The Oldest Living Tree Is 5,067 Years Old — Older Than the Egyptian Pyramids
Methuselah, a Great Basin bristlecone pine in California, was already 1,000 years old when the Pyramids of Giza were bui…
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Records
World records and feats that push the limits of what is possible
10 Amazing Stories
The Deepest Hole Ever Drilled Was Abandoned When the Earth Became Too Hot to Continue
The Kola Superdeep Borehole, drilled by the Soviet Union, reached 12,262 meters underground — but had to be abandoned …
A Diamond Found in a Field Was Used as a Doorstop for Years Before Anyone Noticed
The Eureka Diamond — discovered by a 15-year-old boy in South Africa in 1866 — was used as a doorstop for years befo…
Da Vinci's "Salvator Mundi" Sold for $450 Million — the Most Expensive Painting Ever
In 2017, Leonardo da Vinci's "Salvator Mundi" sold for $450.3 million at Christie's. It had been bought 12 years earlier…
The World's Largest Library Has 170 Million Items — and Adds 12,000 New Ones Every Day
The U.S. Library of Congress holds approximately 170 million items including books, films, recordings, and manuscripts. …
Usain Bolt's 100m World Record Means He Was Running 27.8mph — Faster Than Most Cars
Usain Bolt's 9.58-second 100m world record from 2009 averages out to 23.4mph. But during the middle of the race, his pea…
The Longevity Record Holder — Jeanne Calment — Lived 122 Years and 164 Days
Jeanne Calment of France lived 122 years and 164 days — the longest verified human lifespan. She remembered meeting Vi…
Krakatoa's 1883 Eruption Was the Loudest Sound in Recorded History — Heard 3,000 Miles Away
When the Indonesian volcano Krakatoa erupted in 1883, it produced a sound so loud it was heard 3,000 miles away. The sho…
Mount Everest Is Not the Tallest Mountain — Mauna Kea in Hawaii Beats It by Two Miles
Mount Everest is the highest mountain above sea level. But Mauna Kea in Hawaii — measured from its base on the ocean f…
The Largest Living Organism Is a Honey Fungus Spanning 2,385 Acres in Oregon
Beneath the Malheur National Forest in Oregon, a single honey fungus organism — Armillaria ostoyae — covers 9.6 km²…