The greatest distance run on a treadmill in 12 hours is 124.03 km (77.07 miles), achieved by Chris Solarz (USA) in Edgewater, New Jersey, USA, on 18 January 2014.

Matthew Eddy (USA) travelled across mainland USA in his power wheelchair in 126 days 4 hr 2 min, starting on the shore of the Atlantic Ocean at Red Rock Park on Lynn Beach, Lynn, Massachusetts, on 5 June 2010 and finishing at The Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach, California, USA on 9 October 2010. He crossed 12 states and covered a total of 5,289.92 km (3,287 miles). Matt, who suffers from Duchenne muscular dystrophy, uses a ventilator to breathe and operates his wheelchair Continue reading →

Madonna (USA) holds the record for album sales up to December 2009 of 75 million in the USA and 200 million abroad.

The longest whip ever cracked (i.e. the end made to travel above the speed of sound) is one of 65.83 m (216 ft) excluding the handle, wielded by Adam Winrich (USA) in Fall Creek, Wisconsin, USA, on 24 May 2006.

Harvard, America’s oldest university (established 1636) is also the world’s wealthiest. When assessed in June 2009, Harvard University’s endowment was $26 billion (£15.85 billion), down from $36.9 billion (22.4 billion) the previous year.

The greatest distance travelled while water skiing on two bare hands is 901 m (2,956 ft 11 in) and was set by Wayne Carrels Jr. (USA) at Lake Petersburg, Illinois, USA on 1 September 2013.

Electromagnetic (EM) railguns represent a revolutionary, war fighting capability with the potential to deliver lethal firepower at ranges in excess of 200 nautical miles. An EM gun uses an extremely high current flow to create an electromagnetic force that will propel projectiles at speeds greater than Mach 7.0. On 10 December 2010, at the Naval Surface Warfare Center, Dahlgren, Viriginia, USA, an electromagnetic railgun set a new world record with a 33 megajoule (33 million joules) shot. A single megajoule is approximately the equivalent of Continue reading →

The fire following the April 18, 1906, San Francisco earthquake in the USA cost an estimated US$350 million at the time, equivalent to US$6.862 billion (£4.749 billion) in today’s terms (2001).

The Detroit Lions (USA) set a National Football League (NFL) mark for futility in games played as the visiting team, losing a league-record 26 consecutive road games between November 2007 and December 2010. The Lions broke their own ignominious franchise record; the team had lost 25 road games in a row between 2001 and 2003.

The Seattle Seahawks (USA) became the first division champion in NFL history with a losing record. The Seahawks, despite a 7-9 record, finished in first place in the NFC West division in 2010, and qualified for the postseason as the worst playoff team in league history.