia) in Zubutli-Miatli, Republic of Dagestan, Russia, on 16 November 2013. Remarkably, Abdurakhman Abdulazizov was 83 years old when he successfully set this Guinness World Records title.

The official FAI (Fédération Aéronautique Internationale) altitude record is 37,650 m (123,523 ft), by Alexandr Fedotov (USSR) flying a highly modified MIG-25 ‘Foxbat’ (designated E266M) from Podmoskovnoe Aerodrome, Russia, on 31 August 1977. The altitude was reached during a near-vertical climb. See also Highest altitude in horizontal flight.

Mongol: The Rise to Power of Genghis Khan (2008) has taken $5.7 million (£3.2 million) in the USA and $26.5 million (£16.5 million) worldwide.

The world’s costliest civil war, in terms of the number of lives lost during combat and in events directly relating to the war, is the Russian Civil War of 1917-22. It is estimated that the former Soviet Union lost 939,755 soldiers, and over 8 million civilians died following armed attacks, famine and disease. The Russian Civil War was a direct result of the 1917 October Revolution which resulted in the down-fall of the Tsar. The main sides in the conflict were the anti-Bolsheviks (Whites) and Continue reading →

The highest-ever personal majority for any politician has been 4,726,112 in the case of Boris Nikolayevich Yeltsin (b. February 1, 1931), the people’s deputy candidate for Moscow, in the parliamentary elections held in the Soviet Union on March 26, 1989. Yeltsin (later President of the Russian Federation) received 5,118,745 votes out of the 5,722,937 which were cast in the Moscow constituency, his closest rival obtaining 392,633 votes. Benazir Bhutto (b. June 21, 1953) achieved 98.48% of the poll in the Larkana-III constituency at the 1990 Continue reading →