Book of knowledge

About the world, countries, rivers, land, constructions, Knowledge management, Knowledge is power

1. The Bo ok of
Kevin Raja
Knowledge is Power
Francis Bacon
KNOWLEDGE

2. The Book of
KNOWLEDGE
E-book
edition 1
August 2020

3. ANIMALS 125
Biggest, heaviest, tallest, smallest and more
70
First man in space
45
Longest Bridge in the World
15
Shortest River in the World
133
Smallest Fish
124
Most Olympic Medals
39
Largest Building Area
67
Oldest Person
143
Wonders of the World
SPORT 122
Successes, achievers, record setters and more
MAN-MADE… 36
Longest, heaviest, tallest, biggest and more
WONDERS OF THE WORLD 143
What are they?
21
Deepest Lake in the World
64 / 63
Tallest & Shortest Men
7
Smallest Island
14
Deadliest River
33
Youngest Planet
40
Largest Hotel
41
Largest Manmade Fountain
WORLD & SPACE 4
Biggest, highest, longest, tallest and more
INVENTORS 79
Inventors and founders
PEOPLE 62
Discoverers, achievers, statistics and more
77
Youngest Female Pilot
132
Largest Fish
Y THE CONFUSION 146
Between the common ones
PHOBIAs 153
Some common phobias
QUICK SEARCH 160
Correct in 2020

4. World
AsiaisEarth'slargestandmost
populouscontinent,locatedprimarilyin
theEasternandNorthernHemispheres.It
sharesthecontinentallandmassof
EurasiawiththecontinentofEuropeand
thecontinentallandmassofAfro-Eurasia
withbothEuropeandAfrica.Asiacovers
anareaof44,579,000squarekilometres
(17,212,000sqmi),about30%ofEarth’s
totallandareaand8.7%oftheEarth’s
totalsurfacearea.Its4.5billionpeople
(asofJune2019)constituteroughly60%
oftheworld'spopulation,morethanall
othercontinentscombined.
Smallest
Continent
in the World
Country: AUSTRALIA
Capital: Canberra
Area: 7,692,024 sq. km
Population: 25,640,500 (2020 est)
Density: 3.3 / sq. km
Currency: Australian Dollar
Biggest Continent
in the World
Number of Countries: 48
Area: 44,579,000 sq. km
Population: 4,560,667,108 (2018)
Density: 100 / sq. km
Biggest: Asian portion of Russia
Most Populated: China
Smallest & Least Populated:
Maldives
Australiaisacountry
comprisingthemainlandofthe
Australiancontinent,theisland
ofTasmania,andnumerous
smallerislands.Itisthelargest
The Book of Knowledge 4
AccordingtotheUN,thereare48countriesinAsia.AsianportionofRussia
beingthelargestandChinabeingthemostpopulatedwhereasMaldivesbeing
thesmallestandleastpopulated.
Singaporeismostdensely
populatedcountryand
Mongoliaisleastdensely
populatedcountryinAsia.
countryinOceaniaand
theworld’s6thlargest
countrybytotalarea.
Thepopulationof26
millionisurbanisedand
heavilyconcentratedon
theeasternseaboard.

5. World
Biggest Country
in the World
Country: RUSSIA
Capital: Moscow
Area: 17,098,246 sq. km
Population: 146,748,590
(2020 est)
Density: 8.4 / sq. km
Currency: Russian Ruble
VaticanCity
isanindependent
city-stateenclaved
withinRome,Italy.
Establishedwiththe
LateranTreaty(1929)
Smallest Country
in the World
Country: VATICAN CITY
Area: 0.49 sq. km
Population: 825 (2017 est)
Density: 924 / sq. km
Currency: Euro
The Book of Knowledge 5
RussiaortheRussianFederationisaEuropeancountrylocatedin
EasternEuropewithavastexpanseofterritorythatstretchesacrossNorthern
Asia.At17,098,246squarekilometres,itisbyfarthelargestcountryinthe
(110acres),andapopulationofabout1,000,itisthesmallestsovereign
stateintheworldbybothareaandpopulation.
itisdistinctfrom,yetunder"full
ownership,exclusivedominion,and
sovereignauthorityandjurisdiction"ofthe
HolySee.Withanareaof44hectares
On26December1991,formerSovietUnionwasdissolvedto15sovereign
nations.TogetherwithRussia,14othercountriesareArmenia,Azerbaijan,
Belarus,Estonia,Georgia,Kazakhstan(largestlandlockedcountry),Kyrgyzstan,
Latvia,Lithuania,Moldova,Tajikistan,Turkmenistan,UkraineandUzbekistan.
worldbyarea,coveringmorethanone-eighth
oftheEarth'sinhabitedlandarea,spanning
eleventimezones,andbordering16
sovereignnations.TheyareAzerbaijan,
Belarus,China,Estonia,Finland,Georgia,
Japan,Kazakhstan,Latvia,Lithuania,
Mongolia,NorthKorea,Norway,Poland,
Ukraine,USA(Alaska).

6. World
Largest
Island Country
in the World
INDONESIA
Capital: Jakarta
Area: 1,904,569 sq. km
Population: 267,670,543
(2018 est)
Density: 138 / sq. km
Currency: Indonesian Rupiah
Indonesia,isatranscontinental
countryinSoutheastAsiaandOceania,
betweentheIndianandPacificoceans.Itis
theworld'slargestislandcountry,with
about18,307islands,andat1,904,569
squarekilometres(735,358squaremiles),
the14thlargestbylandareaand7thinthe
combinedseaandlandarea.Withover
267millionpeople,itistheworld's4thmost
populouscountry,afterChina,Indiaand
USA,aswellasthemostpopulousMuslim-
majoritycountry.Java,theworld'smost
populousisland,ishometomorethanhalf
ofthecountry'spopulation.Thecountry's
capital,Jakarta,isthesecond-most
populousurbanareaintheworld.
The Book of Knowledge 6
Smallest
Island Country
in the World
NAURU
Capital: Yaren
Area: 21 sq. km
Population: 10,670 (2018 est)
Density: 480 / sq. km
Currency: Australian Dollar
Nauru,isanislandcountryin
Micronesia,asubregionofOceania,inthe
CentralPacific.Itsnearestneighbouris
BanabaIslandinKiribati,300kmtothe
east.ItfurtherliesnorthwestofTuvalu,
1,300kmnortheastoftheSolomonIslands,
east-northeastofPapuaNewGuinea,
southeastoftheFederatedStatesof
MicronesiaandsouthoftheMarshall
Islands.Withonlya21sq.kmarea,Nauru
isthethird-smallestcountryintheworld
Vaticanbehind City,andMonaco,makingitthe
smalleststateintheSouthPacificOcean,the
smalleststateoutsideEurope,thesmallestisland
state,andthesmallestrepublic.Additionally,its
populationof10,670istheworld'sthirdsmallest,
afterVaticanCityandTuvalu.

7. World
Largest Island
in the World
GREENLAND
Capital: Nuuk
Sovereign State: Denmark
Area: 2,166,086 sq. km
Population: 56,081 (2020 est.)
Density: 0.028 / sq. km
Greenland,istheworld's
largestisland,locatedbetweenthe
ArcticandAtlanticoceans,eastofthe
CanadianArcticArchipelago.Itisan
autonomous territorywithinthe
KingdomofDenmark.Thoughphysio-
graphicallyapartofthecontinentof
NorthAmerica.Greenlandisthe
world'slargestnon-continentalisland
andthethirdlargestareainNorth
AmericaafterCanadaandUSA.
Australia,withaland
areaof7,692,024sq.
km,isbiggerthan
Greenland.Butitis
consideredtobea
continentandnotan
island.
Smallest Island
with a building,
in the World
TheBishopRockisavery
smallisletintheAtlanticOceanknownfor
itslighthouse.Itisinthewesternmostpart
oftheIslesofScilly,anarchipelago45km
offthesouthwesterntipoftheCornish
peninsulaofGreatBritain.TheGuinness
BookofRecordslistsitastheworld's
smallestislandwithabuildingonit.
Therockrisesfromadepthof45meterto
exposeatip46meterslongby16meters
wide.
Theoriginalironlighthousewasbegunin
1847butwaswashedawaybeforeit
couldbecompleted.Thepresentbuilding
wascompletedin1858andwasfirstliton
1Septemberthatyear.Beforethe
installationofthehelipad,visitorstothe
lighthousewouldrappelfromthetop(with
winchesinstalledatthelamplevelandat
thebasebelow)toboatswaitingaway
fromthelighthouse.
The Book of Knowledge 7

8. World
Most Populated
Country in the
World
Country: CHINA
Capital: Beijing
Area: 9,596,961 sq. km
Population: 1,400,050,000
(2019 est)
Density: 145 / sq. km
Currency: Renminbi
VaticanCityistheleastpopulatedcountryintheWorld.As
mentionedonpage5,withanareaof44hectares(110acres),anda
populationofabout825,itisthesmallestsovereignstateintheworldbyboth
areaandpopulation.
The Book of Knowledge 8
Least Populated
Country in the
World
Country: VATICAN CITY
Area: 0.44 sq. km
Population: 1,000 (2017 est)
Density: 2272 / sq. km
Currency: Euro
China,officiallythePeople'sRepublicofChina(PRC),isacountryinEast
Asiaandistheworld'smostpopulouscountry,withapopulationofaround
1.428billionin2018.Coveringapproximately
9,600,000sq.km(3,700,000sqmi),itisthe
thirdlargestcountrybyarea.Governedbythe
CommunistPartyofChina,thestateexercises
jurisdictionover22provinces,fiveautonomous
regions,fourdirect-controlledmunicipalities
(Beijing,Tianjin,Shanghai&Chongqing),and
thespecialadministrativeregionsofHong
KongandMacau.

9. World
Most Densely
Populated Country
in the World
Country: MONACO
Capital: Monaco-Ville
Area: 2.1 sq. km
Population: 38,300 (2019 est)
Density: 18,713 / sq. km
Currency: Euro
Least Densely
Populated Country
in the World
Country: MONGOLIA
Capital: Ulaanbaatar
Area: 1,566,000 sq. km
Population: 3,353,470 (2020 est)
Density: 2.07 / sq. km
Currency: Togrog
The Book of Knowledge 9
Mongoliaisalandlockedcountryin
EastAsia,sandwichedbetweenRussiato
thenorthandChinatothesouth,At
1,564,116sq.km,itisthe18th-largestand
themostsparselypopulatedsovereign
stateintheworld,withapopulationof
around3millionpeople.Itisalsothe
world'ssecond-largestlandlockedcountry
behindKazakhstan
andthelargest
landlockedcountry
thatdoesnotborder
aclosedsea.
Monaco,officiallythePrincipalityof
Monacoisasovereigncity-state,country,
andmicrostateontheFrenchRivierain
WesternEurope.Francebordersthecountry
onthreesideswhiletheothersideborders
theMediterraneanSea.Monacoisabout15
km(9.3mi)fromthestateborderwithItaly.
Monacohasanareaof2.2sq.km,makingitthesecond-smallestcountryin
theworldaftertheVatican.Itspopulationasof2019is38,300.Itisthemost
densely-populatedsovereignstateintheworld.Monacohasalandborderof
5.47kmtheworld'sshortestcoastlineofapproximately3.83km(2.38mi)
(regardlessofthecoastlineparadox),andawidththatvariesbetween1,700
and349m(5,577and1,145ft).

10. World
Most Populated
City in the World
TokyoThecapitalofJapan,ithouses
theEmperorofJapanandtheJapanese
government.TokyoformspartoftheKantō
regiononthesouth-easternsideofJapan’s
mainisland,Honshu,andincludestheIzuandOgasawaraIslands.
TOKYO
Country: Japan
Main Island: Honshu
Area: 2,194.07 sq.km
Population: 37,469,000
Density: 6,349 / sq. km
Most Densely
Populated City
in the World
MANILA
Country: Philippines
Area: 42.88 sq.km
Population: 1,780,148
Density: 41,515 / sq. km
Manilathecapitalofthe
Philippinesandahighlyurbanizedcity.
Manilaisalsothesecondmostnatural
disaster-afflictedcapitalcityinthe
worldnexttoTokyo,yetitis
simultaneouslyamongthemost
populousandfastestgrowingcitiesin
SoutheastAsia
Itisthemostpopulousregionofthe
country,oneofthemostpopulous
urbanareasintheworld,andisoneof
thewealthiestregionsinSoutheast
Asia.Thecityproperishometo
1,780,148peoplein2015andisthe
historiccoreofabuilt-upareathat
extendswellbeyonditsadministrative
limits.With71,263peoplepersq.km,
Manilaisalsothemostdensely
populatedcityproperintheworld.
The Book of Knowledge 10
Asof2019,thepopulationofTokyowas
estimatedtobeover13.9million,makingit
Japan'smostpopulousprefecture.The
metropolitanareaistheworld'smostpopulous
withabout40millionpeopleaswellasthe
world'slargesturbanagglomerationeconomy.

11. World
Richest Country
in the World
Country: QATAR
Capital: Doha
Area: 11,581 sq. km
Population: 2,795,484 (2020 est)
Density: 176 / sq. km
Currency: Riyal
GDP (per capita): $138,910
The Book of Knowledge 11
QatarofficiallytheStateofQatar,isa
countrylocatedinWesternAsia,occupying
thesmallQatarPeninsulaonthenorth-
easterncoastoftheArabianPeninsula,
withitssolelandborderwithSaudiArabia
tothesouth,withtherestofitsterritory
surroundedbythePersianGulf.TheGulfof
Bahrain,aninletofthePersianGulf,
separatesQatarfromnearbyBahrain.
Thecountryhasthehighestpercapita
incomeintheworldwithahigh-income
Burundiisalandlockedcountryin
theGreatRiftValleywheretheAfrican
GreatLakesregionandEastAfrica
converge.ItisborderedbyRwandato
thenorth,Tanzaniatotheeastand
southeast,andtheDemocraticRepublic
oftheCongotothewest;Lake
Tanganyikaliesalongitssouthwestern
border.
Itisalandlocked,resource-poorcountry
withanunderdevelopedmanufacturing
sector
economy,backedbytheworld’sthirdlargest
naturalgasreservesandoilreserves.Mostof
thecountryconsistsofalow,barrenplain,
coveredwithsand.ThehighestpointinQataris
QuraynAbualBawlat103m.TheJebel
DukhanareaalsocontainsQatar'smain
onshoreoildeposits,whilethenaturalgasfields
lieoffshore,tothenorthwestofthepeninsula.
Poorest Country
in the World
Country: BURUNDI
Capital: Gitega
Area: 27,834 sq. km
Population: 11,865,821 (2020 est)
Density: 401.6 / sq. km
Currency: Burundian franc
GDP (per capita): $727 (2019 est)
.Theeconomyispredominantlyagricultural,accountingfor50%of
GDPin2017andemployingmorethan90%of
thepopulation.Studiessince2007haveshown
Burundianstohaveextremelypoorlevelsof
satisfactionwithlife;theWorldHappiness
Report2018ratedthemtheworld'sleasthappy
in2018.OtherpoorercountriesareCongoDR,
CentralAfricanRepublic,Liberia,Niger,Somalia
andSouthSudan.

12. World
Highest Mountain
in the World
MOUNT EVEREST
Range: Himalayas
Countries: Nepal and China
Elevation: 8,848 m (29,029 ft)
1
st
ascent: 29 May 1953 by
Edmund Hillary and
TenzingNorgay
Highest Waterfall
in the World
ANGEL FALLS
Country: Venezuela
Total height: 979 m
Number of drops: 2
Longest drop: 807 m
The Book of Knowledge 12
MountEverestisEarth'shighestmountainabovesealevel,
locatedintheMahalangurHimalsub-rangeoftheHimalayas.Theinternational
borderbetweenNepal(ProvinceNo.1)andChina(TibetAutonomousRegion)
runsacrossitssummitpoint.Therearetwo
mainclimbingroutes,oneapproachingthe
summitfromthesoutheastinNepaland
theotherfromthenorthinTibet.Everest
presentsdangerssuchaswind,altitude
sicknessandweatheraswellassignificant
hazardsfromavalanchesandtheKhumbu
Icefall.Asof2019,over300peoplehave
diedonEverest,manyofwhosebodiesremainonthemountain.
HeritagesiteintheGranSabanaregionofBolívarState.
Theheightfigure,979m(3,212ft),mostlyconsistsofthe
mainplungebutalsoincludesabout400metres(1,300ft)
ofslopedcascadeandrapidsbelowthedropanda
30-metre(98ft)highplungedownstreamofthetalusrapids.
ThefallsarealongaforkoftheRioKerepacupaiMeruwhich
flowsintotheChurunRiver,atributaryoftheCarraoRiver,
itselfatributaryoftheOrinocoRiver.
AngelFallsisawaterfallin
Venezuela.Itistheworld'shighest
uninterruptedwaterfall,withaheightof
979metres(3,212ft)andaplungeof807m
(2,648ft).Thewaterfalldropsovertheedge
oftheAuyán-tepui
mountain in the
CanaimaNationalPark,
aUNESCOWorld

13. World The Book of Knowledge 13
Largest Waterfall
(vertical area)
in the World
VICTORIA FALLS
Countries: Zambia & Zimbabwe
Width: 1708 m
Total Height: 108 m
Number of drops: 2
Av. Flow Rate: 1088 cubic m/s
Greatest
Waterfall
(annual flow)
in the World
VictoriaFalls"TheSmoke
ThatThunders"isawaterfallonthe
ZambeziRiverinsouthernAfrica,
whichprovideshabitatforseveral
uniquespeciesofplantsandanimals.It
islocatedontheborderbetween
ZambiaandZimbabwe.Itisneither
tallestnorthewidestwaterfallinthe
world,butitisthelargestbyvertical
area.At1,708mwideand108mhigh,
itcreatesasheetoffallingwaterwith
anareaofaround184,400sq.m.
BoyomaFalls,formerlyknownas
StanleyFalls,isaseriesofsevencataracts,
eachnomorethan5m(16ft)high,extending
overmorethan100km(62mi)alongacurveof
theLualabaRiverbetweentheriverporttowns
ofUbunduandKisangani(alsoknownas
Boyoma)intheOrientaleProvinceofthe
DemocraticRepublicoftheCongo.
Thesevencataractshaveatotaldropof61m
(200ft).Theyformthelargestwaterfallby
volumeofannualflowrateintheworld,
exceedingboththeNiagaraFallsandthe
IguazuFalls.
Thetwomajorcataractsarethefirstbelow
Ubundu,forminganarrowandcrookedstream
thatishardlyaccessible,andthelastthatcan
beseenandvisitedfromKisangani.Atthe
bottomoftherapids,theLualabaisknownas
theCongoRiver.A1m-gaugeportagerailway
bypassestheseriesofrapids,connecting
KisanganiandUbundu
BOYOMA FALLS
Country: DR Congo
Location: Lualaba River
Height: 61 m (200 ft)
Average Width: 1,400 m
(4,500 ft)
Average Flow rate:
16,990 cubic m/s

14. World
Largest River
in the World
AMAZON RIVER
Countries: Brazil, Colombia, Peru
Length: 6,575 km
Width: maximum 100 km (62 mi)
minimum 1 km (0.62 mi)
Depth: maximum 100 m (330 ft)
minimum 20 m (66 ft)
Discharge: maximum 340,000 cubic m / s
Basin Size: 7,050,000 sq. km
Max Discharge: 340,000 cubic m / second
Source: Rio Mantaro, Peru
Mouth: At Brazil to Atlantic Ocean
The Book of Knowledge 14
TheAmazonRiverinSouth
Americaisthelargestriverbydischarge
volumeofwaterintheworld,andbymost
accepteddefinitionsitisthe
2
nd
longestriverintheworld,
aftertheNileRiver.
Itisgreaterthanthenext
sevenlargestindependent
riverscombined—theAmazon
represents20%oftheglobal
riverinedischargetothe
ocean.TheAmazonbasinis
thelargestdrainagebasinin
theworld.
Therearenobridgesacross
tiretheenwidthoftheriver.Thisisnot
becausetheriverwouldbetoowideto
bridge;formostofitslength,itis
possibletobuildabridgeacrossthe
rivereasily.Formostofitscourse,the
riverflowsthroughtheAmazon
Rainforest,wherethereareveryfew
roadsandcities.Mostofthetime,the
crossingcanbedonebyaferry.
Deadliest River
in the World
ZAMBEZI RIVER
Countries: Zambia, Angola,
Namibia, Botswana,
Zimbabwe, Mozambique
Length: 2,574 km
Basin Size: 1,390,000 sq. km
TheZambeziisthe4
th
longestriverin
Africa,thelongesteast-flowingriverinAfrica
andthelargestflowingintotheIndianOcean
fromAfrica.TheZambezi'smostnoted
featureisVictoriaFalls,world’slargest
waterfall.TheZambeziisconsideredtobe
theworld'smostdangerousriver.Itis
pepperedwithunexplodedmines,killer
rapidsanddeadlyanimals.Hippopotamus,
Nilecrocodile,monitorlizard,Africanfish
eagle,heron,pelican,egret,buffalo,zebra,
giraffe,elephantandfisheslikecatfish,
tigerfish,yellowfishandthebullsharkalso
knownastheZambezisharkaresomeofthe
speciesfoundattheZambeziriver.

15. World
Kuokanjoki,shortestriverinFinlandis
3.5meterslong,connectingtolakeSumiainen.
Longest River in the World
NILE RIVER
Countries: Egypt, Sudan, South Sudan,
Ethiopia, Uganda, Congo, Kenya,
Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi
Length: 6,650 km
1
st
Source: White Nile, Burundi
2
nd
Source: Blue Nile, Lake Tana, Ethiopia
Mouth: Nile Delta, Egypt to Mediterranean
Sea
TheNileisamajornorth-flowingriverinnorth-easternAfrica,andisthe
longestriverintheworld.TheNile,whichisabout6,650kmlong,isan
"international"riverasitsdrainagebasincovers11countries.Inparticular,the
NileistheprimarywatersourceofEgyptandSudan.TheNilehastwomajor
tributaries–theWhiteNileandtheBlueNile.TheWhiteNileisconsideredto
betheheadwatersandprimarystreamoftheNileitself.TheBlueNile,
however,isthesourceofmostofthewater,containing80%ofthewaterand
silt.TheWhiteNileislongerandrisesintheGreatLakesregionofcentral
Africa,withthemostdistantsourcestillundeterminedbutlocatedineither
RwandaorBurundi.ItflowsnorththroughTanzania,LakeVictoria,Ugandaand
SouthSudan.TheBlueNilebeginsatLakeTanainEthiopiaandflowsinto
Sudanfromthesoutheast.ThetworiversmeetjustnorthoftheSudanese
capitalofKhartoum
However,theBraziliangovernmentsaysthattheAmazonRiverislongerthan
theNile.TheAmazonRiveristhelargestriverbydischargevolumeofwaterin
theworld,andbymostaccepteddefinitions.
ItisgenerallyacceptedthattheNileistheoldestriverintheworld,yetbased
ongeologicalevidence,theFinkeRiverinAustraliacanalsomakeaclaimthat
itistheoldestriverintheworld.
Shortest River
in the World
KUOKANJOKI
Country: Finland
Length: 3.5 m
The Book of Knowledge 15

16. World
TheFinkeRiver,incentralAustralia,1
of4mainriversoftheLakeEyreBasinandsaid
tobetheoldestriverbedintheworld.Itflowsfor
onlyafewdaysayearandwhenthishappens,
itswaterusuallydisappearsintothesandsofthe
SimpsonDesert,rarelyifeverreachingLake
Eyre.Itiscitedastheoldestriverintheworld.
Itsagehasbeendeducedfromobservationand
analysisofvariousfactorsinthegeologyofthe
area.InplacessuchastheJamesRange,the
Finkeflowsthroughdeeplyincisedmeanders.As
meandersonlyformonflatplains,therivermust
haveformedbeforetherangeswerepushedup;
thishappenedinamountainbuildingevent
referredtoastheAliceSpringsOrogenywhich
peakedbetween400and300millionyearsago
Periods
Youngest River
in the World
ROE RIVER
Country: Montana, USA
Length: 61 m
isonly61mlongatitslongestconstantpoint,
hadbeennamedastheWorld'sShortestRiverbytheGuinnessbookof
WorldRecordsbeforeGuinnesseliminatedtheshortestrivercategory.
Towardsitsmouth,theRoeisabout1.8–2.4mdeep.
AsuccessfulcampaigntogettheRoeRiverrecognizedintheworld
originatedin1987withfifth-gradestudentsofteacherSusieNardlingerat
LincolnElementarySchoolinGreatFalls.Theriverwasunnamedatthetime,
sothestudentsfirsthadtopetitiontheUnitedStatesBoardonGeographic
Namestoaccepttheirproposedname,RoeRiver,thensubmittheirproposal
toGuinness,asashortestriver.Guinnessapparentlyneverruledonthe
dispute,leavingtheclaimbytheRoestand,butinsteadchosetonolongerlist
ashortestriver,possiblyasaresultofthisongoingdispute.
Oldest River
in the World
FINKE RIVER
Country: Australia
Length: 750 km
The Book of Knowledge 16
TheRoeRiverruns
fromGiantSpringstothe
MissouriRiver.TheRoeRiver
and
DevoniantoCarboniferous ,bothwithinthePaleozoicEra)

17. World
Largest Ocean
in the World
PACIFIC OCEAN
Surface Area: 165,250,000 sq. km
Average Depth: 4,280 m
Max Depth: 10,911 m
Water Volume: 710,000,000 cubic km
ThePacificOceanisthe
largestanddeepestofEarth'soceanicdivisions.ItextendsfromtheArctic
OceaninthenorthtotheSouthernOceaninthesouthandisboundedbythe
continentsofAsiaandAustraliainthewestandtheAmericasintheeast.
At165,250,000sq.kminarea,thislargestdivisionoftheWorldOcean—and,
inturn,thehydrosphere—coversabout46%ofEarth'swatersurfaceand
about1/3ofitstotalsurfacearea,makingitlargerthanallofEarth’slandarea
combined.ThecentresofboththeWaterHemisphereandtheWestern
HemisphereareinthePacificOcean.TheequatorsubdividesitintotheNorth
PacificOceanandSouthPacificOcean.Itsmeandepthis4,000meters.
ChallengerDeepintheMarianaTrench,locatedinthewesternnorthPacific,is
thedeepestpointintheworld,reachingadepthof10,928meters(35,853
feet).ThePacificalsocontainsthedeepestpointintheSouthernHemisphere,
theHorizonDeepintheTongaTrench,at10,823meters.Thethirddeepest
pointonEarth,theSirenaDeep,isalsolocatedintheMarianaTrench.
Deepest Trench
in the World
TheMarianaTrenchislocated
inthewesternPacificOceanabout200km
eastoftheMarianaIslands;itisthedeepest
trenchintheworld.Itiscrescent-shapedandmeasuresabout2,550kmin
lengthand69kminwidth.Themaximumknowndepthis10,994m,atthe
southernendofasmallslot-shapedvalleyinitsfloorknownastheChallenger
Deep,reachedbyVictorVescovoon29April2019.However,some
unrepeatedmeasurementsplacethedeepestportionat11,034metres.By
comparison:ifMountEverestwereplacedintothetrenchatthispoint,itspeak
wouldstillbeovertwokilometresunderwater.
The Book of Knowledge 17
Atthebottomofthetrenchthewatercolumn
aboveexertsapressureof1,086bars(15,750
psi),morethan1,071timesthestandard
atmosphericpressureatsealevel.Atthis
pressure,thedensityofwaterisincreasedby
4.96%.Thetemperatureatthebottomis1to4°C.

18. World
Smallest Ocean
in the World
ARCTIC OCEAN
Area: 14,056,000 sqkm
Coastline: 45,390 km
The Book of Knowledge 18
TheArcticOceanisthesmallest,
shallowestandcoldestoftheworld’s5major
oceans,andalsoseenasthenorthernmost
partoftheall-encompassingWorldOcean.
TheArcticOceanoccupiesaroughlycircular
basinandalmostthesizeofAntarctica.Itis
theonlyoceansmallerthanRussia.Itispartly
coveredbyseaicethroughouttheyearand
almostcompletelyinwinter.Thetemperature
ofthesurfaceisfairlyconstant,nearthe
freezingpointofseawater.BecausetheArctic
Oceanconsistsofsaltwater,thetemperature
mustreach−1.8°Cbeforefreezingoccurs.
AverageJulytemperaturesrangefromabout
−10to+10°C,withsomelandareas
occasionallyexceeding30°Cinsummer
TheIndianOcean
isthe3
rd
largestocean.Itisthe
warmestoceanintheworld.
ThewatersoftheIndian
Oceanhavetemperatures
ranging
Coldest Ocean
in the World
Warmest Ocean
in the World
ATLANTIC OCEAN
Area: 106,460,000 sqkm
Max. Depth: 8,376 m
Coastline: 111,866 km
Saltiest Ocean
in the World
INDIAN OCEAN
Area: 70,560,000 sqkm
Max Depth: 7,258 m
Coastline: 66,526 km
TheAtlanticOceanisthe2
nd
largestoftheworld'soceans.Itcovers
approximately20%ofEarth's
surfaceandabout29%ofits
watersurfacearea.Itisthe
saltiestmajorocean;surface
watersalinityintheopen
oceanrangesfrom33to37
bypartsperthousand(3.3–3.7%)massandvarieswithlatitudeandseason
between22and28°Contheupper
layeroftheocean

19. World
Largest Sea
in the World
PHILIPPINE SEA
Surface Area: 5.695 million sq. km
Max Depth: 10,540 m
ThePhilippineSea,the
largestseaintheworldisamarginal
seaeastandnortheastofthe
Philippinesoccupyinganestimated
surfaceareaof5.7millionsq.km.The
PhilippineSeaPlateformsthefloorof
thesea,whichformsaportionofthe
westernNorthPacificOcean.Itis
bordered
Largest Gulf
in the World
GULF OF MEXICO
Location: American
Mediterranean Sea
Basin Countries: USA, Cuba
Mexico
Surface Area: 1,550,000 sq. km
Max Width: 1,500 km
TheGulfofMexicoisaoval
oceanbasinandamarginalseaofthe
AtlanticOcean,largelysurroundedbythe
NorthAmericancontinent.TheGulfof
Mexicoformedapproximately300million
yearsagoasaresultofplatetectonics.
TheGulfofMexicoisthelargestgulfin
theWorld.Ithasacoastlineofabout5,000
km.TheGulfofMexicoisconnectedtothe
AtlanticOceanbytheStraitsofFlorida,
betweenCubaandtheU.S.stateof
Florida.USportionoftheGulfcoastline
spans2,700km,receivingwaterfrom33
majorriversthatdrain31states.TheGulf's
southwesternandsouthernshoreslie
alongtheMexicanstatesofTamaulipas,
Veracruz,Tabasco,Campeche,Yucatán,
andthenorthernmosttipofQuintanaRoo.
TheMexicanportionoftheGulfcoastline
spans2,805km.Onitssoutheastquadrant
theGulfisborderedbyCuba.
The Book of Knowledge 19
bythePhilippinearchipelagoonthe
southeast;theMarianas,includingGuam,
Saipan,andTinian,ontheeast;theBoninand
IwoJimaonthenortheast;theJapanese
islandsofHonshu,Shikoku,andKyūshūon
thenorth;theRyukyuIslandsonthe
northwest;andTaiwaninthewest.Philippine
Seahasdeepseatrenches,amongthemthe
PhilippineTrenchandtheMarianaTrench,
containingthedeepestpointontheplanet.
Gulf of Mexico

20. World
CaspianSeaistheworld's
largestinlandbodyofwater,variously
classedastheworld'slargestlakeora
full-fledgedsea.Itisanendorheicbasin
(abasinwithoutoutflows)located
betweenEuropeandAsia,totheeastof
theCaucasusMountainsandtothewest
ofthebroadsteppeofCentralAsia.
Ithasasalinityofapproximately1.2%
(12g/l),aboutathirdofthesalinityof
mostseawater.Itisboundedby
Kazakhstantothenortheast,Russiato
thenorthwest,Azerbaijantothewest,
Irantothesouth,andTurkmenistanto
thesoutheast.
ThewideandendorheicCaspianSea
hasanorth–southorientationandits
mainfreshwaterinflow,theVolgaRiver,
entersattheshallownorthend.Two
deepbasinsoccupyitscentraland
southernareas.Theseleadtohorizontal
differencesintemperature,salinity,and
ecology.TheCaspianSeaspreadsout
overnearly1,200kilometresfromnorth
tosouth,withanaveragewidthof320
km.Itcoversaregionofaround386,400
sq.kmanditssurfaceisabout27m(89
ft)belowsealevel.
Largest Lake
in the World
CASPIAN SEA
Countries: Azerbaijan, Iran,
Kazakhstan, Russia, Turkmenistan
Surface Area: 371,000 sq. km
Max Length: 1,030 km
Max Width: 435 km
Average Depth: 211 m
Max Depth: 1,025 m
Water Volume: 78,200 cubic km
Shore Length: 7,000 km
The Book of Knowledge 20
SuperiorLake(Canada-USA)-
largestoftheGreatLakesby
volume,havingmorewaterthanthe
other4combined.Thelargest
freshwaterlakeintheworldby
surfacearea.
HuronLake(Canada-USA)-
containsManitoulinIsland,the
world'slargestlakeisland.
TanganyikaLake(Africa)-longest
freshwaterlakeintheworldand
second-largestbyvolume
MalawiLake(Africa)-Hasmore
speciesoffishthananyotherlake
intheworld

21. World
Deepest & Oldest
Lake in the World
LAKE BAIKAL
Countries: Russia, Mongolia
Surface Area: 31,722 sq. km
Average Depth: 744.4 m
Max Depth: 1,642 m
Water Volume: 23,615.39 cubic km
LakeBaikal,etymologically
meaning,inMongolian,"NatureLake"
isariftlakelocatedinsouthern
Siberia,Russia,betweenIrkutsk
OblasttothenorthwestandtheBuryat
Republictothesoutheast.
LakeBaikalisthelargestfreshwater
lakebyvolumeintheworld,containing
22–23%oftheworld’sfreshsurface
water.With23,615.39cubickmoffreshwater,
itcontainsmorewaterthantheNorthAmerican
GreatLakescombined.Withamaximumdepth
of1,642m(5,387ft),Baikalistheworld’s
deepestlake.Itisconsideredamongtheworld’s
clearestlakesandisconsideredtheworld’s
oldestlake–at25–30millionyears.Itisthe
seventh-largestlakeintheworldbysurfacearea.
Deepest River
in the World
CONGO RIVER
Source: Lualaba River
Mouth: Atlantic Ocean
Length: 4,370 km
Basin Size: 4,014,500 sq. km
Max Depth: 220 m
TheCongoRiver,formerly
knownastheZaireRiverundertheMobutu
regime,isthesecondlongestriverin
Africa,shorteronlythantheNile,aswellas
thesecondlargestriverintheworldby
dischargevolume,followingonlythe
Amazon.Itisalsotheworld'sdeepest
recordedriver,withmeasureddepthsin
excessof220m(720ft).TheCongo-
Lualaba-ChambeshiRiversystemhasan
overalllengthof4,700km,whichmakesit
theworld'sninth-longestriver.The
ChambeshiisatributaryoftheLualaba
River,andLualabaisthenameofthe
CongoRiverupstreamofBoyomaFalls,
extendingfor1,800km(1,120mi).
MeasuredalongwiththeLualaba,themain
tributary,theCongoRiverhasatotallength
of4,370km.Itistheonlymajorriverto
crosstheequatortwice.TheCongoBasin
hasatotalareaofabout4,000,000sq.km,
or13%oftheentireAfricanlandmass.
The Book of Knowledge 21

22. World
Largest Natural Cave
in the World
HANG SON DOONG
Country: Vietnam
Length: approx. 9 km
Depth: max 150 m
Entrances: 2
Hazards: Underground River
VeryovkinaCaveis2,212meters
(7,257ft)deepandthedeepest-knowncave
onEarth.Itsentranceissituated2,309meters
(7,575ft)abovesealevelinAbkhazia,Georgia.
Theentranceofthecavehasacrosssectionof
3m×4m,andislocatedintheArabikaMassif,
GagraMountainRangeoftheWestCaucasus,
onthepassbetweentheKrepostandZont
mountains,closertotheslopesofMt.Krepost.
Thedepthoftheentranceshaftis32meters.
Deepest Cave
in the World
VERYOVKINA CAVE
Country: Georgia
Depth: 2212 m
Length: 17,500 m
The Book of Knowledge 22
HangSonDoongisthe
world'slargestnaturalcave,inPhong
Nha-KẻBàngNationalPark,BốTrạchDistrict,
QuảngBìnhProvince,Vietnam.Locatednear
theLaos–Vietnamborder,HangSơnĐoònghas
aninternal,fast-flowingsubterraneanriverand
thelargestcross-sectionofanycave,worldwide,
asof2009,believedtobetwicethatofthenext
largestpassage.Itisthelargestknowncave
passageintheworldbyvolume.Itsname,
HangSơnĐoòng,isvariouslytranslatedfrom
Vietnameseas'caveofthemountainriver'or
'caveofmountainsbehindĐoòng[village].Asasolutionalcave,itwas
formedinsolublelimestoneandisbelievedtobebetween2and5million
yearsoldvariesbetween1,700and349m(5,577and1,145ft).

23. World
Largest Hot Desert
in the World
SAHARA DESERT
Countries: Algeria, Chad, Egypt,
Libya, Mali, Mauritania, Morocco,
Niger, Sudan, Tunisia
Area: 9,200,000 sq. km
Length: 4,800 km
Width: 1,800 km
TheSahara'theGreatestDesert'
isadesertlocatedontheAfrican
continent.Itisthelargesthotdesertin
theworldandthethirdlargestdesert
overallafterAntarcticaandtheArctic.
Itsareaof9,200,000sq.km(3,600,000
sqmi)iscomparabletotheareaof
ChinaortheUnitedStates.
ThedesertcomprisesmuchofNorth
Africa,excludingthefertileregionon
theMediterraneanSeacoast,theAtlas
MountainsoftheMaghreb,andtheNile
ValleyinEgyptandSudan.Itstretches
fromtheRedSeaintheeastandthe
Mediterraneaninthenorthtothe
AtlanticOceaninthewest,wherethe
landscapegraduallychangesfrom
deserttocoastalplains.
Smallest Desert
in the World
CarcrossDesert,located
outsideCarcross,Yukon,Canada,isoften
consideredthesmallestdesertinthe
world.TheCarcrossDesertmeasures
approximately2.6sq.km,or640acres.
CarcrossDesertiscommonlyreferredtoas
adesert,butisactuallyaseriesofnorthern
sanddunes.Thearea'sclimateistoo
humidtobeconsideredatruedesert.The
sandwasformedduringthelastglacial
period,whenlargeglaciallakesformedand
depositedsilt.Whenthelakesdried,the
duneswereleftbehind.Today,sandcomes
mainlyfromnearbyBennettLake,carried
bywind.
The Book of Knowledge 23
CARCROSS DESERT
Country: Canada
Area: 2.6 sq. km
Do You Know?
Antarctica, on average, is the
coldest, driest and windiest
continent, and has the highest
average elevation of all the
continents. Most of Antarctica is
a polar desert.

24. World
Oldest Island
in the World
MADAGASCAR
Capital: Antananarivo
Area: 587,041 sq. km
Population: 26,262,313 (2018 est)
Density: 35.2 / sq. km
Currency: Malagasy ariary (MGA)
Time zone: UTC+3 (EAT)
FraserIslandisaheritage-listed
islandlocatedalongthesoutheasterncoastin
theWideBay–Burnettregion,Queensland,
Australia.Itisapproximately250kilometres
(160mi)northofthestatecapital,Brisbane,
andisalocalitywithintheFraserCoastRegion
localgovernmentarea.Inthe2016census,
FraserIslandhadapopulationof182people
Theislandisconsideredtobethelargest
sandislandintheworldat1,840square
kilometres(710sqmi).ItisalsoQueensland's
largestisland,Australia'ssixthlargestisland
andthelargestislandontheeastcoastof
Australia.
Thetotalvolumeofsandabovesealevelon
FraserIslandisdirectlyproportionaltothe
massof113cubickilometres(27cubicmiles).
Largest
Sand Island
in the World
FRASER ISLAND
Country: Australia
Area: 1,655 sq. km
Population: 182
Density: 0.10997 / sq. km
The Book of Knowledge 24
Madagascar,previously
knownastheMalagasyRepublic,is
anislandcountryintheIndianOcean,
approximately400kilometres(250
miles)offthecoastofEastAfrica.
Madagascaristheworld's47th
largestcountry,the2ndlargestisland
countryandthefourth-largestisland.
Thenearestmainlandstateis
Mozambique,locatedtothewest.
Followingtheprehistoricbreakupof
thesupercontinentGondwana,
MadagascarsplitfromtheIndian
subcontinentaround88millionyears
ago,itistheoldestislandaccording
toGuinnessWorldRecords.
Madagascarbelongstothegroupof
leastdevelopedcountries,according
totheUnitedNations.Malagasyand
Frencharebothofficiallanguagesof
thestate.

25. World
Most
Northerly Capital
in the World
REYKJAVIK (Iceland)
Latitude: 64°08' N
Area: 273 sq. km
Population: 131, 136 (2020)
Density: 471.77 / sq. km
Reykjavíkisthecapitalandlargest
cityofIceland.Itislocatedinsouthwestern
Iceland,onthesouthernshoreofFaxaflóibay.
Itslatitudeis64°08'N,makingittheworld's
northernmostcapitalofasovereignstate.
(Nuuk,thecapitalofGreenland,isslightly
furthernorthat64°10',butGreenlandisa
constituentcountry,notanindependentstate).
Thecitywasfoundedin1785asanofficial
tradingtownandgrewsteadilyoverthe
followingdecades,asittransformedintoa
regionalandlaternationalcentreof
commerce,population,andgovernmental
activities.Itisamongthecleanest,greenest,
andsafestcitiesintheworld.
Wellingtonisthecapitaland2
nd
-
mostpopulousurbanareaofNewZealand,
afterAuckland.Itislocatedatthesouth-
westerntipoftheNorthIsland.Witha
latitudeof41°17'South,Wellingtonisthe
southernmostcapitalcityintheworld..It
featuresatemperatemaritimeclimate,and
istheworld'swindiestcitybyaverage
windspeed,withanaveragewindspeedof
27km/h(17mph)
Oneoftheworld'smostliveablecities,the
The Book of Knowledge 25
Most
Southerly Capital
in the World
WELLINGTON (New Zealand)
Latitude: 41°17’ S
Area: 442 sq. km
Population: 215, 400 (2019)
Density: 490 / sq. km
O
O
2016MercerQualityofLivingSurveyranked
Wellington12thintheworld.Wellingtonwas
declaredacityin1840,andwaschosentobe
thecapitalcityofNewZealandin1865.
Ny-ÅlesundisasmallcityinSvalbard,
Norwaywith35people.Itisthe
northernmostfunctionalciviliansettlementin
theworld,at78°55′30″N011°55′20″E.
Ushuaia,acityatAntártidaeIslasdel
AtlánticoSurProvince,Argentina,isthe
southernmostcityintheworld.

26. World
Country with
Most Lakes
in the World
FINLAND
Capital: Helsinki
Area: 338,424 sq. km
Population: 5,528,737
Official Lakes: 187,888
Bangladeshisasovereign,democratic
andsecularstateinSouthAsia.Withnumerous
criss-crossingriversandinlandwaterways,the
dominantgeographicfeatureofBangladeshisthe
Gangesdelta,whichemptiesintotheBayof
Bengalwiththecombineswatersofseveralriver
systems
Country with
Most Rivers
in the World
The Book of Knowledge 26
FinlandisaNordiccountryinNorthern
EuropeborderingtheBalticSea,GulfofBothnia,
andGulfofFinland,betweenSwedentothewest,
Russiatotheeast,Estoniatothesouth,andnorth-
easternNorwaytothenorth.
Finlandhasabout168,000lakes(ofarealarger
than500sq.m)and179,000islands.Itslargest
lake,Saimaa(surfacearea:4,400sq.km),isthe
fourthlargestinEurope.Saimaa(left)hasa
shorelineof13,700km.TheFinnishLakelandis
theareawiththemostlakesinthecountry.The
greatestconcentrationofislandsisfoundinthe
southwest,intheArchipelagoSeabetween
continentalFinlandandthemainislandofÅland.
Thesestatisticshavecauseddebateoverwhich
countryhasthehighestnumberoflakes.Ifwetake
intoconsiderationthenumberofofficiallakesthat
areclaimedbyacountry,Finlandwouldovertake
Canadabyalargemargin.Canadamayhavethehighestnumberoflakesin
theworld.Canada'slargesizemaybeacontributingfactortothenumberof
lakesinthecountry.Itisthesecondlargestcountryintheworld,withareaof
9,984,670sq.kmandpopulationof37,894,799(2020est.)
Canadahasover2,000,000lakes(563greater
than100sq.kmwhichismorethananyother
country,containingmuchoftheworld'sfreshwater.)
LakeSuperior(right),isworld’slargestfreshwater
lakewithasurfaceareaof82,000sq.km.
BANGLADESH
Capital: Dhaka
Area: 148,460 sq. km
Population:
161,376,708 (2018 est)
.Mostofthecountry
isdominatedbythefertile
Ganges-Brahmaputradelta,
whichisthelargestriverdelta
intheworld.Bangladeshhas
57trans-boundaryrivers.

27. World
Countries with
NO Rivers
in the World
BAHAMAS
BAHRAIN
COMOROS
KIRIBATI
KUWAIT
LIBYA
MALDIVES
MALTA
MARSHALL ISLANDS
MONACO
NAURU
OMAN
QATAR
SAUDI ARABIA
TUVALU
UAE
VATICAN CITY
YEMEN
The Book of Knowledge 27
SaudiArabiaistheonlycountrywith
boththePersianGulfandtheRedSeacoasts.
AconsiderablepartofSaudiArabiaismadeup
ofmountains,lowlands,andariddesert.Even
though.SaudiArabiaoccupiesabout80%of
theArabianPeninsula(theworld'slargestpeninsula).
Thoughthereareafewlakesinthecountry,itisthe
largestcountryintheworldbyareawithno
permanentrivers.Wadis,however,arevery
numerous.Ariverisapermanentbodyofrunning
water.BesidesSaudiArabia,thereare17other
countries,withnoriverforvariousreasons.
Countrieswithoutriversarecoveredprimarilyby
desert.Thesecountriesexperiencearidandsemi-
aridclimates,withlittleornorainfallthroughoutthe
year.Theriverlesscountriesinthiscategoryare
SaudiArabia,whichisthelargestcountrywithouta
river.OthercountriesincludeBahrain,Kuwait,the
UnitedArabEmirates,Oman,YemenandQatar.
Mostofthesecountrieshaveriverbedsthatmay
floodfromtimetotime,butdonothavepermanent
runningrivers.
andtheVatican,thetwosmallestcountries
intheworld,arealsoriverlesscountries.TheVatican
islocatedinRome,Italy,withnoriverpassing
throughit,despitethemanyriversinItaly.
Islandcountriesisanothercategoryofcountrieswithoutrivers.Inthis
categoryaretheBahamas,Malta,Maldives,Nauru,andComoros.Island
countriesareeithertoosmalltoaccommodatetheflowofariverordonot
havealandformhighfromwhicharivercanflow.Comorosisoneofthe
smallestcountriesintheworld.Althoughitreceivesalotofrain,thesteep
mountainsandlowhillsarenothighenoughtoformthesourceofariver.The
terrainoftheBahamasisalsolowandflat.InMalta,somesmallriverscan
formduringtherainyseason,butarenotpermanent.Thereisalsonolakein
Malta.Inadditiontohavingnorivers,Nauruistheleastpopulatedsovereign
countryintheworld.Someislandcountriesarescatteredoverseveralatolls,
makingitdifficultforameaningfulandpermanentrivertoformandflow.
CountriesinthiscategoryincludeKiribati,whichincludesmorethan32atolls,
theMarshallIslands,whichhas29atolls,andTuvalu.
Monaco

28. World
Countries with
NO Lakes
in the World
The Book of Knowledge 28
Maltahasnopermanentriversorlakes.
Inadditiontohavingnorivers,althoughthere
aresomesmallriversattimesofhighrainfall.
However,somewatercourseshavefreshwater
runningallyearroundatBaħrijanearRasir-
Raħeb,atl-ImtaħlebandSanMartin,andat
LunzjataValleyinGozo.
MaltaofficiallyknownastheRepublicofMaltais
aSouthernEuropeanislandcountryconsisting
ofanarchipelagointheMediterraneanSea.It
lies80kmsouthofItaly,284kmeastofTunisia,
and333kmnorthofLibya.Withapopulationof
about493,559overanareaof316sq.kmMalta
istheworld’s10
th
smallestinareaand5
th
most
denselypopulatedsovereigncountrywith1457
persq.km.ItscapitalisValletta,whichisthe
smallest
Tuvalu(formerlyknownastheElliceIslands),isa
countryinPolynesia,locatedinthePacificOcean,
situated
threereefislandsandsixtrueatollsspread
outbetweenthelatitudeof5°to10°southand
longitudeof176°to180°,westofthe
InternationalDateLine.Tuvaluhasa
populationof11,192(2017census).Thetotal
landareaoftheislandsofTuvaluis26sq.km.
Tuvaluisavolcanicarchipelago,andconsists
ofthreereefislands(Nanumanga,Niutaoand
Niulakita)andsixtrueatolls(Funafuti,
Nanumea,Nui,Nukufetau,Nukulaelaeand
Vaitupu)
BesidesTuvalu,Kuwait,MarshallIslands,
Qatar,VaticanCityandYemenaretheother
countrieswithnoprominentlakes.
nationalcapital
intheEuropeanUnionby
areaat0.8sq.km
inOceaniaandaboutmidwaybetweenHawaiiandAustralia.The
islandcountrylieseast-northeastoftheSantaCruzIslands(whichbelongto
theSolomonIslands),southeastofNauru,southofKiribati,westofTokelau,
northwestofSamoaandWallisandFutuna,andnorthofFiji.Itiscomposed
of

29. World
Flattest Country
in the World
MALDIVES
Capital: Male
Area: 298 sq. km
Population: 392,473 (2018 est)
Highest Point: 2.4 m
Belarusingeneralhasa
plainandhillyreliefandison
average160mabovethesea
level,itshighestspot
DzyarzhynskayaHarareaching
ashighas345m.
The Book of Knowledge 29
Countries with
NO Mountains
in the World
BELARUS
DENMARK
ESTONIA
GAMBIA
GUINEA-BISSAU
KUWAIT
LATVIA
LITHUANIA
MOLDOVA
Estonia’saverageelevationreachesonly50mandthecountry'shighestpointisthe
SuurMunamägiinthesoutheastat318m.Estonia’sforestscoverhalfthecountryandare
hometoawonderfulrangeofwildlifeincludingbears,wolves,lynx,flyingsquirrels,wild
boar,deerandelk.Ithasthousandsofwetlands,someofwhichareover3,000yearsold.
TheGambia’shighestpointisRedRockatonly53m.Mostofthecountryismangrove
swamp,floodplain,oracoastalbeach.
TheGuinea-Bissau,asmalltropicalcountryliesatalowaltitude;itshighest
unnamedpointis300m.Theinteriorissavanna.
KuwaitismostlyhotdesertanditshighestpointMutlaRidgeis306m.
LatvialiesontheeasternshoresoftheBalticSeaonthelevelnorth-westernpartofthe
risingEastEuropeanplatform,betweenEstoniaandLithuania.About98%ofthecountry
liesunder200melevation,Gaiziņkalnsat311.6mbeingthehighestpoint.
Lithuania'sterrainismoderatelowlandsandhighlands;itsmaximumelevationis
AukštojasHillat294mintheeasternpartofthecountry.
TheMaldivesisa
smallislandnationin
SouthAsia,locatedin
theArabianSeaofthe
IndianOcean.Itlies
southwestofSriLanka
andIndia.Maldivesisthelowestcountryintheworld,
withmaximumandaveragenaturalgroundlevelsof
only2.4mand1.5mabovesealevel,respectively,in
areaswhereconstructionexists.Maldivesareathigh
riskofbeingsubmergedduetorisingsealevels.
Denmarkhasnomountains,notcountingtwoadditional
overseasconstituentcountries-theFaroeIslandsandGreenland.
Thecountryisflatwithlittleelevation;havinganaverageheightabovesealevelof31m,
withitshighestpointMøllehøjat170.86m.
Moldova’shighestpoint,
BalănestiHill,risesto430
metersamidtheCodriHillsof
west-centralMoldova.The
averageelevationisonly147m.

30. World
Places with
NO Trees
in the World
GREENLAND
HAITI
QATAR
THE FAROE ISLANDS
The Book of Knowledge 30
Greenlandistheworld'slargestisland,
locatedbetweentheArcticandAtlanticoceans,
eastoftheCanadianArcticArchipelago.Itisan
autonomousterritorywithintheKingdomof
Denmark.Withanareaof2,166,086sq.km.and
populationof55,992(2019est.)itspopulation
densityis0.028/sq.km.Ithasnonativeforests.
Greenlandisalandwithout
GREEN.Theaveragedaily
temperatureofitscapital,
GreenlandisalandwithoutGREEN.Theaverage
dailytemperatureofitscapital,Nuukvariesoverthe
seasonsfrom−5.1to9.9°C.InnorthernGreenland,
the
Qatarisrich,safe,ownstheworld’sgreatest
airline,andishometoalargenumberof
skyscrapers.Butsadly,thisopulentcountryhas
notrees.Withareaof11,581sq.kmand
populationof2,641,669(2017est.),mostofthe
country
groundiscoveredwithacarpetofmossesandlow-lyingshrubssuchas
dwarfwillowsandcrowberries.Floweringplantsinthenorthincludeyellow
poppy,Pedicularis,andPyrola.PlantlifeinsouthernGreenlandismore
abundant,suchasthedwarfbirchandwillow,maygrowseveralfeethigh.
Haitiisacountrylocatedontheislandof
HispaniolaintheGreaterAntillesarchipelagoofthe
CaribbeanSea.Itis27,750sq.kminandhasan
estimatedpopulationof11.1million,makingitthe2
nd
mostpopulouscountryintheCaribbeanafterCuba.
Itissaidthatuntiltheyear1923,around60%areaofHaitiwascoveredin
trees.However,thissmallCaribbeancountryfellpreytohugedeforestation
andtodayonlysomesmallshrubsleft.
consistsofalow,barrenplain,coveredwithsand.Tothesoutheast
liestheKhoralAdaid("InlandSea"),anareaofrollingsanddunes
surroundinganinletofthePersianGulf.
TheFaroeIslands,isaNorthAtlantic
archipelago,320kmnorth-northwestofScotland,
andhalfwaybetweenNorwayandIceland.Itisan
autonomousterritorywithintheKingdomof
Denmark.Theislandshaveatotalareaofabout1,400sq.kmwitha
populationof51,783asofJune2019.Thenaturalvegetationisdominated
byarctic-alpineplants,wildflowers,grasses,moss,andlichen.

31. World
Largest & Tall
Living Tree
in the World
is
Largest & Smallest
Fruits in the World
The Book of Knowledge 31
SequoiadendronGiganteum,(giantsequoia);also
known
thegiantsequoia,growing
intheSequoiaNationalPark,
California,USA.Itstands82.6mtall,
hasadiameterof8.2manda
circumferenceofapproximately25.9
m.Thetrunkhadavolumeof1,530
cubicmin2004.
However,thetallesttreecurrently
livingisHyperion,whichmeasured
115.85metres(380feet1inch)asof
2017.Thiscoastredwood(Sequoia
sempervirens)
asgiantredwood,Sierraredwood,Sierran
redwood,Wellingtoniaorsimplybigtree,a
nicknamealsousedbyJohnMuiristhesoleliving
speciesinthegenusSequoiadendron.Theyare
themostmassiveindividualtreesintheworld.
Theworld'slargestlivingtreeisGeneral
Sherman
wasdiscoveredbyChrisAtkinsandMichaelTaylor(bothUSA)
intheRedwoodNationalPark,California,USA,on25August2006.
AtlanticGiantPumpkin
istheworld'scurrentlythelargestfruiton
earthevergrown.TheAtlanticGiantis
likelyadescendantofMammothPumpkin,
ThefruitofspeciesinthegenusofWolffiaisthe
smallestandlightestfruitintheworld.Twoofthe
smallestspeciesofWolffiaintheworld,theAustralian
Wolffiaangusta,andtheAsian/AfricanWolffiaglobosa
aresosmallthatitisdifficulttodistinguishbetween
thesizeoftheirfruits.ThefruitofWolffiaangustais
0.30mmlongandweighsabout70micrograms.
whichheldtheworldrecordfrom1904to1976.
Thecurrentrecords-breakingheavy-weighed
fruitisstillpumpkinbutitisin2014thatthenew
worldrecordwasproposed.Therecord-
breakingpumpkinweighed1,054kg.Itwas
grownbyBeniMeier.Hebroke3newworld
recordsinthreeweeks.Thisfruitwasuntiltoday
placedintheworldrecordforheaviestfruit.

32. World
Largest Flower
in the World
WolffiaGlobosaisaspeciesof
floweringplantknownbythecommonnames
Asianwatermealandduckweed.Itisnativeto
AsiaandisfoundinpartsoftheAmericas,
whereitmaybenativeornaturalized.Itgrows
inmatsonthesurfaceofcalm,freshwater
bodies,suchasponds,lakes,andmarshes.It
isaverytiny,oval-shapedplantwithnoleaves,
stems,orroots.Thebodyoftheplant,a
transparentgreenfrond,islessthana
millimeterwide.Inonehumanexperiment,
processedWolffiglobosawasreportedto
providedietaryproteinandvitaminB12.Ithas
beendescribedastheworld'ssmallest
floweringplant,at0.1–0.2mmindiameter
KnowninThaiasPham,itisapopularitemin
Thaicuisine,especiallyinIsan.
Smallest
Flowering
Plant
in the World
The Book of Knowledge 32
RafflesiaArnoldii,calledasthe
‘corpselily’or‘stinkingcorpselily’,isaspecies
offloweringplantintheparasiticgenus
Rafflesia.Itisnotedforproducingthelargest
individualfloweronEarth.Ithasaverystrong
andunpleasantodourofdecayingflesh,earning
itthenickname"corpseflower".Itisendemicto
therainforestsofSumatraandBorneo.
Rafflesiaarnoldii(padmaraksasainIndonesia),
alsocalledkerubut(devil'sbetelnutbox),isone
ofthe3nationalflowersinIndonesia,theother
twobeingthewhitejasmineandmoonorchid.It
wasofficiallyrecognizedasanational"rare
flower"
TheflowerofRafflesiaarnoldiigrowstoadiameterofaroundonemeter,but
thegreatestmeasurementfromareliablesourceis105cmforoneat
PalupahNatureReservenearBukittinggi,SumatrameasuredbyProf.
SyabuddinofAndalasUniversity.Rafflesiaweighsupto11kg.Theseflowers
emergefromverylarge,cabbage-like,maroonormagentabudstypically
about30cmwide,butthelargestflowerbudeverrecorded,43cmin
diameterwasfoundatMountSago,SumatrainMay1956.

33. World
Youngest
‘Planet’
Whileoursolarsystemmayseemoldat4.6billionyears,
theoldestplanetsdiscoveredaretwiceandeventhree
timesasoldasouroldestplanet,whichisJupiter,aswell
asthelargestplanetinoursolarsystem.
The Book of Knowledge 33
K2-33b,alsoknownbyitsEPICdesignation
EPIC205117205.01,isaveryyoungsuper-Neptune
exoplanet,orbitingthepre-main-sequencestarK2-
33.ItwasdiscoveredbyNASA'sKeplerspacecraft
onits"SecondLight"mission.Itislocatedabout456
light-years(140parsecs)awayfromEarthinthe
constellationofScorpius.Theexoplanetwasfound
byusingthetransitmethod,inwhichthedimming
effectthataplanetcausesasitcrossesinfrontofits
starismeasured.Itismostlynotableforits
extremelyyoungage−amere9.3millionyearsold,
onlyotherexoplanetisevenyoungerwithanageof2Myr(V830Taub).
K2-33bisasuper-Neptune,anexoplanetthathasamassandradiuslarger
thanthatofNeptune.Ithasanequilibriumtemperatureof850K(577°C;
1,070°F).Ithasaradiusof5.04R⊕.Whiletheexoplanet'smasshasn't
beenconstrainedyet,upperestimatesplaceamassof3.6MJ.
Giventhisage,theplanetarysystemmostlikelyformedbackneartheend
oftheMioceneepochoftheEarth'shistory.Observationsmadeonthe
planetconfirmedthatitwasinfactafullyformedexoplanet,notjusta
protoplanet.In2014,NASA'sKeplerspacecraftbeganits"SecondLight"
mission,aftertwoofitsreactorwheelshadfailedthepreviousyear,ending
theprimarymission.From23Augustto13November2014,thespacecraft
collecteddatafromthecoreofUpperScorpius,whichincludedK2-33.The
exoplanetwassimultaneouslydiscoveredbytwoindependentresearch
groups,oneledbyastronomersfromtheCaliforniaInstituteofTechnology
andtheotherledbyastronomersfromtheUniversityofTexasatAustin.
Oldest
‘Planet’
However,includingexoplanetsandprotoplanets,
PSRB1620−26bisoneoftheoldestknown
extrasolarplanets,believedtobeabout12.7billion
yearsold.Itisanexoplanetlocatedapproximately
12,400light-yearsfromEarthintheconstellationof
Scorpius.Theplanetisinacircumbinaryorbit
aroundthetwostarsofPSRB1620-26(whichare
apulsar(PSRB1620-26A)andawhitedwarf(WD
B1620-26))andisthefirstcircumbinaryplanet
everconfirmed.Itisalsothefirstplanetfoundinaglobularcluster.
Discovered: 21 June 2016
Discovered: 30 May 1993

34. World
Largest Planet
The Book of Knowledge 34
JUPITER
Surface Area: 6.1419×1010sq.km
Volume: 1.4313×1015cubic km
Mass: 1.8982×1027kg
Mean Density: 1,326 kg / cubic m
Mean Radius: 69,911 km
Av. Orbital Speed: 13.07 km/s
Orbital Period: 11.862 years
Distance from Earth to Jupiter:
628,730,000 km
Distance from Sun to Jupiter:
778,547,200 km
JupiteristhefifthplanetfromtheSunand
thelargestintheSolarSystem.Itisagasgiant
withamassone-thousandththatoftheSunbut
Smallest Planet
MERCURY
Surface Area: 7.48×107sq.km
Volume: 6.083×1010cubic km
Mass: 3.3011×1023kg
Mean Density: 5.427 g/cubic cm
Mean Radius: 2,439.7±1.0 km
Av. Orbital Speed: 47.362 km/s
Orbital Period: 87.9691 days
Distance from Earth to Mercury:
105.98 million km
Distance from Sun to Mercury:
65.5 million km
Mercuryisthesmallestand
innermostplanetintheSolarSystem.Its
orbitaroundtheSuntakes87.97days,the
shortestofalltheplanetsintheSolar
System.LikeVenus,Mercuryorbitsthe
SunwithinEarth'sorbitasaninferior
planet,anditsapparentdistancefromthe
two-and-a-halftimesthatofalltheother
planetsintheSolarSystemcombined.
Jupiterisoneofthebrightestobjects
visibletothenakedeyeinthenightsky,
andhasbeenknowntoancient
civilizationssincebeforerecorded
history.WhenviewedfromEarth,Jupiter
canbebrightenoughforitsreflected
lighttocastshadows,andisonaverage
thethird-brightestnaturalobjectinthe
nightskyaftertheMoonandVenus.
Jupiterhas79knownnaturalsatellites.
Ofthese,63arelessthan10kilometres
indiameterandhaveonlybeen
discoveredsince1975.Thefourlargest
moons,visiblefromEarthwithbinoculars
onaclearnight,knownasthe"Galilean
moons",areIo,Europa,Ganymede,and
Callisto.
SunasviewedfromEarthneverexceeds28°.Mercuryappearstohavea
solidsilicatecrustandmantleoverlyingasolid,ironsulfideoutercorelayer,a
deeperliquidcorelayer,andasolidinnercore.

35. World
Hottest Planet
The Book of Knowledge 35
VENUS
Surface Area: 4.6023×108
sq.km
Volume: 9.2843×1011cubic
km
Mass: 4.8675×1024kg
Mean Density: 5.243 g / cubic
cm
Mean Radius: 6,051.8±1.0 km
Av. Orbital Speed: 35.02 km/s
Orbital Period: 224.701 days
Distance from Earth to Venus:
106.64 million km
Distance from Sun to Venus:
107.48 million km
Venusisthe2
nd
planetfromtheSun.As
the2
nd
-brightestnaturalobjectinthenight
skyaftertheMoon,Venuscancastshadows
and,rarely,isvisibletothenakedeyein
broaddaylight.Venusisbyfarthehottest
planetintheSolarSystem,withamean
surfacetemperatureof735K(462°C;863
°F),eventhoughMercuryisclosertothe
Sun.Astheplanetwiththeclosestapproach
toEarth,Venushasbeenaprimetargetfor
earlyinterplanetaryexploration.Itwasthe1
st
planetbeyondEarthvisitedbyaspacecraft
(Mariner2in1962),andthe1
st
tobe
successfullylandedon(byVenera7in
1970).InJanuary2020,astronomers
reportedevidencethatsuggeststhatVenus
iscurrentlyvolcanicallyactive.
Venus,whichcanbeseenwiththeunaided
eyefromEarth,isthebrightestplanetinour
SolarSystem.Itwasgiventhenickname
eveningstarandmorningstarbecauseofits
bright,consistentpresence.
Venusisoneofthe4terrestrialplanetsinthe
SolarSystem,meaningthatitisarockybody
likeEarth.ItissimilartoEarthinsizeand
mass,andisoftendescribedasEarth's
"sister"or"twin.
Thelackofanintrinsicmagneticfieldat
Venuswassurprising,giventhatitissimilar
toEarthinsizeandwasexpectedalsoto
containadynamoatitscore.Conditionson
theVenusiansurfacedifferradicallyfrom
thoseonEarthbecauseitsdense
atmosphereis96.5%carbondioxide,with
mostoftheremaining3.5%beingnitrogen.
MercuryandVenusarethe2planetsthat
havenomoons.Theotherplanetsinthe
solarsystemhaveacombinedtotalof146
moons,with27moremoonswaitingfor
confirmation.
Brightest Planet
Seen from Earth
Largest Planet
With No
Magnetic Field
Largest Planet
Without a Moon

36. Man-Made
Largest Religious Monument in the World
The Book of Knowledge 36
AngkorWatisaBuddhisttemplecomplex
inCambodiaandisthelargestreligiousmonument
/structureintheworld,onasitemeasuring162.6
hectares(1,626,000sq.m).Originallyconstructed
asaHindutemplededicatedtothegodVishnufor
theKhmerEmpire,itwasgraduallytransformed
destination.In1993,therewereonly
7,650visitorstothesite;by2004,
governmentfiguresshowthat561,000
foreignvisitorshadarrivedinSiem
Reapprovincethatyear,approx.50%
ofallforeigntouristsinCambodia.
Thenumberreachedoveramillionin
2007,andovertwomillionby2012.
MostvisitedAngkorWat,which
receivedwhichreceivedovertwo
millionforeigntouristsin2013and2.6millionby2018.
Atthecentreofthetemplestandsaquincunxoftowers.Unlikemost
Angkoriantemples,AngkorWatisorientedtothewest;scholarsaredividedas
tothesignificanceofthis.Thetempleisadmiredforthegrandeurandharmony
ofthearchitecture,itsextensivebas-reliefs,andforthenumerousdevatas
adorningitswalls.Sincethe1990s,AngkorWathasbecomeamajortourist
AngkorWatcombinestwobasicplansofKhmer
templearchitecture:thetemple-mountainandthe
latergalleriedtemple.Itisdesignedtorepresent
MountMeru,homeofthedevasinHindumythology:
withinamoatmorethan5kilometres(3mi)long
andanouterwall3.6kilometres(2.2mi)longare3
rectangulargalleries,eachraisedabovethenext.
aBuddhisttempletowardstheendofthe12thcentury.Itwasbuiltbythe
KhmerKingSuryavarmanIIintheearly12thcenturyinYaśodharapura,the
capitaloftheKhmerEmpire,ashisstatetempleandeventualmausoleum.
BreakingfromtheShaivatraditionofpreviouskings,AngkorWatwasinstead
dedicatedtoVishnu.Asthebest-preservedtempleatthesite,itistheonlyone
tohaveremainedasignificantreligiouscentresinceitsfoundation.Thetemple
isatthetopofthehighclassicalstyleofKhmerarchitecture.Ithasbecomea
symbolofCambodia,appearingonitsnationalflag,anditisthecountry's
primeattractionforvisitors.

37. Man-Made
Tallest Statue
in the World
STATUE OF UNITY
Country: Gujarat, India
Height: 182 m
Opened: 31 October 2018
The Book of Knowledge 37
TheStatueofUnityisacolossalstatueof
IndianstatesmanandindependenceactivistSardar
VallabhbhaiPatel(1875–1950),whowasthefirst
DeputyPrimeMinisterandHomeministerof
independent
ThePalaceoftheParliamentistheseat
oftheParliamentofRomania.Ithasaheightof84m,
Heaviest Statue
in the World
STATUE OF LIBERTY
Country: Liberty Island,
New York, USA
Weight: 207,375 kg
Height: 46 m (statue to torch)
93 m (ground to torch)
TheStatueofLibertyisacolossal
neoclassicalsculptureonLibertyIslandinNew
YorkHarbourinNewYork,intheUnited
States.Thecopperstatue,agiftfromthe
peopleofFrancetothepeopleoftheUnited
States,wasdesignedbyFrenchsculptor
FrédéricAugusteBartholdianditsmetal
frameworkwasbuiltbyGustaveEiffel.Itwas
dedicatedonOctober28,1886
IndiaandthechiefadherentofMahatma
Gandhiduringthenon-violentIndianIndependence
movement.Itistheworld'stalleststatuewithaheightof
182m.ItislocatedonariverfacingtheSardarSarovar
DamonriverNarmadain
Kevadiyacolony.Over
128,000touristsvisiteditin
11daysafteritwasopened
tothepublicon1November
2018.Thedailyaverage
touristfootfallatStatueofUnityduringNovember2019reached15,036,
outpacingStatueofLiberty.
TotalweightoftheStatueofLibertyis227,375kg,makingit
theheavieststatueintheworld.Thereare154stepsfromthe
pedestaltotheheadoftheStatueofLiberty.Agroupofstatues
standsatthewesternendoftheisland,honouringthoseclosely
associatedwiththeStatueofLiberty.2Americans:Pulitzerand
Lazarusand3Frenchmen:Bartholdi,Eiffel,andLaboulayeare
depicted.
Heaviest
Building
in the World
afloorareaof365,000sq.
m.ThePalaceofthe
Parliamentistheheaviest
buildingintheworld
weighing4,098,500,000kg

38. Man-Made
Tallest Building
in the World
BURJ KHALIFA
Country: Dubai, UAE
Opened: 4 January 2010
Architectural Height: 828 m
Floors: 163 / Lifts: 57
BurjKhalifa
knownastheBurjDubaipriortoitsinaugurationin
2010,isaskyscraperinDubai,UnitedArab
Emirates.Withatotalheightof829.8mandaroof
height(excludingantenna,butincludinga244m
spire)of828m,ithasbeenthetalleststructure
andbuildingintheworldsinceitstoppingoutin
2009.On28March2011,Alain"Spiderman"Robert
scaledtheoutsideofBurjKhalifa.Theclimbtothe
topofthespiretook6hours.
FollowedbyBurjKhalifaareShanghaiTower(632
m)inChina,world’stallesttwistedbuildingand
AbrajAl-BaitClockTower(601m)inSaudiArabia,
tallestbuildingwithaclockface.
THE PENTAGON
Location: Virginia, USA
Floor Area: 620,000 sq. m
Height: 22 m
Completed: 15 January, 1943
ThePentagonistheheadquarters
buildingoftheUnitedStatesDepartment
ofDefence.ThePentagonistheworld's
largestofficebuilding,withabout
600,000sq.mofspace,ofwhich340,000
sq.mareusedasoffices.Some23,000
militaryandcivilianemployees,and
another3,000non-defensesupport
personnel,workinthePentagon.
ThePentagonislistedontheNational
RegisterofHistoricPlacesandisa
NationalHistoricLandmark.
On11September,2001,coincidentallythe
60thanniversaryofthePentagon'sground
breaking,hijackersdeliberatelycrashed
anairlinerintothewesternsideofthe
Pentagonat9:37am,aspartofthe911
attacks.Theimpactoftheplaneseverely
damagedtheouterringofonewingofthe
buildingandcauseditspartialcollapse
The Book of Knowledge 38
Largest
Office Building
in the World

39. Man-Made
Largest Building
Area in the World
NEW CENTURY GLOBAL CENTRE
Country: Chengdu, China
Floor Area: 1,700,000 sq. m
Opened: 1 July 2013
NewCenturyGlobalCentreisamultipurposebuilding
inChengdu,China,Ithousesoffices,conferencerooms,auniversity
complex,twocommercialcentre,hotels,anIMAXcinema,a"Mediterranean
village",apirateshipandanOlympic-sizeskatingrink.Thecentrepiece,isa
waterpark("ParadiseIslandWaterPark"),containingartificialbeach,wherea
giant150by40mscreenformsthehorizontooffersunrisesandsunsets
The100mtallstructureis500by400mwith1,700,000sq.moffloorspace,
makingittheworld'slargestbuildingmeasuredbyfloorspace.TheBoeing
EverettFactoryinEverett,Washington,intheUnitedStateshasthelargest
volume,whileAvtoVAZmainassemblybuildinghasthelargestfootprint.
BOEING EVERETT FACTORY
Location: Washington, USA
Area: 399,480 sq. m
Volume: 13,385,378 cubic m
Employees: 30,000
BoeingEverettFactory,
inEverett,Washington,isanairplane
assemblybuildingownedbyBoeing.
Locatedonthenorth-eastcornerofPaine
Field,itisthelargestfactorybuildingin
theworldbyvolumeat13,385,378m3
(472,370,319cuft)andcovers399,480m2
(98.7acres;39.948hectares;0.399square
kilometres).Thisisthefactorywherethe
wide-bodyBoeing747,767,777,and787
areassembled.
The Book of Knowledge 39
Largest Factory
Building Area
in the World

40. Man-Made
Largest Hotel
in the World
FIRST WORLD HOTEL
Country: Genting, Malaysia
Total Rooms: 7,351
Opened: 2001 (Tower 1)
2005 (Tower 2)
2014 (Tower 2A)
The Book of Knowledge 40
FirstWorldHotelisathree-star
hotelinResortsWorldGenting,Pahang,
Malaysia.Featuringatotalof7,351rooms,it
hassettheGuinnessWorldRecordsforthe
largesthotelintheworld(bynumberof
rooms).In2006,itfeatured6,118rooms,
makingitthelargesthoteluntilThePalazzo
tookthetitle,anexpansionofTheVenetian
locatedonLasVegasStripwhichwasofficially
openedon1January2008.In2015,First
WorldHotelregainedthetitleaftertheopening
ofanewblock.Thehotelhasreceived35.5
millionguestssince2006
FirstWorldHotelisthefirsthotelinSoutheast
AsiatolaunchE-KioskorExpressCheck-in
andCheck-outkiosks.
Largest
Shopping Mall
in the World
IRAN MALL
Country: Iran
Area: 1.4 million sq. m.
Opened: 2018
TheIranMall
asof2020,the
world's largest
shoppingmall.Parts
ofitarestillunder
construction
volumesofbooksandseveralbookstores,acinemacomplexwith12
IMAXcinemasaswellasastate-of-the-art2,000-seattheatre,afamily
entertainmentcentrewitharoofedamusementpark,amuseum,artgalleries,
apermanentcarshowroom,anIranianBazaar,and3hotelsincludinga5-star
luxuryhotelwith450rooms,a3,000-seatconferencehall,aconvention
centre,severalgalleries,andmeetingandbanquetfacilities.
Theroofofthemallservesasasportscomplexwithlongroutesforhiking,
cycling,andpublicactivities.Itincludes15sportsfields,tenniscourts,a
12,000squaremetericerinkandswimmingpools.Theremaining550,000sq.
m.aretobeinauguratedaspartofthe2
nd
phase.Whentheprojectis
complete,thetotalareaofthemallwillbe1.95millionsq.m.
.LocatedinnorthwestTehranby
ChitgarLake,its1
st
of2phasesopenedin2018.It
currentlyoccupiesanareaof1.4millionsq.m.The
1
st
phaseincludes700shops,a20,000sq.m
hypermarket,afashionavenue,adiamondand
crystalatrium,3foodcourtswithmorethan200
restaurants,a3,300sq.m.bookgardenwith
67,000

41. Man-Made
Largest
Man-Made
Waterfalls
in the World
CASCATA DELLE
MARMORE
Country: Umbria, Italy
Total Height: 165 m
Longest Drop: 83 m
Number of Drops: 3
The Book of Knowledge 41
Largest Man-
Made Fountain
in the World
FOUNTAIN OF WEALTH
Country: Singapore
Area: 1683.07 sq. m
Height: 13.8 m
TheFountainofWealthis
listedbytheGuinnessBookofRecordsin
1998asthelargestfountainintheworld.Itis
locatedinoneofSingapore'slargestshopping
malls,SuntecCity.
Duringcertainperiodsoftheday,thefountain
isturnedoffandvisitorsareinvitedtowalk
aroundaminifountainatthecentreofthe
fountain'sbase,threetimesforgoodluck.At
night,thefountainisthesettingforlaser
performances,aswellaslivesongandlaser
messagededicationsbetween8pmto9pm
daily.Itissituatedinsuchawaythefountainis
thehuboftheshoppingmall
Constructedin1995,thefountainismadeof
siliconbronze,andconsistsofacircularring
withacircumferenceof66msupportedonfour
largeslantedcolumns.Thebaseofthe
fountain
TheCascatadelleMarmore or
MarmoreFallsisaman-madewaterfallcreatedby
theancientRomans.Itstotalheightis165m,
makingitthetallestman-madewaterfallinthe
world.Ofitsthreesections,thetoponeisthetallest,
at83m.Itssourceisportionofthewatersofriver
Velino
islocatedunderground,andonitsbaseperimeterliesthemain
basementrestaurantareaofSuntecCity.Thecircularringtopofthefountainis
visibleatgroundlevel.
(therestoftheriver
flowsintoahydroelectric
powerplant),afterflowing
throughPiedilucolake
nearthecommunityof
Marmore.
Theworld’slargestman-madewaterfall(fromabuilding)
makesastrikingadditiontothefacadeofthisskyscraper
inthesouth-westernChinesecityofGuiyang.The108
metrewaterfeaturecascadesfromthetoplevelsofthe
LiebianInternationalBuilding,a121-metretowerbeing
developedbytheLudiIndustryGroup.

42. Man-Made
Largest Theme
Park in the World
IMG WORLDS OF ADVENTURE
Country: Dubai, UAE
Area: 140,000 sq. m.
Opened: 15 August 2016
The Book of Knowledge 42
IMGWorldsofAdventureisanindooramusementpark
intheUnitedArabEmiratesinDubai.ItisDubai'sfirstmegathemed
entertainmentdestination.Theparkisdividedintofive"epiczones".Twoofthe
fivezonesrepresentglobalbrandsCartoonNetworkandMarvel,whileIMG
BoulevardandtheLostValley–DinosaurAdventurezonesareoriginal
conceptscreatedbytheIMGGroup.
Itisthelargesttemperaturecontrolledindoorthemedentertainment
destinationintheworld,coveringanareainexcessof140,000sq.m.With
thecapacitytowelcomemorethan20,000guestsaday,thedestination
featuresrollercoasters,thrillrides,andotherattractionsbasedonpopular
CartoonNetworkcharacters,iconicMarvelSuperHeroesandanimatronic
dinosaurs.Otherfacilitiesincludeavarietyofthemedretailstoresanddining
venues,anda12-screenNovocinemacomplex.
Biggest Indoor
Water Theme
Park in the World
TROPICAL ISLANDS RESORT
Country: Krausnick, Germany
Opened: 19 December 2004
TropicalIslandsResort
isatropicalthemeparklocatedintheformer
Brand-BriesenAirfieldinHalbe,inGermany.
Itishousedinaformerairshiphangar,the
biggestfree-standinghallintheworld.
Ithasamaximumcapacityof8,200
visitorsaday.Initsfirstyearofoperationit
attracted975,000visitors.Approximately
600peopleworkatTropicalIslands.Ithas
aworldrecordforthelargestindoor
waterparkandisbiggerthanCanada's
WorldWaterparkatWestEdmontonMall.
Itisalsothefourth-largestbuildinginthe
worldbyusablevolume.Thebathingarea
includesa27-metrehighwaterslidetower
withfourslides,achildren'splayareaand
acrazygolfcourse.

43. Man-Made
Largest
Indoor Arena
in the World
PHILIPPINE ARENA
Country: Philippines
Grounds: 36,443.6 sq. m.
Seating Capacity: 55,000
Inaugurated: 21 July 2014
The Book of Knowledge 43
ThePhilippineArenaistheworld'slargestindoorarena.Itisa
multipurposeindoorarenaabout30kmnorthofManila.Itisoneofthe
centrepiecesofthemanycentennialprojectsoftheIglesiaNiCristo(INC)for
theircentennialcelebrationon27July,2014.
The
Largest Stadium
in the World
RUNGRADO STADIUM
Country: Pyongyang,
North Korea
Capacity: 150,000
Area: 207,000 sq. m
Opened: 1 May 1989
TheRungrado1stofMay
Stadium,alsoknownastheMayDay
Stadium,isamulti-purposestadiuminRungra
Island,Pyongyang,NorthKoreawhichwas
openedon1May1989.Itsfirstmajorevent
wasthe13thWorldFestivalofYouthand
Students.Itisthelargeststadiuminthe
world,withatotalcapacityofapproximately
114,000.Thesiteoccupiesanareaof20.7
hectares.Itiscommonlyconfusedwiththe
nearby50,000capacityKimIl-sungStadium
duetoproximity,butpossessesuniquesize
andseatingcapacitieswhichprovide
distinction.Itiscurrentlyusedforfootball
matches,afewathleticsevents,butmostoften
forthemassgamesoftheArirangFestival
seatinglayoutofthearenaisdifferentfrom
thatofastandardarenawherethestageisatthe
middleandissurroundedbyseats.Theseating
ofthisarenacloselyresemblesthatofaGreek
amphitheatre,builtinasemi-circlewiththeseats
atthesidesandfrontofthearenastage

44. Man-Made
City with Most
Skyscrapers
in the World
The Book of Knowledge 44
City with Most
Bridges in the World
HONG KONG
Skyscrapers: 355
Area: 2,755 sq. km
Population: 7,500,700
Density: 6,777 / sq. km
HAMBURG (Germany)
Area: 755.22 sq. km
Population: 1,822,445
Density: 2,400 / sq. km
HongKongofficiallytheHongKong
SpecialAdministrativeRegionofthePeople’s
RepublicofChina(HKSAR),isacityandspecial
administrativeregionofChinaandisoneofthe
mostdenselypopulatedplacesintheworld.
HongKongisonChina'ssoutherncoast,60km(37
mi)eastofMacau,ontheeastsideofthemouthof
PearlRiverestuary.ItissurroundedbytheSouth
ChinaSeaonallsidesexceptthenorth,which
neighbourstheGuangdongcityofShenzhenalong
theShamChunRiver.Theterritory's2,755sq.km
Hamburg,officiallytheFree
andHanseaticCityofHamburgisthe
2ndlargestcityinGermanyafter
Berlinand7thlargestcityinthe
EuropeanUnion.Hamburg'smanystreams,rivers
andcanalsarecrossedbysome2,500bridges,
morethanLondon,AmsterdamandVeniceput
together.Hamburghasmorebridgesinsideitscity
limitsthananyothercityintheworld.
(1,064sqmi)areaconsistsofHongKongIsland,theKowloonPeninsula,the
NewTerritories,LantauIsland,andover200otherislands.Theterritory's
highestpointisTaiMoShan,957metres(3,140ft)abovesealevel.
HongKonghastheworld'slargestnumberofskyscrapers,with355
towerstallerthan150metres(490ft),andthethird-largestnumberofhigh-
risebuildingsintheworld.

45. Man-Made
Longest Bridge
in the World
DANYANG-KUNSHAN
GRAND BRIDGE
Country: China
Total Length: 164.8 km
Opened: 30 June 2011
The Book of Knowledge 45
Shortest International Bridge in the World
Danyang-KunshanGrandBridge,a169km-
long(105mi),andworld'slongestbridgeisaviaductontheBeijing–
ShanghaiHigh-SpeedRailway.Thebridgeislocatedontheraillinebetween
ShanghaiandNanjinginJiangsuprovince.Thebridgerunsroughlyparallelto
theYangtzeRiver,about8to80kmsouthoftheriver.Itpassesthroughthe
northernedgesofpopulationcentres(fromwesttoeast)beginningin
Danyang,Changzhou,Wuxi,Suzhou,andendinginKunshan.Thereisa9-
kmlongsectionoveropenwateracrossYangchengLakeinSuzhou.
ZavikonIslandreferstoeitherthelargerorthepairofislandsin
theThousandIslandsarchipelagoontheSt.LawrenceRiverbetweenNew
YorkandOntario,twokilometressoutheastofRockport,Ontarioandabout
200metres(660ft)northoftheinternationalboundary.
ApopulartaleamonglocalguidesisthatthelargerislandisinCanada,while
"LittleZavikonIsland"isintheUnitedStates,andthefootbridgebetween
themisthe"shortestinternationalbridgeintheworld“

46. Man-Made
Longest
Suspension
Bridge
in the World
AKASHI-KYOTO
Country: Japan
Total Length: 3.911 km
Height: 282.8 m
Longest Span: 1.991 m
Clearance below: 65.72 m
Opened: 5 April 1998
The Book of Knowledge 46
Widest Bridge
in the World
SAN FRANCISCO-
OAKLAND BAY BRIDGE
Country: USA
Width: West, 17.5 m (5 lanes)
East, 78.74 m (10 lanes)
Length: 7.18 km
Height: 160 m
SanFrancisco–Oakland
BayBridge,world’swidestbridge,
isacomplexofbridgesspanningSanFrancisco
BayinCalifornia.Itcarriesabout260,000
vehiclesadayonitstwodecks.Ithasoneof
thelongestspansintheUnitedStates.
thespanhadtobe
increasedby1m(3.3ft).
Ithasatotalof1,737
illuminationlights.
TheAkashiKaikyoBridgeisa
suspensionbridge,whichlinksthecityofKobeonthe
JapanesemainlandofHonshutoIwayaonAwaji
Island.ItcrossesthebusyAkashiStraitaspartofthe
Honshu-ShikokuHighway.Itwascompletedin1998,
andhasthelongestcentralspanofanysuspension
bridgeintheworld,at1,991metres(1.237mi).It
isoneofthekeylinksoftheHonshū–Shikoku
BridgeProject,whichcreated3routesacrossthe
InlandSea.
The2towerswere1,990mapart,buttheGreat
HanshinearthquakeonJanuary17,1995,moved
thetowerssomuch(onlythetowershadbeen
erectedatthetime)that
ItopenedonThursday,November12,1936,sixmonthsbeforetheGoldenGate
Bridge.Itoriginallycarriedautomobiletrafficonitsupperdeck,withtrucks,
cars,busesandcommutertrainsonthelower,butaftertheKeySystem
abandonedrailservice,thelowerdeckwasconvertedtoall-roadtrafficaswell.
Unlikethewesternsectionandtheoriginaleasternsectionofthebridge,the
neweasternsectionisasingledeckwiththeeastboundandwestboundlanes
oneachsidemakingittheworld'swidestbridge,accordingtoGuinnessWorld
Records,asof2014.Demolitionoftheoldeastspanwascompletedon
September8,2018

47. Man-Made
Largest Pool
in the World
The Book of Knowledge 47
Deepest Pools
in the World
SanAlfonsodelMarisa
privateresortinAlgarrobo,Chile,about100
km(62mi)westofSantiago.Theresort
hadoneoftheworld'slargestswimmingpools.
Atthetimeofitscompletionin2006,itwasin
theGuinnessBookofWorldRecordsforthe
largestpoolintheworldbyarea.Fromthe
year2010,thepoolisnolongeravailablefor
swimming,duetolackofmaintenance.
Thepoolis1,013m(3,323ft)long,covering8
ha(20acres),containingsome250millionlitres
ofseawater,withamaximumdepthof3.5m.
indoorswimmingpoolintheworldbetweenitsopeningon1May2004,
andthecompletionofY-40inMontegrottoTerme,PopularMechanicsrates
Nemo33asoneofthetop18strangestpoolsintheworld.
Y-40“TheDeepJoy”,theworld’sdeepestpool,namedinGuinnessWorld
Records,isinHotelTermeMillepini,Padua,Italy.Thepoolis42.15mdeep
andcontains4,300cubicmetresofthermalwaterkeptatatemperatureof
32-34degreesCelsius.Thepoolfeaturesunderwatercavesanda
suspended,transparentunderwatertunnelforgueststowalkthrough.When
itopenedon5June2014,itwasawarded“DeepestSwimmingPoolfor
Diving”.
Nemo33isanindoornon
chlorinatedfreshwaterfacilityinBrussels,
Belgium.Itheldtherecordasthedeepest
ThewaterispumpedfromtheadjacentPacificOcean,thenfilteredand
treated.Accesstothepoollimitedtoresortresidentsonly.Thereisnohotel
atthepremises,justapartments.

48. Man-Made
Deepest Hole
in the World
The Book of Knowledge 48
Deepest Mine
in the World
KOLA SUPERDEEP BOREHOLE
Country: Russia
Greatest Depth: 12,262 metres
Opened: 1965
MPONENG GOLD MINE
Country: South Africa
Depth: over 4 km
Commissioned: 1987
TheKolaSuperdeepBoreholeistheresultofa
scientificdrillingprojectoftheSovietUnioninthePechengskyDistrict,onthe
KolaPeninsula.Theprojectattemptedtodrillasdeepaspossibleintothe
AtapriceofUSD19.4pergramofgold,themineonlyneedstoextract10
gramsofgoldpertonexcavatedtoremainprofitable.Theminecontainsat
least2goldreefs,thedeepestonemeterthick.
MponengisagoldmineinSouth
Africa'sGautengprovince.Itextendsover
4kilometres(2.5mi)belowthesurface,and
isconsideredtobeoneofthemostsubstantial
goldminesintheworld.Itisalsocurrentlythe
world'sdeepestminefromgroundlevel.The
tripfromthesurfacetothebottomofthemine
takesoveranhour.Over5400metrictonnes
ofrockareexcavatedfromMponengeachday.
Intermsoftrueverticaldepth,itisthe
deepestboreholeintheworld.Fortwo
decadesitwasalsotheworld'slongest
boreholeintermsofmeasureddepth
alongthewellbore,untilitwas
surpassedin2008bythe12,289metre-
longAlShaheenoilwellinQatar,andin
2011bythe12,345metre-longSakhalin-I
OdoptuOP-11Well(offshorefromthe
RussianislandofSakhalin)
thedeepestartificialpointonEarth.
Theboreholeis23centimetres(9in)in
diameter.
Earth'scrust.Drillingbeganon24May1970using
theUralmash-4E,andlatertheUralmash-15000
seriesdrillingrig.Boreholesweredrilledby
branchingfromacentralhole.Thedeepest,SG-3,
reached12,262metres(40,230ft)in1989andis

49. Man-Made
Largest Man-
Made Island
in the World
FLEVOPOLDER
Country: Netherlands
Area: 970 sq. km
Population: 317,000
GRAND CANAL
Country: China
Length: 1,776 km
Start Point: Beijing
End Point: Hangzhou
The Book of Knowledge 49
Largest Canal
in the World
TheFlevopolderisapolder,or
regionofreclaimedland,inFlevoland,
Netherlands.Theeasternpartwasdrainedin
1955andthesouthernpartin1968.
Unlikeothermajorpolders,suchas
NoordoostpolderandtheWieringermeer,the
Flevopolderiscompletelysurroundedby
borderinglakes,theVeluwemeer,Ketelmeer,
andGooimeerandcanthereforebe
consideredanisland.Itisthelargest
artificialislandintheworld.Itsconstruction,
however,differedfromotherartificialislands;
dikeswerefirstbuiltaroundtheareaofthe
polder,andthewaterwasthendrainedby
diesel/electricpumps.
Apolderisalow-lyingtractoflandthatforms
anartificialhydrologicalentity,enclosedby
embankmentsknownasdikes.
TheGrandCanal,'Beijing–
HangzhouGrandCanal’,isaUNESCOWorld
HeritageSite,isthelongestaswellasthe
oldestcanalorartificialriverintheworld.
StartingatBeijing,itpassesthroughTianjin
andtheprovincesofHebei,Shandong,
JiangsuandZhejiangtothecityofHangzhou,
linkingtheYellowRiverandYangtzeRiver.
Theoldestpartsofthecanaldatebacktothe
5thcenturyBC,butthevarioussectionswere
firstconnectedduringtheSuidynasty
(581–618AD).Dynastiesin1271–1633
significantlyrebuiltthecanaland
altereditsroutetosupplytheircapital
Beijing.
ThetotallengthoftheGrandCanalis
1,776km.Itsgreatestheightis
reachedinthemountainsofShandong,
atasummitof42m.

50. Man-Made
Largest
Man-Made Lake
in the World
The Book of Knowledge 50
Largest
Man-Made
Dams
in the World
LAKE KARIBA
Countries: Zambia & Zimbabwe
Catchment Area: 663,000 sq. km
Surface Area: 5,580 sq. km
Max Length: 223 km
Max Width: 40 km
Average Depth: 29 m
Max Depth: 97 m
Water Volume: 180 cubic km
KaribaDam,isa
doublecurvatureconcrete
archdamintheKaribaGorge
oftheZambeziriverbasin
between Zambia and
Zimbabwe
LakeKaribaistheworld's
largestman-madelakeandreservoirby
volume.Itlies1,300kilometres(810mi)
upstreamfromtheIndianOcean,along
theborderbetweenZambiaand
Zimbabwe.LakeKaribawasfilled
between1958and1963followingthe
completionoftheKaribaDamatitsnorth-
easternend,floodingtheKaribaGorgeon
theZambeziRiver.
TheZimbabweantownofKaribawasbuilt
forconstructionworkersonthelake's
dam,whilesomeothersettlementssuch
asBingavillageandMlibiziinZimbabwe
andSiavongaandSinazongweinZambia
havegrownuptohousepeopledisplacedbythe
risingwaters.
Thelakehasseveralislands,includingMaaze
Island,MashapeIsland,CheteIsland,Sekula,
SampaKaruma,Fothergill,Spurwing,Snake
Island,AntelopeIsland,BedIsland,andChikanka.
TarbelaDamisanearth-filleddamalong
theIndusRiverinPakistan’sKhyberPakhtunkhwa
province.Thedamis2.743km,143mhighabovethe
riverbed.Thedam’sreservoir,TarbelaLake,hasa
surfaceareaofapproximately250sqkmand13,69
cubickmincapacity.Itisthelargestearth-filleddam
.Thedamstands128mtall,579mlong
andhascrestwidthof13mandbasewidthof24m.
ThedamformsLakeKariba,whichextendsfor280kmandholds185cubic
kmofwaterandistheworld'slargestmanmadereservoir.
intheworld,andalsothelargestdambystructuralvolume.

51. Man-Made
Fastest Train
in the World
SHANGHAI MAGLEV TRAIN
Location: Shanghai, China
Top Speed: 431 km/h
System Length: 30.5 km
Opened: 31 December 2002
ARSENALNA
Location: Kiev, Ukraine
Depth: 105.5 m
Opened: 6 November 1960
The Book of Knowledge 51
Deepest
Train Station
in the World
TheShanghaiMaglevtrainor
ShanghaiTransrapidisamagneticlevitation
train(maglev)linethatoperatesinShanghai
Thelineisthethirdcommerciallyoperated
maglevlineinhistory(aftertheBritish
BirminghamMaglevandtheGermanMBahn),
theoldestcommercialmaglevstillin
operation,andthefirstcommercialhigh
speedmaglevwithcruisingspeedof431km/h
(268mph).It
ArsenalnaisastationonKyiv
Metro’sSviatoshynsko-BrovarskaLine.
Thestationwasopenedalongwiththefirst
stageandiscurrentlythedeepeststation
intheworld(105.5metres(346ft)Thisis
attributedtoKyiv’sgeographywherethe
highbankoftheDnieperRiverrisesabove
therestofthecity.Alsounusualisthe
station’sdesign,whichlacksacentral
concourseandisthussimilarinlayoutto
stationsontheLondonUnderground.
isalsothefastestcommercialelectrictrainintheworld.

52. Man-Made
Heaviest Limo
in the World
The Book of Knowledge 52
Longest Car
in the World
AmericanDream,a30.5m(100ft)
long26-wheeledlimousine,designedbyJay
OhrbergofBurbank,California,USAis
recognizedbyGuinnessWorldRecordsasthe
world's
market,althoughother
marquessuchasCadillacand
Mercedesarealsopopular.
Cadillachasredesignedits
newDeVillemodelswithlimo
conversionsinmind,creating
achassisthatcanhandlea3
m(10ft)stretchconversion.
longestcar.Ithasmanyfeatures,includingaswimmingpoolwith
divingboardandaking-sizedwaterbed.Itisdesignedtodriveasarigid
vehicleoritcanbechangedtobendinthemiddle.Itspurposewasforusein
filmsanddisplays.Stretchlimousines,thefavouredmeansoftransportfor
Hollywoodstars,arenotproducedbyanyofthemajormotormanufacturers,
butaremadebycoachbuilderswhomodifystandardluxuryvehicles.
Specificationsandlevelsofluxuryvaryaccordingly.IntheUnitedStates,
vehiclesbyluxurycarmanufacturerLincolnholdthebiggestshareofthe
market,
MidnightRiderweighing22,933kg
theheaviestlimousine.Itis21.3mlongand4.1
mhigh.ItwasdesignedbyMichaelMachado
andPamelaBartholemew(bothUSA)in
California,USAandbegunoperatingon3
September2004.
MidnightRiderfeaturesthreeloungesanda
separatebarandcanaccommodateupto40
passengers,servedbyacrewoffour.
Smallest Car
in the World
ThePeelP50isathree-wheeledmicrocar
originallymadefrom1962to1965bythePeel
EngineeringCoontheIsleofMan.Itwasinlisted
inthe2010GuinnessWorldRecordsasthesmallest
productioncarevermade.Ithadnoreversegear,but
ahandleattherearallowstheverylightweightcarto
bemanoeuvredphysicallywhenrequired.With134cm
long,98cmwideand100cmheightwithanunladen
weightof56kg,itwasandisstillroad-legalintheUK.

53. Man-Made
Largest Passenger
Ship in the World
The Book of Knowledge 53
Largest
Supertanker
in the World
SYMPHONY OF THE SEAS
Port: Nassau, Bahamas
Gross Tonnage: 228,081
Length: 361.011 m
Beam: 47.448 m (waterline)
66 m (max. beam)
Height: 72.5 m
Draught: 9.322 m
Decks: 18
Speed: 22 knots
Max Passengers: 6,680
Crew: 2,200
In Service: 31 March 2018
SymphonyoftheSeasis
anOasis-classcruiseshipownedand
operatedbyRoyalCaribbeanInternational.
Sheisthelargestpassengershipinthe
worldbygrosstonnage,at228,021GT,
surpassinghersisterHarmonyoftheSeas,
whichisstillslightlylongerat362.12m.
Thereare16decksforguestuse,4pools,
22restaurantsand2,759cabins.Facilities
SeawiseGiant,laterknownasKnock
NeviswasaULCCsuper-tankerthatwasthe
longestshipever,builtbySumitomoHeavy
IndustriesinYokosuka,Kanagawa,Japan.It
possessedthegreatestdeadweighttonnageever
recorded.Fullyloaded,itsdisplacementwas
657,019tonnes,theheaviestshipofanykind,
andwithaladendraftof24.6m,itwasincapable
ofnavigatingtheEnglishChannel,theSuez
CanalorthePanamaCanal.Itisthelargestship
everbuilt.ItwassunkduringtheIran-IraqWar,
butwaslatersalvagedandrestoredtoservice.It
includeachildren'swaterpark,afull-size
basketballcourt,ice-skatingrink,andtwo43-
footrock-climbingwalls.Thereisalsoa'central
park'whichcontainsover20,000tropicalplant.
HermaidencruisestartedfromBarcelona,
Spainon7April2018foraweek-longtrip
throughtheMediterranean.
SEAWISE GIANT
Port: Norway
Gross Tonnage: 260,941
Length: 458.45 m
Height: 72.5 m
Draft: 24.611 m
Depth: 29.8 m
Speed: 16.5 knot
Fate: Scrapped in 2010
wasconvertedtoa
floatingstorageand
offloadingunitin2004,
mooredoffthecoastof
Qatar.ThevesselwassoldtoIndianshipbreakers,
andrenamedMontforitsfinaljourneyinDecember
2009.AfterclearingIndiancustomsitsailedto
Alang,Gujarat,whereitwasbeachedforscrapping.

54. Man-Made
Largest
Warship
in the World
USS GERALD R. FORD
Country: United States
Length: 337 m
Beam: 41 m (waterline)
78 m (flight deck)
Height: 76m
Decks: 25
Speed: 56 km / h
The Book of Knowledge 54
USSGeraldR.Ford(CVN-78)
istheleadshipofherclassofUnitedStates
Navyaircraftcarriers.Theshipisnamedafter
the38thPresidentoftheUnitedStates,Gerald
Ford,whoseWorldWarIInavalserviceincluded
combatdutyaboardthelightaircraftcarrier
MontereyinthePacificTheatre.Thekeelof
GeraldR.Fordwaslaiddownon13November
2009.Shewaschristenedon9November2013.
GeraldR.Fordenteredthefleetreplacingthe
decommissionedUSSEnterprise(CVN-65),
whichendedher51yearsofactiveservicein
December2012.GeraldR.Fordwasdelivered
totheNavyon31May2017andformally
commissioned
Fastest Ship/s
in the World
HSC FRANSISCO
Route: Buenos Aires
to Montevideo
Gross Tonnage: 7,109
Length: 99 m
Speed: 107.6 km /h
Capacity: 1024 passengers
150 cars
Launched: 17 November 2012
HSCFranciscoisahigh-speed
catamaranownedbyArgentine-Uruguayan
ferrycompany Buquebus operating
betweenBuenos
byPresidentDonald
Trumpon22July2017.Sheisexpected
toleaveonherfirstdeploymentaround
2022.Asof2017,sheistheworld's
largestaircraftcarrier,andthelargest
warshipeverconstructedintermsof
displacement.
fromBuenos Aires,
ArgentinaandUruguay’s
Montevideo.Theshipis
namedafterArgentine
bornPopeFrancis.
SSUnitedStatesisaretiredoceanliner
andthefastestoceanlinertocrossthe
Atlanticineitherdirection,retainingthe
BlueRibandforthehighestaveragespeed
atclaimed80km/h.
TheAlgol-classvehiclecargoshipsarecurrentlythefastestcargoshipsin
theworld,capableofspeedsinexcessof33knots(61km/h)
Skjold-classcorvettesareaclassofsixlarge,superfast,stealthmissile
corvettesinservicewiththeRoyalNorwegianNavy.At110km/h,theywere
thefastestcombatshipsafloatatthetimeoftheirintroduction.

55. Man-Made
First Aircrafts
The Book of Knowledge 55
TheMesserschmittMe262,nicknamed
Schwalbeinfighterversions,orSturmvogelin
fighter-bomberversions,wastheworld'sfirst
operationaljet-poweredfighteraircraft.While
Germanuseoftheaircraftendedwiththecloseof
World
Firstairplaneflies.NearKittyHawk,North
Carolina,OrvilleandWilburWrightmakethefirst
successfulflightinhistoryofaself-propelled,
heavier-than-airaircraft.Orvillepilotedthe
gasoline-powered,propeller-drivenbiplane,
whichstayedaloftfor12secondsandcovered
120feetonitsinauguralflight.OnDecember17,
1903,WilburandOrvilleWrightmadefourbrief
flightsatKittyHawkwiththeirfirstpowered
aircraft.TheWrightbrothershadinventedthe
The
ThedeHavillandDH106Cometwasthe
world'sfirstcommercialjetairliner.Developed
andmanufacturedbydeHavillandatitsHatfield
AerodromeinHertfordshire,UnitedKingdom,the
Comet1prototypefirstflewin1949.Itfeatured
anaerodynamicallycleandesignwithfourde
HavillandGhostturbojetenginesburiedinthe
large
firstsuccessfulairplane. WrightsusedthisstopwatchtotimetheKitty
Hawkflights.
TheHeinkelHe178wastheworld'sfirst
aircrafttoflyunderturbojetpower,andthefirst
practicaljetaircraft.Itwasaprivateventureby
theGermanHeinkelcompanyinaccordancewith
directorErnstHeinkel's
WorldWarII,asmallnumberwereoperatedbytheCzechoslovakAirForce
until1951.Italsoheavilyinfluencedseveraldesigns,suchasSukhoiSu-9
(1946)andNakajimaKikka.
wingroots,acabin,and squarewindows.Fortheera,itoffereda
relativelyquiet,comfortablepassengercabinandwascommercially
promisingatitsdebutin1952.
emphasisondevelopingtechnologyforhigh-speed
flight.Theaircraftmadeitsmaidenflighton27August1939,onlydaysbefore
GermanyinvadedPoland.ThetestpilotwasErichWarsitz,whohadalso
flowntheworld'sfirstrocketpoweredairplane,theHeinkelHe176,onits
maidenflightinJune1939.

56. Man-Made
Largest Military Aircrafts in the World
The Book of Knowledge 56
TheConvairB-36"Peacemaker"isa
strategicbomberbuiltbyConvairand
operatedbytheUnitedStatesAirForce
from1949to1959.TheB-36isthelargest
mass-producedpiston-enginedaircraft
everbuilt.Ithadthelongestwingspanof
anycombataircrafteverbuilt,at70.1m.
TheTupolevTu-160isasupersonic,
variable-sweepwingheavystrategicbomberin
theSovietUnioninthe1970s.Itisthelargest
andheaviestMach2+supersonicmilitary
aircrafteverbuiltandsecondonlytotheXB-70
Valkyrieinoveralllength.Itisthelargestand
heaviestcombataircraft,thefastestbomber
nowinuseandthelargestandheaviest
variable-sweepwingairplaneeverflown.
TheAntonovAn-124Ruslanisa
strategicairliftquadjet.UntiltheBoeing
747-8F,theAn-124was,forthirtyyears,the
world'sheaviestgrossweightproduction
cargoairplaneandsecondheaviest
operatingcargoaircraft,behindtheone-off
AntonovAn-225Mriya(agreatlyenlarged
designbasedontheAn-124).TheAn-124
remainsthelargestmilitarytransport
aircraftincurrentservice.
TheTupolevTu-28wasalong-range
interceptoraircraftintroducedbytheSoviet
Unioninthe1960s.Theofficialdesignation
wasTu-128,butthisdesignationwasless
commonlyusedintheWest.Itwasthelargest
andheaviestfightereverinservice.TheTu-
128,withitsmaximumweightof43tonnes,
wastheheaviestfightertoenterservice.

57. Man-Made
Largest
Cargo Aircraft
in the World
The Book of Knowledge 57
Largest
Passenger
Aeroplane
in the World
TheAntonovAn-225Mriya
isastrategicairliftcargoaircraftintheSoviet
Unionduringthe1980s.Itispoweredbysix
turbofanenginesandistheheaviestaircraft
everbuilt,withamaximumtake-offweightof
640tonnes.Italsohasthelargestwingspan
ofanyaircraftinoperationalservice.
Theairlifterholdstheabsoluteworldrecords
foranairliftedsingle-itempayloadof189,980
kgandanairliftedtotalpayloadof253,820kg.
Ithasalsotransportedapayloadof247,000
kgonacommercialflight.
On11June2010,theAn-
225carriedtheworld's
longestpieceofaircargo,
two42.1mtestwindturbine
bladesfromTianjin,China
toSkrydstrup,Denmark.
ANTONOV AN-225
Country: Soviet Union
Wingspan: 88.4 m
Length: 84 m
Height: 18.1 m
Weight: 285,000 kg
Max Speed: 850 km/h
First Flight: 21 Dec 1988
TheAirbusA380istheworld's
largestpassengerairliner,awide-body
aircraftmanufacturedbyAirbus.Airbusstudies
startedin1988andprojectwasannouncedin1990tochallengethe
dominanceoftheBoeing747inthelonghaulmarket.Itwasfirstdeliveredto
SingaporeAirlineson15October2007andenteredserviceon25October.
On14February2019,afterEmiratesreduceditslastordersinfavourofthe
A350andtheA330neo,AirbusannouncedthatA380productionwouldend
by2021.Thefull-lengthdouble-deckaircraft
hasatypicalseatingcapacityof525,thoughit
iscertifiedforupto853passengers.
AsofDecember2019,Airbushasreceived
251firmordersanddelivered242aircraft;
Emiratesisthebiggestcustomerwith123
ordered,ofwhich115havebeendelivered.

58. Man-Made
Fastest
Passenger
Aeroplanes
in the World
The Book of Knowledge 58
TheTupolevTu-144isaretiredjet
airlinerandcommercialsupersonictransport
aircraft.Itwastheworld’s1
st
commercialSST
(maidenflight:31December1968),the2
nd
beingtheAnglo-FrenchConcorde(maiden
flight:2March1969).Itconducted102
commercialflights,ofwhichonly55carried
passengers,
TheAérospatiale/BACConcorde
isaBritish-Frenchturbojetpowered
supersonicpassengerairlinerthatwas
operateduntil2003.Ithadamaximum
speedovertwicethespeedofsound,at
Mach2.04(2,180km/hatcruisealtitude),
withseatingfor92to128passengers.
atanaverageservice
altitudeof16,000mandcruisedata
speedofaround2,000km/h(Mach
1.6).TheTu-144firstwent
supersonicon5June1969
(Concordefirstwentsupersonicon1
October1969),andon26May1970
becametheworld'sfirstcommercial
transporttoexceedMach2.
AlongwithearlyTu-134s,theTu-144wasoneofthelastcommercialaircraft
withabrakingparachute.Theprototypeswerealsotheonlypassengerjets
everfittedwithejectionseats,albeitonlyforthecrewandnotthepassengers.
Firstflownin1969,Concordeenteredservicein1976andcontinuedflyingfor
thenext27years.Itisoneofonlytwosupersonictransportstohavebeen
operatedcommercially.Theonlysupersonicairlinerindirectcompetitionwith
ConcordewastheSovietTupolevTu-144,nicknamed"Concordski"by
WesternEuropeanjournalistsforitsoutwardsimilaritytoConcorde.Ithad
beenallegedthatSovietespionageeffortshadresultedinthetheftof
Concordeblueprints,supposedlytoassistinthedesignoftheTu-144.
ThefastesttransatlanticairlinerflightwasfromNewYorkJFKtoLondon
Heathrowon7February1996bytheBritishAirwaysG-BOADin2hours,52
minutes,59secondsfromtake-offtotouchdownaidedbya282km/htailwind.
On13February1985,aConcordecharterflightflewfromLondonHeathrowto
Sydney—ontheoppositesideoftheworld—inatimeof17hours,3minutes
and45seconds,includingrefuellingstops.

59. Man-Made
Fastest Jets
in the World
The Book of Knowledge 59
TheLockheedSR-71"Blackbird"isa
long-range,high-altitude,Mach3+strategic
reconnaissanceaircraftthatwasoperatedby
theUnitedStatesAirForce.TheSR-71served
1964
TheNorthAmericanX-15was
ahypersonicrocket-powered
aircraftoperatedbytheUnited
StatesAirForceandtheNational
Aeronautics and Space
AdministrationaspartoftheX-
planeseriesofexperimental
aircraft.Itsetspeedandaltitude
recordsinthe1960s,reachingthe
valuable
withtheU.S.AirForcefrom1964to
1998.Since1976,ithasheldthe
worldrecordforthefastestair-
breathingmanned aircraft,a
recordpreviouslyheldbytherelated
LockheedYF-12.
TheairinletsallowedtheSR-71to
cruiseatoverMach3.2,while
keepingairflowintotheenginesat
theinitialsubsonicspeeds.Mach3.2
wasthedesignpointfortheaircraft,itsmostefficientspeed.
ThefirstflightofanSR-71tookplaceon22December1964,atAirForce
Plant42inPalmdale,California,pilotedbyBobGilliland.TheSR-71reached
atopspeedofMach3.4duringflighttesting,withpilotMajorBrianShul
reportingaspeedofMach3.5onanoperationalsortiewhileevadinga
missileoverLibya.NASAoperatedthetwolastairworthyBlackbirdsuntil
1999.AllotherBlackbirdshavebeenmovedtomuseumsexceptforthetwo
SR-71sandafewD-21dronesretainedbytheNASADrydenFlight
ResearchCentre(laterrenamedtheArmstrongFlightResearchCentre).
edgeofouterspaceandreturningwith datausedinaircraftand
spacecraftdesign.TheX-15'sofficialworldrecordforthehighestspeedever
recordedbyacrewed,poweredaircraft,setinOctober1967whenWilliamJ.
KnightflewatMach6.70at31,120m,aspeedof7,274km/h,hasremained
unbrokenasof2020.Over13flights,8pilotsflewabove80,467,thereby
qualifyingasastronautsaccordingtotheUSdefinitionofthespaceborder.

60. Man-Made
Largest
Helicopter
in the World
MIL MI-26
Weight: 28,200 kg
Length: 40 m
Height: 8.145 m
First Flight: 14 Dec 1977
The Book of Knowledge 60
TheMilMi-26isaSoviet/Russianheavytransporthelicopter.Operated
bybothmilitaryandcivilianoperators,itisthelargestandmostpowerful
helicoptertohavegoneintoseriesproduction.TheMi-26wasthefirstfactory-
equippedhelicopterwithasingle,eight-blademainliftrotor.Whileitsempty
weightisonlyslightlyhigherthantheMi-6's,theMi-26hasapayloadofupto
20,000kg.Itisthesecondlargestandheaviesthelicoptereverconstructed,
aftertheexperimentalMilV-12.Thetailrotorhasaboutthesamediameterand
thrustasthefour-bladedmainrotorfittedtotheMDHelicoptersMD500.
TheMi-26wasdesignedtoreplaceearlierMi-6andMi-12heavylifthelicopters
andactasaheavy-lifthelicopterformilitaryandciviluse,havingtwicethe
cabinspaceandpayloadoftheMi-6,thentheworld'slargestandfastest
productionhelicopter.
Largest Military Helicopter in the World
CH 53E SUPER STALLION
Weight: 15,071 kg
Length: 30.2 m
Height: 8.46 m
Rotor: 7 blades
Disc Area: 460 sq. m
Max Speed: 278 km/h
First Flight: 1 March 1974
TheSikorskyCH-53ESuperStallion,a
heavy heavy-lifthelicopter
operatedbytheU.S.
MarineCorps,isthe
heaviestandlargest
militaryhelicopter.As
theSikorskyS-80it
wasdevelopedfrom
theCH-53SeaStallion,mainlybyaddingathirdengine,addingaseventh
bladetothemainrotorandcantingthetailrotor20degrees.Sikorskythen
proposedanewversion,originallythe"CH-53X",andinApril2006,theU.S.
MarineCorpssignedacontractfor156aircraftasthe"CH-53K”.

61. Man-Made
Fastest
Civilian Helicopter
in the World
The Book of Knowledge 61
Fastest
Military
Helicopter
in the World
H 155
Max Speed: 324 km/h
Capacity: 13 passengers
Length: 14.3 m
Height: 4.35 m
Weight: 2.618 kg
Main Rotor Diameter: 12.6 m
First Flight: 17 June 1997
AirbusHelicoptersH155(Eurocopter
EC155)isalong-rangemedium-lift
passengertransporthelicopter.Itisa
twin-enginedaircraftandcancarryupto
13passengersalongwith1or2crew.
Thehelicopterismarketedforpassenger
transport,offshoresupport,VIPcorporate
transportandcasualtytransportduties.In
2015,theEC155wasformallyrenamedto
theH155.Developmentbeganin
September1996withthehelicopter
officiallyannouncedbyEurocopteratthe
ParisAirShowinJune1997.
Theaircraftisoperatedbyprivate
individuals,companiesandcharter
operators.Itisalsooperatedby
governmentorganisationsandasan
offshoretransportforthegasandoil
industry.CountriesusingtheH155are
China,Germany,Thailand(Police),
DominicanRepublic(AirForce),Hong
KongandUnitedStates(FlyingServices).
that
CH 47F CHINNOK
Max Speed: 310 km/h
Capacity: 33 -55 troops
Length: 30 m
Height: 5.77 m
Weight: 11,148 kg
Main Rotor Diameter: 18 m (x 2)
First Flight: 21 September 1961
TheBoeingCH-47Chinookisan
Americantwin-engined,tandemrotor,heavy-lift
helicopter.Thepre-1962designationforModel114
developmentaircraftthatwouldberedesignated
CH-47Chinook.PhasesareyearsfromCH-47A,
ACH-47A,CH-47B,CH-47C,CH-47D,MH-47D,
MH-47EtoCH-47F.In2001,thefirstCH-47F,an
upgradedCH-47D,madeitsmaidenflight.TheMH-47GSpecialOperations
AA
47G,wasselectedbytheU.S.AirForce
asthewinneroftheCombatSearchand
Rescue(CSAR-X)competition.
viation(SOA)versionis
currentlybeingdeliveredto
theU.S.Army.On9
November2006,theHH-
47,anewvariantofthe
ChinookbasedontheMH-
ted

62. People The Book of Knowledge 62
Shortest Living
Woman
in the World
JYOTI KISANGE AMGE
Nationality: Indian
Born: 16 December 1993
Height: 62.8 cm (2 ft3/4in)
PAULINE MUSTERS
Nationality: Dutch
Born: 26 February 1876
Died: 1 March 1895 (aged 19)
Height: 61 cm (24 in)
Shortest
Woman
in the World
PaulineMusterswasaDutch
woman.SheisrecognizedbytheGuinness
WorldRecordsastheshortestwomanever
recorded,standingatonly61cmtall.
BorninOssendrecht,theNetherlands,she
diedinNewYorkCityatthe
ageof19fromacombination
ofpneumoniaandmeningitis.
Atthetimeofherdeath,she
measuredexactly61cm
(24in)tall.
JyotiKisangeAmge isan
Indianactressnotableforbeingtheworld's
smallestlivingwoman accordingto
GuinnessWorldRecords.
FollowingAmge's18thbirthday,shewas
officiallydeclaredtheworld'ssmallestwoman
byGuinnessWorldRecordswithaheightof
62.8centimetres(2ft0.6in).Herrestricted
heightisduetoageneticdisordercalled
achondroplasia.
Amgewasfeaturedinthe2009documentary
entitledBodyShock:TwoFootTallTeen.She
wasalsoaguestparticipantonBiggBoss6,
anIndiantelevisionshow.On13August
2014,shewascastinthefourthseasonof
AmericanHorrorStory:FreakShowasMa
Petite.
In2012,shemettheworld'sshortestman,
ChandraBahadurDangiofNepal.Thepair
posedtogetherforthe57theditionofthe
GuinnessWorldRecords.
HerwaxstatueisalsopresentinCelebrity
WaxMuseum,Lonavala,atownandahill
stationMunicipalCouncilinPunedistrictin
theIndianStateofMaharashtra.

63. People The Book of Knowledge 63
Shortest Living
Man in the World
Edward Nino Hernandez
Nationality: Colombian
Born: 1986
Height: 72.1 cm
ChandraBahadurDangiwasa
Nepalimanwhowastheshortestmaninrecorded
historyforwhomthereisirrefutableevidence,
measuring54.6cm(1ft91⁄2in).Dangiwasa
primordialdwarf.HebroketherecordofGul
Mohammed(1957–1997),whoseheightwas57cm.
Dangicametotheattentionofthemediawhena
woodcontractorsawhiminhisvillageintheDang
districtofNepal.Hewasawardedthetitleof
shortestadulthumaneverrecorded
afterhisheightwasmeasuredin
February2012.Hewasincluded
intheGuinnessWorldRecords.Threeofhisfivebrothers
werelessthan1.22m(fourfeet)tall,whilehistwosisters
andtwootherbrothersareofaverageheight.
CHANDRA BAHADUR
DANGI
Nationality: Nepalese
Born: 30 November 1939
Died: 3 September 2015
(aged 75)
Height: 54.6 cm
(1 ft 9 ½ in)
Shortest Man
in the World
EdwardNinoHernandez
istheworld'sshortestlivingmobileman.
HewascertifiedonSeptember4,2010by
theGuinnessWorldRecords.At24yearsof
ageHernandezwas0.7m(2ft31⁄2in)tall
andweighed10kg(22lb).Helivesin
Bogotá,Colombia.
Whenhewasborn,hisparentwenttothedoctortodomedicalstudies,but
noneofthemhelpedthemtofindoutwhatwashappening.After20years,
theydiscoveredhismedicalcondition.Asoftoday,heconsumesamedicine
calledtyrosine(tirosinainSpanish)thathelpshimregulatinghismetabolism,
thus,regulatinghishypothyroidism.
Theprevioustitleholder,HePingpingofInner
Mongolia,was3.8cm(1.5inches)tallerand
diedonMarch13,2010inRome,Italy,where
hewasfilmingtheTVprogramLoshowdei
record.Hernandez'sreignendedonOctober
14,2010whenKhagendraThapaMagarof
Nepalturned18.Hereclaimedtherecord
followingMagar'sdeathonJanuary17,2020.
Edwardisareggaeton,merengue,and
vallenatodancer.

64. People
Tallest Man
in the World
ROBERT WADLOW
Nationality: American
Born: 22 February 1918
Died: 15 July 1940 (aged 22)
Height: 2.72 m (8 ft 11.1 in)
The Book of Knowledge 64
Tallest
Living Man
in the World
SULTAN KOSEN
Nationality: Turkish
Born: 10 December 1982
Height: 2.51 m (8 ft 2 7/8in)
RobertPershingWadlow
knownastheAltonGiantand
theGiantofIllinois,wasan
Americanmanwhowasthe
tallestpersoninrecorded
historyforwhomthereis
irrefutableevidence.Hewas
bornandraisedinAlton,
Illinois,asuburbofSt.Louis
SultanKosenisaTurkishmanwho
holdstheGuinnessWorldRecordfortallestliving
maleat2.51m(8ft2.82in).Hisgrowthresulted
fromtheconditionacromegaly,causedbyatumour
affectinghispituitarygland.Duetohiscondition,
heusescrutchesinordertowalk.
Missouri.Wadlowreached2.72minheightandweighed
199kg(439lb)athisdeathatage22.Hisgreatsizeandhis
continuedgrowthinadulthoodwereduetohyperplasiaof
hispituitarygland,whichresultsinanabnormallyhighlevel
ofhumangrowthhormone(HGH).Evenbythetimeofhis
death,therewasnoindicationthathisgrowthhadended.
On25August2009
Kösen's standing
heightwasrecorded
at246.4cminhis
homecountrybyGuinnessWorldRecords,
overtakingformerworldrecordholderBaoXishun
whostands236.1cmtall.Kösenalsoholdsthe
currentGuinnessrecordforthelargesthandsat
27.5cmandthesecondlargestfeetat36.5cm
(leftfoot)and35.5cm(rightfoot).On25August
2010,accordingtotheUniversityofVirginia,a
heightofupto254.3cmhadbeenconfirmedby
doctors,whostatedthatthismightbeKösen’s
actualheight,artificiallyloweredbyscoliosisand
badposture.On9February2011,Kösenwas
remeasuredbyGuinnessWorldRecordsat251
cm.Theyalsoremeasuredhishandsat28cm,
whichbrokehispreviousrecord

65. People
Tallest Woman
in the World
ZENG JINLIAN
Nationality: Chinese
Born: 26 June 1964
Died: 13 Feb 1982 (aged 17)
Height: 248.3 cm (8 ft 1.8 in)
The Book of Knowledge 65
ZengJinlianwasthetallest
verifiedwoman,takingoverJaneBunford's
record.IntheyearbetweenDonKoehler's
deathandherown,shesurpassedfellow
"eight-footers"GabrielEstêvãoMonjaneand
SuleimanAliNashnush.Zeng'sgrowth
patternswereclosetoRobertWadlow.
ZengJinlianofYujiangvillageintheHunanProvince,begantogrowabnormally
fromtheageoffourmonthsandstood156cm(5ft11/2in)beforeherfourth
birthdayand217cm(7ft11/2in)whenshewasaged13.
Herhandsmeasure25.5cm(10in)andherfeet35.5cm(14in)inlength.She
sufferedfrombothscoliosisanddiabetes.Herparentsare163cm(5ft41/2in)
and156cm(5ft11/2in)whileherbrotherwas158cm(5ft21/2in),aged18.
CAROL ANN YAGER
Nationality: American
Born: 26 January 1960
Died: 18 July 1994 (aged 34)
Weight: 544 kg
Height: 170 cm
Heaviest
Woman
in the World
CarolAnnYagerwasanAmerican
womanwhowastheheaviestwomanever
recordedandoneofthemostseverelyobese
peopleinhistory.
Yagerlostthemostweightbynon-surgical
meansintheshortest
documentedtime:
236kgin3months.
WhenYagerdiedin
1994attheageof
34,sheweighed
about540kgand
was1.7minheight.

66. People
Heaviest Man
in the World
JON BROWER MINNOCH
Nationality: American
Born: 29 September 1941
Died: 10 September 1983
(aged 41)
Weight: 635 kg
Height: 185 cm (6 ft 1 in)
The Book of Knowledge 66
Heaviest
Living Man
in the World
KHALID BIN MOHSEN
SHAARI
Nationality: Saudi Arabian
Born: 28 February 1991
Weight: 610 kg
Height: 173 cm
JonBrowerMinnochwasan
Americanmanwho,athispeakweight,wasthe
heaviesthuman beingeverrecorded,
weighing635kilograms(1,400lb)
Attheageof12,Minnochweighed294lb(133
kilogramsandbyage22hewas185cmin
heightandweighed230kilograms(500lb).
wasmadetodiscontinuetreatment,andhedied23monthslateronSeptember
10,1983,aged41.Atthetimeofhisdeath,heweighed362kg(798lb)witha
BodyMassIndexof105.3.
year,hebrokearecordforthe
greatestdifferenceinweight
betweenamarriedcouple
whenhemarriedhis50kg
wifeJeannetteandlater
fatheredtwochildren.
Withhisunderlyingcondition
ofedemabeingincurableand
difficulttotreat,thedecision
Minnoch'sweightcontinuedtoincreasesteadily
untilhishospitalizationinMarch1978atage36
duetocardiacandrespiratoryfailure.Thatsame
KhalidbinMohsenShaari
isaSaudiArabianmanwhoinAugust2013was
foundtobetheheaviestlivingpersonandthe
second-heaviestpersoninrecordedhistoryat
610kg(1,340lb),behindJonBrowerMinnoch.
HealsohadaBMIof204,thehighestever
recorded.Asaresultofmedicaltreatment,helost
atotalof320kg—morethanhalfhisbodyweight
in6months.
Hewas22when
hewasdeclared
the“Fattestman
alive”.InNovember2017,AlArabiyareported
thathehadlost542kg(1,195lb)andnow
weighs68kg(150lb).

67. People
Oldest
Human/Woman
in the World
JEANNE CALMENT
Nationality: French
Born: 21 February 1875
Died: 4 August 1997
(aged 122 years, 164 days)
The Book of Knowledge 67
JeanneLouiseCalmentwas
aFrenchsupercentenarianfromArles,andthe
oldesthumanwhoseagewaswell-documented,
withalifespanof122yearsand164days.Her
longevityattractedmediaattentionandmedical
studiesofherhealthandlifestyle.
Accordingtocensusrecords,Calmentoutlived
bothherdaughterandgrandson.Shewaswidely
reportedtohavebeentheoldestlivingpersonin
1988at112,andwasdeclaredtheoldestperson
everin1995atage120.
SomeresearchershavechallengedCalment's
extremeageduetostatisticalunlikelihood,and
haveexaminedthepossibilitythatherdaughter
YvonnemayhaveassumedCalment'sidentityin
1934.Otherresearchershavedismissedthis
hypothesisonthebasisofextensiveprior
researchintoCalment'slife.
KANE TANAKA
Nationality: Japanese
Born: 2 January 1903
Oldest
Living Woman
in the World
KaneTanaka isavalidated
Japanesesupercentenarianwho,atage117
years,istheworld'soldestverifiedliving
person/womanfollowingthedeathof117-
year-oldChiyoMiyakoon22July2018.Sheis
theninthverifiedoldestpersonever.
Kane,fromFukuoka,Japan,hasbeenofficially
confirmedastheoldestpersonlivingat116
years66daysoldasof9March2019.On30
January2019(whenshewas116years28days),
shewasconfirmedastheoldestpersonaliveand
waspresentedwithhercertificatesforthatrecord
andoldestwomanlivinginaceremonyatherhome.
Shewasbornprematurelyon2January1903,the
sameyeartheWrightbrothersbecamethefirstto
achievepoweredflight.
Kaneis5yearsshyoftherecordforoldestperson
ever,whichhasbeenheldbyJeanneLouise
Calment(France)forthepast23years

68. People
Oldest Man
in the World
JIROEMON KIMURA
Nationality: Japanese
Born: 19 April 1897
Died: 12 June 2013
(aged 116 years, 54 days)
The Book of Knowledge 68
JiroemonKimurawasaJapanese
supercentenarian.Hebecametheoldest
verifiedmaleinhistoryon28December2012,at
theageof115yearsand253dayswhenhe
surpassedtheageofChristianMortensenwho
diedin1998,andalsobecamethefirst,andso
fartheonly,manwhoindisputablyreached116
yearsofage,being116years,54daysoldatthe
timeofhisdeathfromnaturalcauseson12June
2013,inahospitalinhishometownofKyōtango,
KyotoPrefecture,Japan.Hewasthelastverified
livingmanborninthe19thcentury,aswellasthe
lastlivingpersonbornin1897.
KimurabecametheoldestlivingmaninJapan
uponthedeathofTomojiTanabeon19June
2009,theworld'soldestlivingmanuponthe
deathofWalterBreuningon15April2011,the
oldestlivingpersoninJapanuponthedeathof
SATURNINO de la
FUENTE
Nationality: Spanish
Born: 8 February 1909
Oldest
Living Man
in the World
SaturninodelaFuente,a
Spanishistheoldestknownlivingman,aged111
years,afterthedeathofRobertWeightonon28
May2020,attheageof112years,60days.
SaturninodelaFuenteGarcia,theyoungestofsix
siblings,wasborninLeón,Spainon8February
1909.HehaslivedinthesameprovinceofSpainfor
hisentirelife.
EnglishmanRobertWeighon,whoheldthetitlefor
theoldestpersonliving(male),haspassedaway
duetocancer.BobWeightonwasofficially
confirmedastheoldestpersonliving(male)at112
yearsand1dayon30March2020.
ChiyonoHasegawaon2December2011,andtheworld'soldestlivingperson
uponthedeathofDinaManfredini(whowasonly15daysolder)on17
December2012,untilhisowndeath.AfterBreuning'sdeath,Kimurawasalso
thelastlivingmanbornbefore1900.BreuningandKimurawerealsotheonly
twoverifiedmenbornbefore1900whowerelivingintheseconddecadeofthe
21stcentury(2011–2020).

69. People The Book of Knowledge 69
Most Prolific
Father Ever
in the World
FEODOR VASSILYEV
Nationality: Russian
Born: 1707
Died: 1782 (aged 74-75)
Number of children: 87
FeodorVassilyevwasa
peasantfromShuya,Russia.Hisfirstwifeis
claimedtohavelivedtobe76and,between
1725and1765,havehad69children(16
pairsoftwins,7setsoftripletsand4setsof
quadruplets);67ofthemsurvivedinfancy
withthelossofonesetoftwins:therecord
formostchildrenborntoasinglewoman.
Howevertheirname,dateofbirth,anddate
ofdeathareallunknown.
Vassilyevalsohad18childrenwithhis
secondwife,whohad6pairsoftwinsand2
setsoftriplets,makinghimafatherof87
childrenintotal.Ofhis87children,atleast
82aresaidtohavesurvivedinfancy.
Thedataabouthischildrenareincludedin
theGuinnessBookofWorldRecords.
Most Children
Delivered at
a Single Birth
to Survive
NADYA DENISE SULEMAN
Nationality: American
Born: 11 July 1975
Children: 14 (6 + 8)
NadyaSuleman (bornNatalie
DeniseSuleman,knownasOctomominthe
media,isanAmericanmediapersonalitywho
cametointernationalattentionwhenshegave
birthtooctuplets(8offspring)on26January
2009.Oneweekaftertheirbirth,they
surpassedthepreviousworldwidesurvivalrate
foracompletesetofoctupletssetbythe
Chukwuoctupletsin1998.Thecircumstances
oftheirhighordermultiplebirthledto
controversyinthefieldofassistedreproductive
technologyaswellasaninvestigation
bytheMedicalBoardofCaliforniaof
thefertilityspecialistinvolved.
Nadyaconceivedtheoctupletsand
hersixolderchildrenviainvitro
fertilization(IVF).Althoughsheinitially
deniedeverhavingusedpublic
assistance,sheconfirmedinApril
2012onNBC'sTodayshowthatshe
wasonpublicassistance.

70. People The Book of Knowledge 70
First Human /
Man in Space
YURI GAGARIN
Nationality: Russian
Mission: 12 April 1961
Born: 9 March 1934
Died: 27 March 1968 (aged 34)
First
Woman
in Space
VALENTINA TERESHKOVA
Nationality: Russian
Mission: 16 June 1963
Born: 6 March 1937
YuriAlekseyevichGagarinwasaSovietAirForcepilot
andcosmonautwhobecamethefirsthumantojourneyintoouterspace,
achievingamajormilestoneintheSpaceRace;hiscapsuleVostok1
completedoneorbitofEarthon12April1961.Gagarinbecamean
internationalcelebrityandwasawardedmanymedalsandtitles,including
HerooftheSovietUnion,hisnation'shighesthonour.
Vostok1wasGagarin'sonlyspaceflightbutheservedasthebackupcrewto
theSoyuz1mission,whichendedinafatalcrash,killinghisfriendandfellow
cosmonautVladimirKomarov.Fearingforhislife,Sovietofficialspermanently
bannedGagarinfromfurtherspaceflights.Aftercompletingtrainingatthe
ZhukovskyAirForceEngineeringAcademyon17February1968,hewas
allowedtoflyregularaircraft.GagarindiedfiveweekslaterwhentheMiG-15
trainingjethewaspilotingwithhisflightinstructorVladimirSeryogincrashed
nearthetownofKirzhach.
ValentinaVladimirovnaTereshkovaisamember
oftheRussianStateDuma,engineer,
andformercosmonaut.Sheisthefirst
andyoungestwomantohaveflown
inspacewithasolomissiononthe
Vostok6on16June1963.Sheorbited
theEarth48times,spent3daysin
space,andremainstheonlywomantohave
beenonasolospacemission.Onthemorning
of16June1963,Tereshkovaandherbackup
Solovyovawerebothdressedinspacesuits
andtakentothelaunchpadbybus.Aftera
two-hourcountdown,Vostok6launchedfaultlessly,andTereshkovabecame
thefirstwomaninspace;sheremainstheonlywomantoflytospacesolo,
andtheyoungestat26yearsold.

71. People
First Men
on the Moon
NEIL ARMSTRONG
Nationality: American
Mission: 20 July 1969
Born: 5 August 1930
Died: 25 August 2012
The Book of Knowledge 71
Heturnedandsethisleftbootonthelunarsurfaceat02:56UTCJuly21,1969,
thensaid,"That'sonesmallstepfor[a]man,onegiantleapformankind.
EdwinEugeneAldrinJr.isanAmericanengineer,former
astronautandfighterpilot.Aldrinmadethreespacewalksaspilotofthe1966
Gemini12mission,andasthelunarmodulepilotonthe1969Apollo11mission,
heandmissioncommanderNeilwerethefirsttwohumanstolandontheMoon.
NeilAldenArmstrongwasan
Americanastronautandaeronauticalengineer
andthefirstpersontowalkontheMoon.He
wasalsoanavalaviator,testpilot,anduniversity
professor.
ASaturnVrocketlaunchedApollo11from
LaunchComplex39siteattheKennedySpace
CenteronJuly16,1969,at13:32:00UTC
(09:32:00EDTlocaltime).Armstrong'swifeJanet
andtwosonswatchedfromayachtmooredon
theBananaRiver
On20July,1969,ArmstrongandApollo11Lunar
Module(LM)pilotBuzzAldrinbecamethefirst
‘BUZZ’ ALDRIN
Nationality: American
Born: 20 January 1930
Ofthe12peoplewhohavewalkedonthemoon,nonehavebeenwomen.
NASA'sArtemisprogramaimstochangethatbylandingthefirstwomanon
themoon."Inthe1960s,youngladiesdidn'thavetheopportunitytosee
themselvesinthatrole.Todaytheydo,andIthinkthisisaveryexciting
opportunity.“saidNASAAdministratorJimBridenstine.Withtheambitious
goaltolaunchthislunarmissionby2024,peoplehavestartedtospeculate
aboutwhomightbethefirstwomantowalkonthemoon.Ofthe38active
astronautsinNASA'sastronautcorps,12arewomen,andanother5arein
theclassthatwillwrapupastronauttrainingthisyear,foratotalof17.
peopletolandontheMoon,andthenextday
theyspenttwoandahalfhoursoutsidethe
spacecraftwhileMichaelCollinsremainedin
lunarorbitinthemission’scommandmodule
(CM).WhenheandAldrinwerereadytogo
outside,Eaglewasdepressurized,thehatch
wasopened,andArmstrongmadehisway
downtheladder.Atthebottomoftheladder
Armstrongsaid,"I'mgoingtostepofftheLM
[lunarmodule]now".

72. People The Book of Knowledge 72
First Man
to Reach Both
North & South
Poles
EDMUND HILLARY
Nationality: New Zealander
Mission: 29 May 1953
Born: 20 July 1919
Died: 11 January 2008
(aged 88)
First Men
to Climb
Mount Everest
TENZING NORGAY
Nationality: Nepalese
Mission: 29 May 1953
Born: 29 May 1914
Died: 9 May 1986 (aged 71)
SirEdmundPercivalHillarywasaNewZealand
mountaineer,explorer,andphilanthropist.On29
May1953,HillaryandSherpamountaineerTenzing
Norgaybecamethefirstclimbersconfirmedtohave
reachedthesummitofMountEverest.Theywere
partoftheninthBritishexpeditiontoEverest,ledby
JohnHunt.
HillaryhadbeenpartoftheBritishreconnaissance
expeditiontothemountainin1951aswellasan
unsuccessfulattempttoclimbChoOyuin1952.As
partoftheCommonwealth Trans-Antarctic
ExpeditionhereachedtheSouthPoleoverlandin
1958.HesubsequentlyreachedtheNorthPole,
makinghimthefirstpersontoreachbothpoles
andsummitEverest.
InJanuary1948,Hillaryandothersascendedthe
southridgeofAoraki/MountCook,New
Zealand’shighestpeak.In1951hewaspartofa
BritishreconnaissanceexpeditiontoEverestled
byEricShipton,beforejoiningthesuccessful
Britishattemptof1953.In1952,Hillaryand
GeorgeLowewerepartoftheBritishteamledby
Shipton,thatattemptedChoOyu.Afterthat
attemptfailedduetothelackofaroutefromthe
Nepalside,HillaryandLowecrossedtheNupLa
passintoTibetandreachedtheoldCampII,on
thenorthernside,wherealltheprevious
expeditionshadcamped.In1949,thelong
standingclimbingroutetothesummitofEverest
wasclosedbyChinese-controlledTibet.Forthe
nextseveralyears,Nepalallowedonlyoneortwo
expeditionsperyear.ASwissexpedition(inwhich
Tenzingtookpart)attemptedtoreachthesummit
in1952,butwasforcedbackbybadweather
around800feet(240m)belowthesummit.On29May1953,theyreached
Everest's29,028ft(8,848m)summit–thehighestpointonearth–at11:30am.
TenzingNorgaybornNamgyalWangdiandoftenreferredtoas
SherpaTenzing,wasaNepali-Indianmountaineer.Onhis39
th
birthday,hewas
oneofthefirst2individualsknowntoreachthesummitofMountEverest.

73. People The Book of Knowledge 73
JunkoTabeibornIshibashiJunkowas
aJapanesemountaineer.Shewasthefirst
womantoreachthesummitofMountEverest,
locatedbetweenNepalandChina,andthefirst
womantoascendalltheSevenSummitsby
climbingthehighestpeakoneverycontinent.
Afteralongtrainingperiod,theteambeganthe
expeditionearlyin1975whentheytravelledto
Kathmandu.Theyusedthesameroutetoascend
themountainthatSirEdmundHillaryandTenzing
Norgayhadtakenin1953.InearlyMay,thegroup
wascampingat6,300meterswhenanavalanche
strucktheircamp.Thewomenandtheirguides
JUNKO TABEI
Nationality: Japanese
Mission: 16 May 1975
Born: 22 September 1939
Died: 20 October 2016
(aged 77)
First Woman
to Climb
Mount Everest
& 7 Summits
wereburiedunderthesnow.Tabeilostconsciousnessforapproximatelysix
minutesuntilhersherpaguidedugherout.Twelvedaysaftertheavalanche,on
16May1975,withhersherpaguide,AngTsering,Tabeibecamethefirst
womantoreachthesummitofEverest.
TabeiclimbedKilimanjaro(5,895m)inTanzaniain1980,MtAconcagua(6,959
m)inArgentinain1987,Denali(6,190m)inAlaskain1988,MtElbrus(5,642
m)inRussiain1989,VinsonMassif(4,892m)in
Antarcticain1991andshecompletedtheSeven
Summitsin1992withherascentofJayaPeak(4,884m)
inIndonesia(AustraliaandOceania),thusbecamethe
firstwomantocompletetheSevenSummits.Inaddition,
sheattemptedtoreachthetopofthehighestmountain
ineachcountry,andsheconqueredsome70ofthe
peaksonthelist.

74. People The Book of Knowledge 74
First Women Pilots in the World
AidadeAcostaRootBreckinridge
(28July1884–26May1962)wasan
Americansocialiteandthefirstwomanto
flyapoweredaircraftsolo.On27June
1903,whileinPariswithhermother,she
glimpse
about40kmfromCalaisonabeachinÉquihen-Plage,Pas-de-Calais.She
becamethefirstwomantopilotanaircraftacrosstheEnglishChannel.
caughtherfirst ofdirigibles.Shethenproceededtotakeonlythree
flightlessons,beforetakingtotheskybyherself.
TheresePeltier(1873–1926)wasaFrenchaviator.Shemayhavebeen
thefirstwomantopilotaheavier-than-aircraft.Onunknowndate,shemade
asoloflightof200mataheightof2.5mattheMilitarySquareinTurin.
BlancheStuartScott(April8,1884–January12,
1970),waspossiblythefirstAmericanwomanaviator.On
6September1910eitherthelimitermovedoragustof
windliftedthebiplaneandsheflewtoanaltitudeofforty
feetbeforeexecutingagentlelanding.Herflightwasshort
andpossiblyunintentionalbutScottiscreditedasthefirst
woman
HarrietQuimby(11May1875–1July1912)wasan
earlyAmericanaviator.In1911,shewasawardedaU.S.
pilot'scertificatebytheAeroClubofAmerica,becoming
thefirstwomantogainapilot'slicenseintheUS.On16
April1912,shetookofffromDover,England,enrouteto
Calais,France,andmadetheflightin59minutes,landing
AlysMcKeyBryant(1880–1954)wasanAmerican
aviatorandthefirstwomantoflyonthePacificCoast
andinCanada,on3May1913,whohadsolopilotedan
aircraftpriortoDecember17,1916.Shesetanaltitude
recordforwomen.
topilotandsoloinanairplaneintheUS,althoughBessicaMedlar
Raiche'sflighton16SeptemberwasaccreditedasfirstbytheAeronautical
SocietyofAmericaatthetime.
BessicaFaithRaiche(April1875–11April1932)wasthefirstwomanin
theUnitedStatesaccreditedwithflyingsoloinherhomemadeairplaneat
HempsteadPlains,NewYork,on16September1910.

75. People The Book of Knowledge 75
First Women Pilots in the World
RuthLawOliver(21May1887–1December1970)
wasapioneerAmericanaviatorduringthe1910s.After
WorldWar1,shecontinuedtosetrecords.After
RaymondedeLarocheofFrancesetawomen'saltitude
recordofnearly13,000ft(3,962m)on7June1919,ShebrokeLaroche's
recordon10June,flyingto14,700ft(4,481m).Larocheinturn,however,
brokeOliver'srecordon12June,flyingtoaheightof15,748ft(4,800m).
RaymondedeLaroche(22August1882–18July
1919),isthoughttobethefirstwomantopilotaplane.She
didbecometheworld'sfirstlicensedfemalepilotonMarch8,
1910.Shereceivedthe36thaeroplanepilot'slicenceissued
bytheAeroclubdeFrance,theworld'sfirstorganizationto
issuepilotlicences.InJune1919deLarochesettwo
women'saltituderecords,oneat15,700ft(4,800m);and
alsothewomen'sdistancerecord,at323km.
AmeliaMaryEarhart(bornJuly24,1897;disappeared
July2,1937)wasanAmericanaviationpioneerandauthor.
Earhartwasthefirstfemaleaviatortoflysoloacrossthe
AtlanticOcean.Earhartreportedlyreceivedarousing
welcomeonJune19,1928,whenshelandedatWoolstonin
Southampton,England.SheflewtheAvroAvian594Avian
III,SN:R3/AV/101ownedbyLadyMaryHeath.
AdrienneBolland,(25November1895–18March
1975)wasaFrenchtestpilotandthefirstwomantofly
overtheAndesbetweenChileandArgentina.Bolland's
flightwasespeciallychallenging.TheG.3couldnotfly
muchhigherthan4,500m,wellbelowtherange's
summits,whichreachupto6,959matAconcagua,South
America'shighestpeak.So,shehadtoflybetweenand
aroundthemandthroughvalleys,ariskierroutethan
Godoyandherpredecessorshadchosen.
AmyJohnson(born1July1903;disappeared
presumeddead5January1941)wasapioneeringEnglish
pilotwhowasthefirstwomantoflysolofromLondonto
Australia.Flyingsoloorwithherhusband,JimMollison,
shesetmanylong-distancerecordsduringthe1930s.

76. People The Book of Knowledge 76
First Woman
Helicopter Pilot
in the World
JacquelineCochran(11May1906-9
August1980)wasanAmericanpilot.Shewasthe
firstwomantobreakthesoundbarrier.On18
May1953,atCalifornia,CochranflewtheSabre3
andsetanew100kmspeedrecordof1,050.15
km/h.DuringthecourseofthisruntheSabrewent
supersonic,andCochranbecamethefirstwoman
tobreakthesoundbarrier.Lateron3June,sheset
anew15kmclosedcircuitrecordof1078km/h.
SabihaGokçen(22March
1913–22March2001)wasa
Turkishaviator.Shewasthe
world'sfirstfemalefighterpilot,
aged23,asrecognisedby
GuinnessBookofWorldRecords.
HannaReitsch(29March1912–24
August1979)wasaGermanaviatorandtest
pilot.DuringtheNaziera,sheandMelittavon
Stauffenbergflighttestedmanyoftheregime's
newaircraft.
Shesetmorethan40flightaltituderecordsand
women'sendurancerecordsinglidingandunpowered
flight.In1938,Reitschwasthefirstfemale
helicopterpilotandoneofthefewpilotstoflythe
Focke-AchgelisFa61,thefirstfullycontrollable,
practicalandfunctionalhelicopter(firstflownin1936)
forwhichshereceivedtheMilitaryFlyingMedal.
In2018,AvanibecamethefirstIndianwomanpilottotakeasoloflightina
MiG-21.InMay2019,BhawanabecamethefirstfemalefighterpilotinIndiato
qualifytoundertakecombatmissions.On16March2018,shetakesthesolo
flightofMig-21‘Bison’.
First Woman
Fighter Pilot
in the World
Duringherflyingcareer,some8,000hours,32ofwhichwerecombat
missionswereachieved.
AvaniChaturvedi(born27Nov1993),Mohana
SinghJitarwal(27Oct1993)andBhawana
Kanth(1Dec1992)arecohortIndianpilots,declared
asthefirstcombatpilotsalonginductedintotheIndian
AirForcefightersquadroninJune2016.
First Woman
to break the
Sound Barrier

77. People The Book of Knowledge 77
First Women
Commercial
Airplane Pilot
EmilyHowellWarner(born30October1939–
3July2020inDenver,Colorado)isanAmerican
airlinepilotandthefirstwomancaptainofa
scheduledUSairline.On29January1973,Warner
wasthefirstwomanpilottobehiredbyFrontier
Airlines,flyingBoeing737,sinceHelenRicheywas
hired
HelenRichey(1909–1947)wasapioneering
femaleaviatorandthefirstwomantobehiredas
apilotbyacommercialairlineintheUnitedStates.
In1933Richeypartneredwithanotherfemalepilot,
FrancesMarsalis,tosetanendurancerecordby
airbornestaying fornearly10days,withmidairrefuelling.
InMay1936,Helen,flyingalightplane,setaninternational
altituderecordforaircraftweighingunder200kg.She
reached18,448ftduringaflightfromCongressionalAirport
toEndlessCavernsAirportinNewMarket,Virginia.In
additiontobeingthefirstfemalecommercialairlinepilot,
Richeyalsowasthefirstwomanswornintopilotairmail
andoneofthefirstfemaleflightinstructors.
LynnRippelmeyeristhefirstwomantoflythe
Boeing747.Sheflewthe747asafirstofficerforSeaboard
WorldAirlines1980-1981.In1984,Lynnalsobecamethe
firstwomantocaptainthe"JumboJet"acrosstheAtlantic
Ocean.On30December1977,shewasthefirstofficer
(withCaptainEmilieJones)forthefirstall-femalecrewfora
scheduledcommercialUScarrier,DHC-6TwinOtter.
Youngest
Female
Pilot
LouiseVanMeter(13March1982–15March
2008)wasanAmericanaviator.Shewasknownfor
settingseveral"youngestpilot"distance-flyingrecords.
AtAttheageof11,shewasthe
youngest"pilot"toflyeastto
westacrossthecontinental
AmericaUnitedStatesofAmerica,andtheyoungest
femalepilottocrossineitherdirection.Shedied
fromaself-inflictedgunshotwound,attheageof
26.Hersuicidewasduetoherdepression.
asaco-pilotin1934.In1976Warnerwasthefirstwomantobecomea
USairlinecaptain.

78. People The Book of Knowledge 78
VictorVescovo,aretiredAmerican
navalofficerandunderseaexplorer,isthefirst
persontohavereachedthedeepestpoints
offouroftheEarth'sfiveoceansduringthe
FiveDeepsExpeditionof2018–2019.
First Man
to Reach
Mariana Trench
samplingsanddepthconfirmationsateachlocation.Besidesthedeepest
pointsofthefiveworldoceans,theexpeditionalsomadedivesintheHorizon
DeepandtheSirenaDeep,andmappedtheDiamantinaFractureZone.
InDecember2018,hebecamethefirstpersontoreachthedeepestpointof
theAtlanticOcean–8,376mbelowtheoceansurfacetothebaseofthe
PuertoRicoTrench,anareareferredtobyworldmediaasBrownsonDeep.
OnFebruary4,2019,hebecamethefirstpersontoreachthebottomofthe
SouthernOcean,inthesouthernportionoftheSouthSandwichTrench.
OnApril16,2019,VescovodivedtothebottomoftheSundaTrenchsouthof
Bali,reachingthebottomoftheIndianOcean.Theteamreportedsightingsof
whattheybelievedtobeentirelynewspecies,includingahadalsnailfishand
agelatinousorganismbelievedtobeastalkedAscidean.
OnApril28,2019,Vescovodescendednearly11kmtothedeepestplacein
theocean–theChallengerDeepinPacificOcean'sMarianaTrench.Onhis
firstdescent,hepilotedtheDSVLimitingFactortoadepthof10,928m
(35,853ft),aworldrecordby16m.DivingforasecondtimeonMay1,he
becamethefirstpersontodivetheChallengerDeeptwice,finding"atleast
threenewspeciesofmarineanimals"and"somesortofplasticwaste".
OnJune10,2019,hereachedthebottomoftheHorizonDeepintheTonga
Trench,confirmingthatitistheseconddeepestpointontheplanetandthe
deepestintheSouthernHemisphereat10,823m.
VescovocompletedtheFiveDeepsExpeditionon24August2019whenhe
reachedadepthof5,550matthebottomoftheMolloyDeepintheArctic
ocean.Hewasthefirsthumantoreachthislocation.
In2018,VescovolaunchedtheFive
Deepsexpedition,whoseobjectivewas
tothoroughlymapandvisitthebottomof
allfiveoftheworld'soceansbytheend
ofSeptember2019.
Thisobjectivewasachievedonemonth
aheadofschedule,andtheexpedition's
teamsuccessfullycarriedoutbiological

79. Inventors The Book of Knowledge 79
KarlFriedrichBenz(25Nov1844-4
April1929)wasaGermanengine
designer,automobileengineer,inventor
car
Automobiles &
Locomotives
Onthemorningof5August
1888Berthatookthevehicle
ona104kmtripfrom
MannheimtoPforzheimto
visithermother,takinghe3
sonswithher.
RudolfChristianKarlDiesel(18March1858-29September1913)was
aGermaninventorandmechanicalengineer,famousfortheinventionofthe
Dieselengine,andforhissuspiciousdeathatsea,theEnglishChannel.
From1893to1897,HeinrichvonBuz,directorofMANSEin
Augsburg,gaveRudolfDieseltheopportunitytotestand
develophisideas.ThefirstsuccessfulDieselengineranin
1897andisnowondisplayattheGermanTechnical
MuseuminMunich.RudolfDieselobtainedpatentsforhis
designinGermanyandothercountries,includingtheUnited
States.HewasinductedintotheAutomotiveHallofFamein
1978.
JohnBoydDunlop(5February1840–23October
1921)wasaScottishinventorandveterinarysurgeonwho
spentmostofhiscareerinIreland.Familiarwithmaking
rubberdevices,here-inventedpneumatictyresforhis
child'stricycleanddevelopedthemforuseincycleracing.In
October1887,hedevelopedthefirstpracticalpneumatic
orinflatabletyreforhisson'stricycleand,usinghis
knowledgeandexperiencewithrubber,intheyardofhis
homeinBelfastfittedittoawoodendisc96cmacross.Thetyrewasan
inflatedtubeofsheetrubber.
EdouardMichelin(23June1859–25August1940)was
aFrenchindustrialist.In1889,heimprovedgreatlyonthe
designofthepneumatictyreforbicycles,makingtyres
easiertochangeandrepair.
ofmodern .HisBenzPatentMotorfrom1885is
consideredthefirstpracticalautomobile.He
receivedapatentforthemotorcarin1886.The
world'sfirsteverlongdistanceautomobiletripwas
undertakenbyhiswifeBerthaBenzusingaModel3.

80. Inventors The Book of Knowledge 80
IvanPetrovichKulibin(21April1735
–11August1818)wasaRussian
mechanicandinventor.
Automobiles &
Locomotives
fortransmittingsignalsoverdistance.Priortothis,during1764-
1767,hebuiltanegg-shapedclock,containingacomplexautomatic
mechanism.Kulibinalsodesignedprojectsfortowerclocks,miniature"clock-
in-a-ring"typesandothers.Healsoworkedonnewwaystofacetglassfor
useinmicroscopes,telescopesandotheropticalinstruments.In1779,he
builtalanternthatcouldemitapowerfullightusingaweaklightsource.This
inventionwasusedindustriallyforlightingworkshops,lighthouses,ships,etc.
In1801,Kulibinhadprojectsonusingsteamenginestomovecargoships,on
creatingsaltminingmachines,differentkindsofmills,pianosandother
projects.Kulibindiedin1818afterspendinghislastyearsinpoverty.
Assen"Jerry"Jordanoff(2September1896-19
October1967)wasaBulgarianinventor,engineerand
aviator.Heisconsideredtobethefounderofaeronautical
engineeringinBulgaria.In1912,attheageof16,hebuilt
hisfirstworkableglider.Theworld'sfirstairbag,meant
toensurethesafetyofpilotsandautomobiledriversalike,
wasdesignedbyhimin1957.Amongotherinventions
includedinstructionbooks&manualsforairplanes,dark
box(asimplesubstitutiontotheuseofanentiredarkroominphotograph
development),Jordaphone(wirelesstelephone,withanansweringfunction
andamplifierandintercomfunctionsandprecededthemoderninventionsof
theansweringmachineandtaperecorder),FrozenGasolineSystemfor
airplanes(tocoolthefuelinanaircraft'stankwithdryiceandalcohol,thus
makingitinflammable)andtheReverseThrustdevice(madetodecrease
thespecificfuelconsumptionandtoincreasethethrustofjetengines).
In1791,Kulibinconstructedapush-cyclecart,inwhichhe
usedaflywheel,abrake,agearboxandrollerbearing.
Thecartwasoperatedbyamanpressingpedals.Inthe
sameyear,healsodesigned"mechanicallegs",aprosthetic
device.1793,heconstructedanelevatorthatliftedacabin
usingscrewmechanisms.In1794,hecreatedanoptical
telegraph
Thomas"Tom"ParryJones(27March1935–11
January2013)wasaWelshscientist,inventorand
entrepreneur.In1967inBritain,Thomasdevelopedand
marketedthefirstelectronicbreathalyser,and
establishedLionLaboratoriesinCardiff.

81. Inventors The Book of Knowledge 81
FriedrichWilhelmGustavBruhn
(11November1853-1927)wasa
Germaninventorofmoderntaximeterin
any
Automobiles &
Locomotives
BerlinandworkedforGermancomp Westendarp&PieperHamburg.
YuryVladimirovichLomonosov(24April1876-19
November1952)wasaRussianrailwayengineeranda
xxxxxx leadingfigureinthedevelopmentof
RussianRailwaysintheearly20th
century.Hewasbestknownfordesign
andconstructionoftheworld'sfirst
operationallysuccessfulmainline
diesellocomotive,theEel-2.Thiswas
completedin1924andwentintoservicein1925.From1923to1924hetook
onataskofcreatingthefirstRussiandieselenginewithelectric
transmission.Usinghisadministrativeskills,Lomonosovassembleda
creativeteamofengineersandscientistswhomanagedtodesignandbuilda
prototypeasearlyasinSpring1924.ThelocomotivepassedallStatetests
andexaminationsandinFebruary1925wasofficiallylistedundernumber
Юэ001attheSovietrailways.
Air & Sea
Crafts
rivers.In1800,Fultonhad
beencommissionedbyNapoleonBonaparte,leaderof
France,toattempttodesignasubmarine;heproduced
Nautilus,thefirstpracticalsubmarineinhistory.
Fultonisalsocreditedwithinventingsomeofthe
world'searliestnavaltorpedoesforusebytheBritish
RoyalNavy.Hebecameinterestedinsteamengines
andtheideaofsteamboatsin1777whenhewas
aroundage12andvisitedstatedelegateWilliamHenry
ofLancaster,whowasinterestedinthistopic.Henry
hadlearnedaboutinventorJamesWattandhisWatt
earlier
RobertFulton(14November1765
–25February1815)wasanAmericanengineer
andinventorwhoiswidelycreditedwithdevelopinga
commerciallysuccessfulsteamboat;thefirstwas
calledNorthRiverSteamboat.In1807thatsteamboat
travelledontheHudsonRiverwithpassengers,from
NewYorkCitytoAlbanyandbackagain,aroundtrip
of480km,in62hours.Thesuccessofhissteamboat
changedrivertrafficandtradeonmajorAmerican
steamengineonan visittoEngland.FiveshipsoftheUnitedStates
NavyhavebornethenameUSSFultoninhonourofRobertFulton.

82. Inventors The Book of Knowledge 82
ClementAder(2April1841-3May1925)
wasaFrenchinventorandengineer,
rememberedprimarilyforhispioneeringwork
in
Air & Sea
Crafts
TheWrightbrothers–Orville(19August1871-30January1948)and
Wilbur(16April1867–30May1912)weretwoAmericanaviationpioneers
generallycreditedwithinventing,building,andflyingtheworld'sfirst
successfulmotor-operatedairplane.Theymadethefirstcontrolled,
sustained
inaviation.UsingthestudiesofLouisPierreMouillard(1834–
1897)ontheflightofbirds,heconstructedhisfirstflying
machinein1886,theAderEole.Itwasabat-likedesignrunby
alightweightsteamengineofhisowninvention,with4
cylinderswithapowerratingof20hp(15kW),drivingafour-
bladepropeller.Theengineweighed51kg.Thewingshada
spanof14m.All-upweightwas300kg.On9October1890
AderattemptedtoflytheEole.Aviationhistoriansgivecreditto
this thiseffortasapoweredtake-off
anduncontrolledflightinground
effectofapproximately50mata
heightofapproximately20cm.
Aderalsoclaimedcreditfor
gettingoffthegroundintheEole
sustainedflightofapowered,heavier-than-air
aircraftwiththeWrightFlyeron17December
1903,6kmsouthofKittyHawk,NorthCarolina.In
1904–05,thebrothersdevelopedtheirflying
machinetomakelonger-runningandmore
aerodynamicflightswiththeWrightFlyerII,
followedbythefirsttrulypracticalfixed-wing
aircraft,theWrightFlyerIII.TheWrightbrothers
werealsothefirsttoinventaircraftcontrolsthat
madefixed-wingpoweredflightpossible.The
brothers'breakthroughwastheircreationofa3-
axiscontrolsystem,whichenabledthepilottosteertheaircrafteffectively
andtomaintainitsequilibrium.Afterexperimentingwithseveralsizesof
WrightGliders,in1903thebrothersbuiltthepoweredWrightFlyer,using
theirpreferredmaterialforconstruction,spruce,astrongandlightweight
wood,andPrideoftheWestmuslinforsurfacecoverings.Wilburmadea3
secondflightattempton14December1903,stallingaftertakeoffand
causingminordamagetotheFlyer.Sotheirfirstpoweredtestflight
happenedonthe121stanniversaryofthefirsthotairballoontestflightthat
theMontgolfierbrothershaddone,onDecember14,1782.

83. Inventors The Book of Knowledge 83
Air & Sea
Crafts
groundsofParis'ChâteaudeBagatelleintheBois
deBoulogneforadistanceof60metresataheight
ofaboutfivemeters.Thiswasthefirstflightofa
poweredheavier-than-airmachineinEurope.On12
November1906Santos-Dumontsetthefirstworld
recordrecognizedbytheFederationAeronautique
Internationale,byflying220metresin21.5seconds.
Onthatdatehebecamethefirstpersontobefilmed
inanairplaneinflight.
LouisCharlesJosephBleriot(1July1872-1
August1936)wasaFrenchaviator,inventor,and
engineer.Hedevelopedthefirstpracticalheadlamp
forcarsandestablishedaprofitablebusiness
manufacturingthem,usingmuchofthemoneyhe
madetofinancehisattemptstobuildasuccessful
aircraft.Blériotwasthefirsttousethecombinationof
hand-operatedjoystickandfoot-operatedrudder
present
AlbertoSantos-Dumont(20July1873-
23July1932)wasaBrazilianinventorand
aviationpioneer,oneoftheveryfewpeople
tohavecontributedsignificantlytothedevelopmentofbothlighter-than-air
andheavier-than-airaircraft.Santos-DumontisanationalheroinBrazil,
whereit whereitispopularlyheldthatheprecededtheWright
brothersindemonstratingapracticalairplane.Although
Santos-Dumontcontinuedtoworkonnon-rigidairships,his
primaryinterestsoonturnedtoheavier-than-airaircraft.By
1905,hehadfinishedhisfirstfixed-wingaircraftdesign,
andalsoahelicopter.Santos-Dumontfinallysucceededin
flyingaheavier-than-airaircrafton23October1906,
pilotingthe14-bisbeforealargecrowdofwitnessesatthe
controlasusedtothe daytooperatetheaircraftcontrolsurfaces.
Bleriotwasalsothefirsttomakeaworking,powered,pilotedmonoplane.In
1909hebecameworld-famousformakingthefirstairplaneflightacrossthe
EnglishChannel.At4:15am,25July1909,watchedbyanexcitedcrowd,he
madeashorttrialflightinhisTypeXI,andthen,onasignalthatthesunhad
risen,hetookoffat4:41toattemptthecrossing.Flyingatapproximately72
km/handanaltitudeofabout76m,hesetoffacrosstheChannel.Nothaving
acompass,hetookhiscoursefromtheEscopette,whichwasheadingfor
Dover,buthesoonovertooktheshipandoverDover,cuthisengineatan
altitudeofabout20m,makingaheavy"pancake"landingduetothegusty
windconditions.Theflighthadtaken36minutesand30seconds.

84. Inventors The Book of Knowledge 84
Air & Sea
Crafts
HenriFabre(29November1882–30June1984)wasaFrenchaviator
andtheinventorofthefirstsuccessfulseaplane,theFabreHydravion.He
intensivelystudiedaeroplaneandpropellerdesigns.Hepatentedasystemof
flotationdeviceswhichheusedwhenhesucceededintakingofffromthe
surfaceoftheEtangdeBerreon28March1910.Onthatday,hecompleted
fourconsecutiveflights,thelongestabout600metres.theHydravionhas
survivedandisdisplayedintheMuséedel'AirinParis.HenriFabrewas
sooncontactedbyGlennCurtissandGabrielVoisinwhousedhisinventionto
developtheirownseaplanes.
KarlJatho(3February1873-8December
1933)wasaGermaninventorandaviation
pioneer.FromAugustthroughNovember
1903,Jathomadeprogressivelylongerhops
(flights)inapushertriplane,thenbiplane,at
VahrenwalderHeideoutsideofHanover.Hisfirst
flightwasonly18metersatabout1meteraltitude.
Withalatermachine,hewouldmakesuccessful
flightsin1909:60metersataboutat3–4meters
altitude.Healsofoundedaflyingschoolandan
aircraftfactory,butdidnothavemuchsuccess.
Aslateas1971,Fabrehewasstill
sailinghisownboatsingle-
handedlyinMarseilleharbour.
Hediedattheageof101asoneof
thelastlivingpioneersofhuman
flight.
Dr.ErnstHeinkel(24January1888–30January
1958)wasaGerman aircraftdesigner,
manufacturer,WehrwirtschaftsführerintheThird
Reich,andmemberoftheNaziparty.Hiscompany
HeinkelFlugzeugwerkeproducedtheHeinkelHe
178,theworld'sfirstturbojetaircraftandjet
plane,andtheHeinkelHe176,thefirstrocket
aircraft.Hebuilthisfirstaircraft,workingfromaset
ofplansbyHenriFarman.Hecrashedtheplanein
1911andsufferedsevereinjuries.In1981,hewas
inductedintotheInternationalAir&SpaceHallof
FameattheSanDiegoAir&SpaceMuseum.

85. Inventors The Book of Knowledge 85
NicolasFlorine,(19July1891–21
January1972),wasanengineerwhosettled
inBelgium.Hebuiltthefirsttandemrotor
helicopter
Air & Sea
Crafts
NicolasFlorineisalsoknowntohavedevisedasystemofthreelenses
coupledtothreefiltersallowingthesuperpositionofcolouredimages.This
principlewasdevelopedinthe1930sfortheprojectionoffilmsinrelief.
MikhailIosifovichGurevich(12January1893-12
November1976)wasaSovietaircraftdesignerwhoco-
foundedtheMikoyan-Gurevichmilitaryaviationbureau
alongwithArtemMikoyan.Thebureauisfamousforits
fighteraircraft,rapidinterceptorsandmulti-role
combataircraftwhichwerestaplesoftheSovietAir
Forces
MikhailLeontyevichMil(22November1909-31January1970)wasa
Russianaerospaceengineerandscientist.Hewasthefounderandgeneral
designer
Thefirstwasbuiltin1927andmadeitsfirst
flightin1929.NicolasFlorinebuilta
helicopterwithtworotorsintandem,turning
inthesamedirection.Tobalancethe
reactiontorques,heusedhisprincipleof
incliningtheaxesofrotationoftherotors
withrespecttoeachother.
workedonbeforehisretirementwastheMiG-25(above).
throughouttheCold
War.Thebureaudesigned
170projectsofwhich94were
totalmadeinseries.In,45,000MiGaircrafthave
beenmanufactureddomestically,ofwhich11,000
aircraftwereexported.Thelastplanewhichhe
personally
designeroftheMilMoscowHelicopterPlant.Mil's
creationswonmanydomesticandinternational
awardsandset69worldrecords.Mostnotably,
theMilMi-4wonaGoldMedalintheBrussels
InternationalExhibitionin1958.In1971,after
Mil’sdeath,hisMilMi-12(left)wontheSikorsky
Prizeasthemostpowerfulhelicopterinthe
unterpartworld.UnlikehisSovietco ,NikKamov,Milenjoyedgreatprestige
duetohissingle-rotorhelicopters,asKamovusedtheco-axialrotorlayout,
whichwasmorecontroversial.
toflyfreelyin1933.HewasborninBatumi,Georgia.

86. Inventors The Book of Knowledge 86
Air & Sea
Crafts
In1912,onaroadnearTsarskoyeSelo(nowpartofSt.Petersburg)
Kotelnikovsuccessfullydemonstratedthebrakingeffectsoftheparachuteby
acceleratingaRusso-Baltautomobiletothetopspeed,andthenopeninga
parachuteattachedtothebackseat,thusinventingthedrogueparachute.
KarlWilhelmOttoLilienthal(23May1848–
10August1896)wasaGermanpioneerofaviationwho
becameknownasthe"flyingman".Hewasthefirst
persontomakewell-documented,repeated,successful
flightswithgliders.Newspapersandmagazines
publishedphotographsofLilienthalgliding,favourably
influencingpublicandscientificopinionaboutthe
possibilityofflyingmachinesbecomingpractical.
GlebYevgeniyevichKotelnikov(30
January1872–November22,1944),wasthe
Russian-Sovietinventoroftheknapsack
parachute
glider.Duringthe4thflightLilienthal'sglidepitched
forwardheadingdownquickly.Hehadpreviouslyhad
difficultyinrecoveringfromthispositionbecausethe
gliderreliedonweightshiftwhichwasdifficulttoachieve
whenpointedattheground.Hisattemptsfailedandhefell
fromaheightofabout15m,whilestillintheglider.He
brokehisneckanddiedthenextday,10August1896.
(1stinthehardcasingandtheninthesoftpack),andbraking
parachute.In1911,hecreatedhisfirstparachuteRK-1(whichstandsfor
xxxxxx Rantseviy(knapsack)orRussianKotelnikova(by
Kotelnikov),1stmodel),thatwassuccessfullyemployed
in1914duringWorldWarI.Lateron,Kotelnikov
significantlyimprovedthedesignofhisparachute,
creatingnewmodels,includingRK-2withasofter
knapsack,RK-3,andafewcargoparachutes,allofwhich
wouldbeadoptedbytheSovietAirForce.
Inaviation,however,dragchuteswereusedforthe
firsttimeonlyin1937bytheSovietairplanesinthe
Arcticthatwereprovidingsupportforthefamous
polarexpeditionsoftheera,suchasthefirst
manneddriftingicestationNorthPole-1,launched
thesameyear.Thedragchuteallowedtolandsafely
ontheice-floesofsmallersize.ThevillageSaalisi,
wherehefirsttestedhisparachutewasrenamedKotelnikovoinhishonor.
On9August1896,Lilienthalwent,asonpreviousweekends,totheRhinow
Hills.Thefirstflightsweresuccessful,reachingadistanceof250minhis
normal

87. Inventors The Book of Knowledge 87
Air & Sea
Crafts
heliumheachievedatemperaturenear1.5K.Thesewerethecoldest
temperaturesachievedonearthatthetime.Theequipmentemployedisatthe
MuseumBoerhaaveinLeiden.
On8April1911,hefoundthatat4.2Ktheresistanceinasolidmercurywire
immersedinliquidheliumsuddenlyvanished.Heimmediatelyrealizedthe
significanceofthediscovery.Hereportedthat"Mercuryhaspassedintoanew
state,whichonaccountofitsextraordinaryelectricalpropertiesmaybecalled
thesuperconductivestate".KamerlinghOnnesreceivedwidespreadrecognition
forhiswork,includingthe1913NobelPrizeinPhysicsfor(inthewordsofthe
committee)"hisinvestigationsonthepropertiesofmatteratlowtemperatures
whichledtotheproductionofliquidhelium.
firstpaper-makingvoc schoolandthebrothersinventedaprocessto
manufacturetransparentpaper.On4June1783,theyflewtheballoonat
AnnonayinfrontofagroupofdignitariesfromtheÉtats″particuliers″″.The
flightcovered2km,lasted10minutes,andhadanestimatedaltitudeof1,600
-2,000m.WordoftheirsuccessquicklyreachedParis.Étiennewenttothe
capitaltomakefurtherdemonstrationsandtosolidifythebrothers'claimto
theinventionofflight.
Joseph-MichelMontgolfier(26August1740
–26June1810)andJacques-Étienne
Montgolfier(6January1745–2August1799)
werepapermanufacturersfromAnnonay,inArdèche,
FrancebestknownasinventorsoftheMontgolfière-
stylehotairballoon,globeaérostatique.They
launchedthefirstpilotedascent,carryingJacques-
Étienne.Joseph-Michelalsoinventedtheself-acting
hydraulicram(1796),Jacques-Étiennefoundedthe
ational
ProfessorHeikeKamerlinghOnnes,
(21September1853–21February1926)was
aDutchphysicistandNobellaureate.He
exploited exploitedtheHampson–Lindecycletoinvestigatehow
materialsbehavewhencooledtonearlyabsolutezero
andlatertoliquefyheliumforthefirsttime,in1908.He
alsodiscoveredsuperconductivityin1911.
On10July1908,hewasthefirsttoliquefyhelium,using
severalprecoolingstagesandtheHampson–Lindecycle
basedontheJoule–Thomsoneffect.Thiswayhe
loweredthetemperaturetotheboilingpointofhelium
(−269°C,4.2K).Byreducingthepressureoftheliquid

88. Inventors The Book of Knowledge 88
AlexanderGrahamBell(3
March1847–2August1922)wasaScottish-
bornAmericaninventor,scientistandengineer
Households
(Telephone)
Bothhismotherandwifeweredeaf,profoundly
influencingBell'slife'swork.Hisresearchonhearing
andspeechfurtherledhimtoexperimentwith
hearingdeviceswhicheventuallyculminatedinBell
beingawardedthefirstU.S.patentforthetelephone,
onMarch7,1876.OnMarch10,1876Bellused"the
instrument"inBostontocallThomasWatsonwho
wasinanotherroombutoutofearshot.Hesaid,"Mr.
Watson,comehere–Iwanttoseeyou"andWatson
soonappearedathisside.
CyrilleDuquet(31March1841-1
December1922)wasaCanadiangoldsmith,flutist,
andinventorinQuebec.Originallyworkinginthefield
ofclocksandwatches,hewasalsoapassionate
jewelerycollector.On1February1878,hewas
grantedaCanadianpatentforatelephonereceiver,
thatmayhavebeenusedinearlytypesofhandsets.
Thispatentwasforanewtransmitterbasedona
clusterofpermanentmagnetsthatimprovedsignal
uthpiececlarity,andanewmo design.Later,Duquetworkedoncombining
transmitterandreceiverinoneunit,arrangedbothoneachendofaboard.
ThefirsttelephoneinstalledinMontréalwasoneDuquetdesigned,andhe
followedwithinstallingphonesandphonelinesinthearea.Ataboutthe
sametimeasAlexanderGrahamBell,hedevelopedatelephoneconnecting
hishomeandshop.Bell'sfather,MelvilleBell,responsiblefortheCanadian
interestsofGrahamBell,whohadrecentlymovedtoBoston,offeredDuquet
tosellhimtherightstothetelephoneonCanadiansoil,forthesumof20,000
dollars.Unabletoraisethiscolossalsum,Duquetabandonedallintereststo
theCanadianTelephoneCompanyin1882.
whoiscreditedwithinventingandpatentingthefirstpracticaltelephone.He
alsoco-foundedtheAmericanTelephoneandTelegraphCompany(AT&T)in
1885.
ManyotherinventionsmarkedBell'slaterlife,
includinggroundbreakingworkinoptical
telecommunications,hydrofoils,andaeronautics.
AlthoughBellwasnotoneofthe33foundersofthe
NationalGeographicSociety,hehadastrong
influenceonthemagazinewhileservingasthe
secondpresidentfromJanuary7,1898,until1903.

89. Inventors The Book of Knowledge 89
MartinCooper(born26December
1928)isanAmericanengineer.Heisapioneer
inthewirelesscommunicationsindustry,esp.
spectrum
Households
(Telephone)
Randice-LisaAltschul(born1960)isan
AmericantoyinventorbasedinCliffsidePark,NewJersey.
Sheisaninventorofthefirstdisposablecellphone.She
beganinventingin1985andbyage26becamea
millionaire.Shehasgrantedmorethan200licensesof
ideasforgamesandtoys.InNovember1999Altschul
teamedupwithLeeVolte.Volte,SeniorVicePresidentof
ResearchandDevelopmentatTyco.AltschulandVolte
obtainedseveralpatentsforwhatwouldbetheworld'sfirstdisposablemobile
phone.Theirintellectualpropertyalsoincludedthetrademark"Phone-Card-
Phone".Thenewdevicewasaphonethatwasofasizesimilartoanexisting
phonecard.Thecreditcardsizeddevicewaslessthanfivemillimetresthick,
andwasnotmadefromplasticormetal,butfrommaterialsbasedonrecycled
paper.Altschulaimedthemarketingatthosepeoplewhowouldnotbe
interestedinalong-termmobilephonecontractortouristswhomaynot
usuallyneedaphonebutwouldneedonewhilstholidayingabroadforthe
shortperiodoftheirvacation.
inradio management,withelevenpatentsin
thefield.WhileatMotorolainthe1970s,Cooper
inventedthefirsthandheldcellularmobilephone
(distinctfromthecarphone)in1973andledtheteam
thatdevelopeditandbroughtittomarketin1983.He
isconsideredthe"fatherofthe(handheld)cellphone“
andisalsocitedasthefirstpersoninhistorytomake
ahandheldcellularphonecallinpublic.Cooperisco-
founderofnumerouscommunicationscompanieswith
hiswifeandbusinesspartnerArleneHarris.
KazuoHashimoto(diedAugust1995)wasa
Japaneseinventorwhoregisteredover1,000patents
throughouttheworld,includingpatentsforCaller-ID
systemandtelephoneansweringmachine.Hepatented
hisfirsttelephoneansweringmachine,theAnsaFone,in
Japanin1954,followedbytheUnitedStatesin1960.He
patentedCaller-IDinJapanin1976,andreceiveda
UnitedStatespatentin1980.In1983heinventedadigital
telephoneansweringdevice.HewasarecipientofJapan’sMedalofHonour,
theYellowRibbon,andwasdesignatedasaLivingNationalTreasure.

90. Inventors The Book of Knowledge 90
HovhannesAbgariAdamian(5
February1879–12September1932)wasan
Armenianengineer,anauthorofmorethan20
tal
Households
(Television)
In1925inYerevan,Adamiandemonstrated
"Eristavi",adeviceforbroadcastingcolour
images.Supportedbyhisfriendsandassistants
fromArmenia,hesucceededindemonstratingon
ascreenanumberofcolourfiguresandpatterns
transferredfromthelaboratorynextdoor.
introductionofbroad televisionforhomeentertainmenthaveearnedhim
aprominentplaceintelevision'shistory.In1927,Bairdtransmittedalong-
distancetelevisionsignalover705kmoftelephonelinebetweenLondonand
Glasgow;Bairdtransmittedtheworld'sfirstlong-distancetelevision
picturestotheCentralHotelatGlasgowCentralStation
Hedemonstratedtheworld'sfirstcolourtransmissionon3July1928,
usingscanningdiscsatthetransmittingandreceivingendswith3spiralsof
apertures,eachspiralwithafilterofadifferentprimarycolour;and3light
sourcesatthereceivingend,withacommutatortoalternatetheir
illumination.Asearlyas1940,Bairdhadstartedworkonafullyelectronic
systemhecalledthe"Telechrome".EarlyTelechromedevicesusedtwo
electrongunsaimedateithersideofaphosphorplate.
inventions.ThefirstexperimencolourtelevisionwasshowninLondonin
1928basedonAdamian'stricolourprinciple,andheisrecognizedasoneof
thefoundersofcolourtelevision.
JohnLogieBaird(13August1888–14June
1946)wasaScottishengineer,innovator,oneofthe
inventorsofthemechanicaltelevision,demonstrating
thefirstworkingtelevisionsystemon26January1926,
andinventorofboththefirstpubliclydemonstrated
colourtelevisionsystem,andthefirstpurely
electroniccolourtelevisionpicturetube.In1928the
BairdTelevisionDevelopmentCompanyachievedthe
firsttransatlantictelevisiontransmission.Baird'searly
technologicalsuccessesandhisroleinthepractical
cast
In1928,hedevelopedanearlyvideorecordingdevice,whichhedubbed
Phonovision.Thesystemconsistedofalarge
Nipkowdiskattachedbyamechanicallinkage
toaconventional78-rpmrecord-cuttinglathe.
Theresultwasadiscthatcouldrecordand
playbacka30-linevideosignal.

91. Inventors The Book of Knowledge 91
PhiloTaylorFarnsworth
(19August1906–11March1971)wasan
Americaninventorandtelevisionpioneer.He
mademanycrucialcontributionstotheearly
developmentofall-electronictelevision.He
isbestknownforhis1927inventionofthefirst
fullyfunctionalall-electronicimagepickup
device(videocameratube),theimage
dissector,aswellasthefirstfullyfunctional
andcompleteall-electronictelevisionsystem.
Farnsworthdevelopedatelevisionsystem
completewithreceiverandcamera,whichhe
gh
Households
(Television)
InadditiontohisworkontheLPrecord,
Goldmarkdevelopedfield-sequential
colourtechnologyforcolourtelevision
whileatCBS.Thesystem,first
demonstratedonAugust29,1940,and
showntothepressonSeptember3
usedarapidlyrotatingcolourwheelthat
alternatedtransmissioninred,green
andblue.Thesystemtransmittedon343lines,about100lessthanablack
andwhiteset,andatadifferentfieldscanrate,andthuswasincompatible
withtelevisionsetscurrentlyonthemarketwithoutanadapter.
producedcommerciallythroutheFarnsworthTelevisionandRadio
Corporationfrom1938to1951.Farnsworthworkedouttheprincipleofthe
imagedissectorinthesummerof1921,notlongbeforehis15thbirthday,and
demonstratedthefirstworkingversiononSeptember7,1927,havingturned
21thepreviousAugust.Farnsworthalsodevelopedthe"imageoscillite",a
cathoderaytubethatdisplayedtheimagescapturedbytheimagedissector.
Inlaterlife,Farnsworthinventedasmallnuclearfusiondevice,the
Farnsworth–Hirschfusor,employinginertialelectrostaticconfinement(IEC).It
wasnotapracticaldeviceforgeneratingnuclearpower,thoughitprovidesa
viablesourceofneutrons.
PeterCarlGoldmark(2December1906–7December
1977)wasaHungarian-Americanengineerwho,duringhistimewith
ColumbiaRecords,wasinstrumentalindevelopingthelong-playing
microgroove331/3rpmphonographdisc,thestandardforincorporating
multipleorlengthyrecordedworksonasinglediscfortwogenerations.

92. Inventors The Book of Knowledge 92
Households
(Computer)
ScottA.JonesandBradBostic,was
basedinCarmel,Indiana,UnitedStates,partofthe
Indianapolismetropolitanarea,foundedChaCha
wasahuman-guidedsearchengine.Itprovided
free,real-timeanswerstoanyquestion,throughits
website,orbyusingoneofthecompany'smobile
apps,in2006.ChaChawasfoundedwiththe
intentiontoofferhuman-guidedsearchfromwithin
awebbrowserandforthesearchenginetolearn
fromtheresultsprovidedbytheirfreelancers
JohnVincentAtanasoff
(4October1903–15June1995)wasan
Americanphysicistandinventor,bestknown
for
personalcomputerrevolutionofthe1970sand1980s,alongwithApple
co-founderSteveWozniak.JobsandWozniakco-foundedApplein1976to
sellWozniak'sAppleIpersonalcomputer.Togethertheduogainedfameand
wealthayearlaterwiththeAppleII,oneofthefirsthighlysuccessfulmass-
producedmicrocomputers.
Atanasoffinventedthefirstelectronicdigitalcomputer
inthe1930satIowaStateCollege.Challengestohis
claimwereresolvedin1973whentheHoneywellv
Sperry
beingcreditedwithinventingthefirstelectronicdigitalcomputer.
SperryRandlawsuitruled
thatAtanasoffwasthe
inventorofthecomputer.
Hisspecialpurpose
machinehascometobe
calledtheAtanasoff–Berry
Computer.
StevenPaulJobs(24February
1955–5October2011)wasanAmerican
businessmagnate,industrialdesigner,investor,
andmediaproprietor.Hewasthechairman,chief
executiveofficer(CEO),andco-founderofApple
Inc.,thechairmanandmajorityshareholderof
Pixar,amemberofTheWaltDisneyCompany's
boardofdirectorsfollowingitsacquisitionof
Pixar,andthefounder,chairman,andCEOof
NeXT.Jobsiswidelyrecognizedasapioneerof
the

93. Inventors The Book of Knowledge 93
Households
(Computer)
TimothyJohnBerners-Lee
(born8June1955)alsoknownasTimBL,isan
Englishengineerandcomputerscientistbestknown
astheinventoroftheWorldWideWeb.Heisthe
directoroftheWorldWideWebConsortium(W3C)
whichoverseesthecontinueddevelopmentofthe
Web.HeisalsothefounderoftheWorldWideWeb
Foundation.HeisadirectoroftheWebScience
ResearchInitiative(WSRI)
Althoughthefirstdiskdrivewascrudebymodernstandards,it
launchedamultibillion-dollarindustry.
HedesignedthehistoricallogooftheWWW,
organizedthefirstInternationalWorldWideWeb
ConferenceatCERNin1994andhelpedtransfer
WebdevelopmentfromCERNtotheglobalWeb
consortiumin1995.In1993,incollaborationwiththe
Fraunhofer-GesellschaftCailliaustartedtheEuropean
Commission'sfirstweb-basedprojectforinformation
disseminationinEurope(WISE).Asaresultofhis
workwithCERN'sLegalService,CERN'sdirectorof
FutureResearchWalterHooglandsignedtheofficial
document
first(pre-www)hypertextsystemforCERNin1987andcollaboratedwith
TimBerners-LeeontheWorldWideWebfrombeforeitgotitsname.
ReynoldB.Johnson(16July1906
–15September1998)wasanAmericaninventor
andcomputerpioneer.Along-timeemployeeofIBM,
Johnsonissaidtobethe"father"oftheharddisk
drive.Otherinventionsincludeautomatictest
scoringequipmentandthevideocassettetape.n
theearly1930s,Johnson,thenahighschool
scienceteacherinMichigan,inventedanelectronic
testscoringmachinethatsensedpencilmarksona
standardizedformbasedonthemultiplechoicetest
createdbyColumbiaUniversityprofessorBenjamin
D.Wood.
thatreleasedthewebtechnologyintothepublicdomainon30April
1993.
RobertCailliau(born26January
1947)isaBelgianinformaticsengineer,
computerscientistandauthorwhoproposed
the

94. Inventors The Book of Knowledge 94
Households
(Computer)
computerandInternetpioneer.
Heisbestknownforhisworkonfoundingthefieldof
human–computerinteraction,particularlywhileathis
AugmentationResearchCentreLabinSRI
International,whichresultedincreationofthe
computermouse,andthedevelopmentof
hypertext,networkedcomputers,andprecursors
tographicaluserinterfaces.
DouglasCarlEngelbart
(30January1925–2July2013)wasan
Americanengineerandinventor,andanearly
computer
RichardFrancisLyon(born1952)is
anAmericaninventor,scientistandengineer.Heisone
ofthetwopeople,(theotherwasSteveKirsch)who
independentlyinventedthefirstopticalmouse
devicesinlate1980.Hehasworkedinmanyaspects
ofsignalprocessingandwasaco-founderofFoveon,
Inc.,adigitalcameraandimagesensorcompany.
WithJamesJ.SpilkerandothersatStanfordTelecommunications,Lyon
designedearlyGlobalPositioningSystem(GPS)testtransmitters.
WithGaetanoBorrielloandAlanG.BellatXeroxPARC,Lyoninventedthe
firstsingle-chipEthernetdevice.
WithRichardR."Bic"SchediwyatSchlumberger,Lyondidearlyworkon
semi-staticCMOS(digital)memoryanddesignedthemostefficientlarge
CMOSaddressdecoder.
Auditoryprocessing:Lyoninventedacochlearmodelthatisusedasthe
basisofmuchauditoryresearchtoday.
Digitalcolourphotography:WithRichardB.Merrill,CarverMead,and
others,Lyoninventedopticalandintegrated-circuittechniquesthatallow
digitalcamerastobedenserandmoreaccurate.
WithLarryYaegerandBrandynWebbofApple,Lyondevelopedmethodsfor
handwritingrecognitionusingmultilayerperceptronsandrelatedmethods.

95. Inventors The Book of Knowledge 95
Households
(Computer)
Aibo,
ToshitadaDoi(bornFebruary2,
1943)isaJapaneseelectricalengineer,who
playedasignificantroleinthedigitalaudio
revolution.HewasthedrivingforcebehindthePCM
adaptor,andwasaprominentmemberofthe
Sony/Philipstaskforceresponsibleforthedesignofthe
CompactDisc.Hecreated,amongothers,theCIRC
errorcorrectionsystem.He,withKeesImmink,refutes
themyththattheCompactDisc'splayingtimewas
determinedbyBeethoven'sNinthSymphony.Hewasthe
leadengineeroftheDASHmulti-trackdigitalaudiotape
recorder.Inthe1990s,heheadedSony'sDigital
CreaturesLaboratory,wherehewasresponsibleforthe
Aibo,Sony'sroboticdog.In2003,DoicreatedtheQrio,arunninghumanoid
robot.
KornelisAntonieSchouhamer
Immink(born18December1946)isaDutch
scientist,inventor,andentrepreneur,whopioneered
andadvancedtheeraofdigitalaudio,video,anddata
recording,includingpopulardigitalmediasuchas
CompactDisc,DVDandBlu-rayDisc.Hehasbeen
aprolificandinfluentialengineer,whoholdsmorethan
1100U.S.andinternationalpatents.Alargeportionof
thecommonlyusedaudioandvideoplaybackand
recordingdevicesusetechnologiesbasedonhiswork.
Hiscontributionstocodingsystemsassistedthedigital
videoandaudiorevolution,byenablingreliabledatastorageatinformation
densitiespreviouslyunattainable.
Around1976,PhilipsandSonyshowedprototypesofdigitalaudiodisc
players,whichwerebasedonopticalvideodisctechnology.
In1993,ToshibaengineersdevelopedtheSuperDensityDisc,thesuccessor
oftheCompactDisc.ImminkwasamemberofthePhilipsandSonytask
force,whichdevelopedacompetingdiscformat,calledMultiMediaCD.
ImminkcreatedEFMPlus,amoreefficientsuccessorofEFMusedinCD.
In1985,hejoinedPhilips’magneticrecordinggroup,wherehecontributedto
thedesignofcodingtechnologiesofthedigitalvideotaperecorder,DVand
theDigitalCompactCassette(DCC).TheDCCwasshort-lived:introducedin
1992anddiscontinuedin1996.TheDV,launchedin1994,hasbecomea
populartapestandardforhomeandsemi-professionalvideoproduction.

96. Inventors The Book of Knowledge 96
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LászlóJózsefBíró(29September
1899–24October1985)wasaHungarian-
Argentineinventorwhopatentedthefirst
commerciallysuccessfulmodernballpointpen.
Thefirstballpointpenhadbeeninventedroughly
50yearsearlierbyJohnJ.Loud,butitdidnot
attaincommercialsuccess.Whileworkingasa
journalistBírónoticedthattheinkusedin
newspaperprintingdriedquickly,leavingthe
paperdryandsmudge-free.Hetriedusingthe
sameinkinafountainpen,butfoundthatitwould
notflowintothetip,asitwastooviscous.
CaiLun(c.50–121CE),formerly
romanizedasTs'aiLun,courtesyname
Jingzhong,wasaChineseinventorand
dynasty
Dr.HarryWesleyCooverJr.(6
March1917–26March2011)istheinventorof
Eastman910,commonlyknownasSuperGlue.
In1942,whilesearchingformaterialstomakeclear
plasticgunsights,cyanoacrylatewasdiscovered.At
thistimetheyweredeemedtoostickytobeofuseand
weresetaside.In1951,heandhisteamatEastman
Kodakexaminedcyanoacrylatesagain.Hewas
overseeingKodakchemistsinvestigatingheat-resistantpolymersforjet
canopieswhencyanoacrylateswereonceagaintestedandprovedtoosticky.
WhenachemistinthegroupinformedCooverthathehadpermanently
damagedanexpensiverefractometerbygluingittogether,herecognizedthat
hehaddiscoveredauniqueadhesive.In1958,theadhesive,marketedby
KodakasEastman910andthenasSuperGlue,wasintroducedforsale.
eunuchcourtofficialoftheHan .Heistraditionallyregardedasthe
inventorofpaperandthepapermakingprocess,informsrecognizablein
moderntimesaspaper.AlthoughearlyformsofpaperhadexistedinChina
sincethe2ndcenturyBCE,hewasresponsibleforsignificantimprovements
andstandardizationofpapermakingbyaddingessentialnewmaterialsintoits
composition.In105CECaiLunperfectedthepapermakingprocesswiththe
useoftreebark,hempwaste,oldrags,andfishnets.OutofChina'ssocalled
FourGreatInventions–thecompass,gunpowder,papermakingandprinting
–CaiLun'sstandardizationofpapermakingmakeshimtheonlyinventorof
those4inventionswhosenamehasnotbeenlosttohistory.

97. Inventors The Book of Knowledge 97
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Stationaries
BetteNesmithGraham
(23March1924–12May1980)wasan
Americantypist,commercialartist,andthe
RichardGurleyDrew(22June1899
–14December1980)wasanAmericaninventorwho
workedforJohnsonandJohnson,PermacelCo.,and
3MinSt.Paul,Minnesota,whereheinvented
maskingtapeandcellophanetape.
WhenDrewjoined3MinSt.Paul,Minnesotain1921,
itwasamodestmanufacturerofsandpaper.While
testingtheirnewWetordrysandpaperatautoshops,
Drewwasintriguedtolearnthatthetwo-toneauto
paintjobssopopularintheRoaringTwentieswere
difficulttomanageattheborderbetweenthetwo
colours.Inresponse,aftertwoyearsofworkin3M's
labs,Drewinventedthefirstmaskingtape(1925),a
two-inch-widetanpaperstripbackedwithalight,
pressure-sensitiveadhesive.
inventorofthecorrectionfluidliquidpaper(notto
beconfusedwithcompetitorWhite-Out).
Itwasdifficulttoerasemistakesmadebyearly
electrictypewriters,whichcausedproblems.To
makeextramoney,sheusedhertalentpainting
holidaywindowsatthebank.Sherealizedasshe
said,"withlettering,anartistnevercorrectsby
erasing,butalwayspaintsovertheerror.SoI
decidedtousewhatartistsuse.Iputsometempera.
water-basedpaintinabottleandtookmywatercolorbrushtotheoffice.I
usedtocorrectmymistakes."
Grahamsecretlyusedherwhitecorrectionpaintforfiveyears,makingsome
improvementswithhelpfromherson'schemistryteacheratThomas
JeffersonHighSchoolinDallas.Somebossesadmonishedherforusingit,
butcoworkersfrequentlysoughther"paintout".Sheeventuallybegan
marketinghertypewritercorrectionfluidas"MistakeOut"in1956.Thename
waslaterchangedtoLiquidPaperwhenshebeganherowncompany.
ShesoldLiquidPapertotheGilletteCorporationforUSD$47.5millionin
1979.Atthetime,hercompanyemployed200peopleandmade25million
bottlesofLiquidPaperperyear.

98. Inventors The Book of Knowledge 98
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Stationaries
SirRowlandHill,(3December
1795–27August1879)wasanEnglish
teacher,inventorandsocialreformer.He
campaignedforacomprehensivereformofthe
postalsystem,basedontheconceptofUniform
PennyPostandhissolutionofpre-payment,
facilitatingthesafe,speedyandcheaptransfer
ofletters.Hilllaterservedasagovernment
postalofficial,andheisusuallycreditedwith
originatingthebasicconceptsofthemodern
postalservice,includingtheinventionofthe
postagestamp.Proposinganadhesivestamp
toindicatepre-paymentofpostage–withthe
firstbeingthePennyBlack–in1840,thefirst
yearofPennyPost,thenumberofletterssentin
theUKmorethandoubled.Within10years,it
three
Ittookafewyearsfortheconcepttocometo
fruition,duetobothtechnicalproblemswith
productionandmanagement'sdoubtsaboutthe
product'ssaleability.Post-itNoteswerereleasedto
thenationalmarketin1980.In1981,3Mnamed
Post-itNotesitsOutstandingNewProduct.
InventorAlanAmronclaimedtohavedisclosedthe
technologyusedinthePost-itNoteto3Min1974.
His1997suitagainst3Mwassettledand3Mpaid
Amron.Aspartofthesettlement,Amronundertook
nottomakefutureclaimsagainstthecompany
exceptifeverabreachofthesettlement
haddoubledagain.Within yearspostagestampswereintroducedin
SwitzerlandandBrazil,alittlelaterintheUS,andby1860,theywerein90
countries.InMay1840theworld’sfirstadhesivepostagestampswere
distributed.
ArthurFry(born19August1931)isaretiredAmericaninventor
andscientist.Heiscreditedastheco-creatorofthePost-itNote,anitemof
officestationerymanufacturedby3M.Asof2006,Post-itproductsaresoldin
morethan100countries.
agreementshouldoccur.However,in2016,helaunchedafurthersuit
against3M,assertingthat3Mwerewronglyclaimingtobetheinventors,
andseeking$400millionindamages.Atapreliminaryhearing,afederal
judgeorderedthepartiestoundergomediation.Thesuitwassubsequently
dismisseddeclaringtheprevious1998settlementagreementtobeupheld.

99. Inventors The Book of Knowledge 99
Households &
Stationaries
DrNeilArnott(15May1788-2
March1874)wasaScottishphysicianand
inventor.Hewastheinventorofoneofthe
Arnott
EliasHoweJr.(9July1819–3October
1867)wasanAmericaninventorbestknownforhis
creationofthemodernlockstitchsewingmachine.
Contrarytopopularbelief,hewasnotthe1stto
conceiveoftheideaofasewingmachine.Manyothers
hadformulatedtheideaofsuchamachinebeforehim,
oneasearlyas1790,andsomehadevenpatented
theirdesignsandproducedworkingmachines,inone
firstformsofthewaterbed,the waterbedand
wasawardedtheRumfordMedalin1852forthe
constructionofthesmokelessfiregrate,aswellas
otherimprovementstoventilationandheating.This
inventivenesshelpedhimtodesigntheArnott
waterbedinthe19thcenturythatwasdevisedto
preventbedsoresininvalids.Thebedwascomposed
ofabathofwaterwithacoveringofrubber-
impregnatedcanvas,onwhichlighterbeddingwas
placed.However,Arnottdidn'tpatenthisdesign,and
withoutapatent,anyonewasabletoconstructabedinthisdesign.The
designwaslaterdevelopedintoawater-filledchairintendedtoprevent
seasickness.OtherinventionsincludetheArnottventilatorandtheArnott
stove.
caseatleast80ofthem.However,Howeoriginatedsignificantrefinementsto
thedesignconceptsofhispredecessors,andonSeptember10,1846,he
wasawardedthefirstUnitedStatespatent(U.S.Patent4,750)forasewing
machineusingalockstitchdesign.Hismachinecontainedthethreeessential
featurescommontomostmodernmachines:(a)aneedlewiththeeyeatthe
point,(b)ashuttleoperatingbeneaththeclothtoformthelockstitch,and(c)
anautomaticfeed.
ChristiaanHuygens (14April1629–8July1695)wasa
Dutchphysicist,mathematician,astronomerandinventor.Whileasan
astronomerheischieflyknownforhisstudiesoftheringsofSaturnandthe
discoveryofitsmoonTitan.Asaninventor,heimprovedthedesignofthe
telescopewiththeinventionoftheHuygenianeyepiece.Hismostfamous
invention,however,wasthependulumclockin1656,whichwasa
breakthroughintimekeepingandbecamethemostaccuratetimekeeperfor
almost300years.

100. Inventors The Book of Knowledge 100
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Stationaries
CharlesMacintosh (29
December1766–25July1843)wasa
Scottishchemistandtheinventorofwater
GeorgeWilliamManby(28November
1765–18November1854)wasanEnglishauthorand
inventor.Hedesignedanapparatusforsavinglifefrom
shipwrecksandalsothefirstmodernformoffire
extinguisher.In1813Manbyinventedthe"Extincteur",
thefirstportablepressurisedfireextinguisher.This
consistedofacoppervesselof3gallonsofpearlash
(potassiumcarbonate)solutioncontainedwithin
compressed
Hewashighlysuccessfuland
inventedvariousnewprocesses.Hisexperiments
withnaphtha(oneofthebyproductsoftar)ledto
hisinventionofwaterprooffabric;theessenceof
hispatentwasthecementingoftwothicknessesof
clothtogetherwithnaturalrubber.Therubberis
madesolublebytheactionofthenaphtha.In1828,
hebecameapartnerwithJamesBeaumontNeilson
inafirmtoexploitthelatter'spatentforthehotblast
blowingofblastfurnaces,whichsavedconsiderably
ontheirfuelconsumption.
air.Healsoinventedadeviceintendedtosavepeoplewho
hadfallenthroughice.
prooffabric.TheMackintoshraincoat(thevariantspellingisnowstandard)
isnamedafterhim.
AlexanderNikolayevichLodygin(18October
1847–16March1923)wasaRussianelectricalengineerandinventor,one
ofinventorsoftheincandescentlightbulb.1872:HeappliedforaRussian
patentforhisfilamentlamp.HealsopatentedthisinventioninAustria,
Britain,France,andBelgium.Forafilament,Lodyginusedaverythincarbon
rod rod,placedunderabell-glass.InAugust1873,he
demonstratedprototypesofhiselectricfilamentlampinthe
physicslecturehalloftheSaintPetersburg
InstituteofTechnology.Heinventedan
incandescentlightbulbbeforeThomas
Edison,butitwasnotcommercially
profitable.Thelampwithatungsten
filamentisindeedtheonlydesignused
now,butin1906theyweretooexpensive.

101. Inventors
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Stationaries
PhilipH.Diehl(29January
1847–7April1913)wasaGerman-
Americanmechanicalengineerandinventor
whoheldseveralU.S.patents,includingelectric
incandescentlamps,electricmotorsforsewing
machinesandotheruses,andceilingfans.Diehl
wasacontemporaryofThomasEdisonandhis
inventionscausedEdisontoreducethepriceofhis
incandescentbulb.Workinginthebasementofhis
homeonOrchardStreetinElizabeth,NewJersey,
DiehlinventedalampthatwasdifferentfromThomas
Edison'sincandescentelectriclamp,whichwas
patentedin1879.Hislamphadnolead-inwires.In1882Diehlobtainedthe
firstpatentonthisinductionincandescentlamp.Thebaseofthelamp
containedawirecoilthatcoupledwithaprimarycoilinthelampsocket,
causingcurrenttoflowthroughthelampwithouttheneedforlead-inwires.
Diehlerectedthecity'sfirstarclightinfrontoftheCoreyBuildingin
Elizabeth,whichstillstandsat109BroadStreet.
Thefanwasinventedin1882bySchuylerSkaatsWheeler.Afewyears
later,PhilipDiehlmountedafanbladeonasewingmachinemotorand
attachedittotheceiling,inventingtheceilingfan,whichhepatentedin
1887.Later,headdedalightfixturetotheceilingfan.Laterin1904,Diehl
andCo.addedasplit-balljoint,allowingittoberedirected;threeyearslater,
thisdevelopedintothefirstoscillatingfan.
SchuylerSkaatsWheeler(17May1860–20April
1923)wasanAmericanelectricalengineerandmanufacturerwhoinvented
theelectricfan,theelectricelevator,andtheelectricfireengine.He
helpeddevelopandimplementacodeofethicsforelectricalengineers.
Wheelerinventedmanyelectricaldevices.Hespecializedinpowersaving
electricaltools.Wheelerinventedtheelectricfanin1882byplacingatwo-
bladedpropellerontheshaftofanelectricmotor.He
wasawardedtheJohnScottMedalforthisinventionin
1904bytheFranklinInstitute.Heinventedtheelectric
elevator.Heinventedtheelectricfireengine.Wheeler's
PatentforanElectricFire-engineSystemwasfiledon
May23,1882.ItwasissuedonFebruary24,1885by
theUnitedStatesPatentandTrademarkOffice.
Heinventedparallelingofdynamosandseriesmultiple
motorcontrol.
The Book of Knowledge 101

102. Inventors
GeorgedeMestral(19June1907–8
February1990)wasaSwisselectricalengineerwho
inventedthehookandloopfastenerwhichhenamed
Velcro.Mechanisingtheprocessoftheweaveofthe
hookstookeightyears,andittookanotheryearto
createtheloomthattrimmedtheloopsafterweaving
them.Inall,ittooktenyearstocreateamechanised
processthatworked.Hesubmittedhisideaforpatentin
Switzerlandin1951andthepatentwasgrantedin1955.
DeMestralexpectedahighdemandimmediately.Within
afewyears,hereceivedpatentsandsubsequently
manyopenedshopinGer ,Switzerland,theUnitedKingdom,Sweden,Italy,
theNetherlands,Belgium,andCanada.In1957hebranchedouttothe
textilecentreofManchester,NewHampshireintheUnitedStates.
DeMestralgavethenameVelcro,aportmanteauoftheFrenchwords
velours("velvet"),andcrochet("hook"),tohisinventionaswellashis
company,whichcontinuestomanufactureandmarketthefasteningsystem.
However,hookandloop'sintegrationintothetextileindustrytooktime,partly
becauseofitsappearance.Intheearly1960s,lookedlikeithadbeenmade
fromleft-overbitsofcheapfabric,anunappealingaspectforclothiers.The
firstnotableuseforVelcrobrandhookandloopcameintheaerospace
industry,whereithelpedastronautsmanoeuvreinandoutofbulkyspace
suits.Eventually,skiersnotedthesimilaradvantagesofasuitthatwaseasier
togetinandoutof.Scubaandmarinegearfollowedsoonafter.
Hedecidedtostarthisownbusinessand,in1886,
movedtoEnköpingwherehestartedEnköpings
MekaniskaVerkstad(theMechanicalWorkshopof
Enköping)whichquicklybecameasuccessful
venture.Itwasduringtheyearsinhisworkshopthat
heinventedtheadjustablespannerandthe
plumberwrench.In1890,B.A.Hjorth&Company
agreedtodistributehistoolsworldwideunderthe
"Bahco"trademark.TheBahcotoolsbecamegreatly
successful
inventedamodernadjustables (patentsin1891and11May1892).
Heobtainedover100patentsintotal.
andthecompanyisstillinoperationandhasmanufacturedover
100millionwrenchestodate.
Households &
Stationaries
JohanPetterJohansson
(2December1853–25August1943),wasa
Swedishinventorandindustrialist.He
panner
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103. Inventors
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Stationaries
RolandMoreno(11June1945
–29April2012)wasaFrenchinventor,
engineer,humouristandauthorwhowasthe
inventorofthememorycard.Thesmartchipwould
provetobeMoreno'smostimportantinvention.
Morenoclaimedtohavethoughtofthesmartcard
conceptinadream,tellingFranceSoirina2006
interview,"Icameupwiththeideainmysleep.”He
code-namedhisearliestsmartcardprojectasTMR.
HelaterflippedtheletterstoRMTasthenameof
Innovatron'sresearchanddevelopmentdepartment.
Hisoriginalideawasforasignetring,orsmartring,
ochipembeddedwithamicrasshowninhisfirstpatentfiledon25March1974,
whenhewasjust29yearsold.Morenothensimplifiedtheidea,introducinga
plasticcardwithamicrochipin1975.Hecalleditlacarteàpuce,literallythe
chipcardinEnglish,duetothesmallchipinsertedintotheplasticcard.
Morenofirstdemonstratedthatthesmartcardcouldbeusedinelectronic
financialtransactionsin1976,usingamachinewhichheheldtogetherwith
meccano.IttookapproximatelyeightyearsforMoreno'ssmartcardtogain
widespreaduseinFranceduetoinitialstart-upcosts.However,thesmart
cardprovedahugesuccessinFranceinthe1980s,whereitbecame
widespreadlongbeforeothercountries.
WhitcombL.Judson(7March1843
–7December1909)wasanAmericanmachine
salesman,mechanicalengineerandinventor.Judson
ismostnotedforhisinventionofthecommonzipper.It
wasoriginallycalledaclasp-locker.Thefirstapplication
wasasafastenerforshoesandhighboots.Thepatent
saiditcouldbeusedwhereveritwasdesirableto
connectapairofadjacentflexiblepartsthatcouldbe
detachedeasily.Possibleapplicationsnotedwerefor
corsets,gloves,andmailbags,and"generallywhereveritisdesiredto
detachablyconnectapairadjacentflexibleparts."In1913,thezipperwas
improvedbytheSwedish-Americanengineer,GideonSundback,andalso
byCatharinaKuhn-MoosofEurope.
GideonSundback (24April1880–21June
1954)wasaSwedish-Americanelectricalengineer,whois
mostcommonlyassociatedwithhisworkinthedevelopment
ofthezipper.
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104. Inventors
WilliamCullen(15April1710–5
February1790)wasaScottishphysician,chemist
andagriculturalist.
Thehistoryofartificialrefrigerationbeganwhen
WilliamCullendesignedasmallrefrigerating
machinein1755.Cullenusedapumptocreatea
partialvacuumoveracontainerofdiethylether,
whichthenboiled,absorbingheatfromthe
surroundingair.Theexperimentevencreateda
smallamountofice,buthadnopracticalapplication
atthattime.
AdolfGastonEugenFick(22February1852–11
February1937)wasaGermanophthalmologistwhoinventedthecontact
lens.
administrator.Apioneerinphotography,Brewster
inventedanimprovedstereoscope,whichhecalled
"lenticularstereoscope"andwhichbecamethe
firstportable3D-viewingdevice.Healsoinvented
thebinocularcamera,twotypesofpolarimeters,
thepolyzonallens,thelighthouseilluminatorand
thekaleidoscope.Thesediscoverieswerepromptly
recognised.Asearlyas1807thedegreeofLL.D.
wasconferreduponBrewsterbyMarischalCollege,
Aberdeen.
invented
date.
Households &
Stationaries
SirDavidBrewster(11December
1781–10February1868)wasaScottish
scientist,inventor,author,andacademic
AlthoughLouisJ.Girardinventedascleral
contactlensin1887,itwasAdolfwhoin1888
fabricatedthefirstsuccessfulafocalscleralcontact
lens.Heconstructedandfittedwhatwastobe
consideredthefirstsuccessfulmodelofacontact
lens:anafocalscleralcontactshellmadefromheavy
brownglass,whichhetestedfirstonrabbits,thenon
himself,andlastlyonasmallgroupofvolunteers.It
wasconsideredthefirstsuccessfulmodelofacontact
lens.Hisideawasadvancedindependentlybyseveral
innovatorsintheyearsthatfollowed.
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105. Inventors
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Stationaries
SirJamesDewar(20September
1842–27March1923)wasaScottish
chemistandphysicist.Heisbestknownfor
hisinventionofthevacuumflask,whichheusedin
conjunctionwithresearchintotheliquefactionof
gases.Healsostudiedatomicandmolecular
spectroscopy,workinginthesefieldsformorethan25
years.Hisnameismostwidelyknowninconnection
withhisworkontheliquefactionoftheso-called
permanentgasesandhisresearchesattemperatures
approachingabsolutezero.About1892,theidea
occurredtohimofusingvacuum-jacketedvesselsfor
thestorageofliquidgases–theDewarflask(otherwiseknownasaThermos
orvacuumflask)–theinventionforwhichhebecamemostfamous.The
vacuumflaskwassoefficientatkeepingheatout,itwasfoundpossibleto
preservetheliquidsforcomparativelylongperiods,makinganexamination
oftheiropticalpropertiespossible.
JohnLandisMason (1832–26
February1902)wasanAmericantinsmithandthe
patenteeofthemetalscrew-onlidforantiquefruitjars
thathavecometobeknownasMasonjars.Many
suchjarswereprintedwiththeline"Mason'sPatent
Nov30th1858".Healsoinventedthefirstscrewtop
saltshakerin1858.In1858,Masoninventeda
square-shoulderedjarwiththreadedscrew-top,
matchinglid,andrubberringforanairtightseal.Until
the1830s,longbeforerefrigeration.
andhothousegardens,manyfruitsandvegetableshadbeenavailableonly
seasonally,buttherecentdevelopmentofjarshadmadecanningapractical
alternativetodrying,pickling,orsmokingtopreservefood.
MarionO'BrienDonovan(15October1917–4November
1998)wasanAmericaninventorandentrepreneur.Sheisbestknownfor
developingthefirstwaterproofdisposablediaper.In1946,unhappywith
thethanklessandrepetitivetaskofchangingherdaughter'sclothdiapers,
alongwiththemessthesoileddiapermadetothesurroundingbedsheets
andherdaughter'sclothing,shecameupwithapossiblesolution.Withthe
useofasewingmachineandashowercurtain,shesucceededindeveloping
whatisconsideredthefirstwaterproofdiapercover.In1985,sheinvented
theproductDentaLoop,atwo-plydentalflossthateliminatedtheneedto
wrapthedentalflossaroundone'sfingerforuse.
The Book of Knowledge 105

106. Inventors
WilliamKennedy-LaurieDickson(3
August1860-28September1935)wasaScottish
inventorwhodevisedanearlymotionpicture
cameraunderThomasEdison.
WilliamDicksonandhisteam,attheEdisonlab,
simultaneouslyworkedonthedevelopmentofthe
Kinetoscopeviewingmachine.Thefirstworking
prototype,usingthe19mmfilm,wasunveiledinMay
1891.
GoldenAge.Alsosometimesre toas"thefatherofmodernoptics",he
madesignificantcontributionstotheprinciplesofopticsandvisual
perceptioninparticular.Hewasthefirsttoexplainthatvisionoccurswhen
lightreflectsfromanobjectandthenpassestoone'seyes.Hewasalsothe
firsttodemonstratethatvisionoccursinthebrain,ratherthanintheeyes.
Heextensivelystudiedthecameraobscuraphenomenonintheearly11th
century.Heprovidedthefirstcompetentgeometricalandquantitative
descriptionsofthephenomenonandmusthaveunderstoodtherelationship
betweenthefocalpointandthepinhole.
Aconvexlensusedforformingamagnifiedimage(laterknownas
magnifyingglass)wasdescribedintheBookofOpticsbyIbnal-Haythamin
1021.AfterthebookwastranslatedduringtheLatintranslationsofthe12th
century,RogerBacondescribedthepropertiesofamagnifyingglassin13th-
centuryEngland.Thiswasfollowedbythedevelopmentofeyeglassesin
13th-centuryItaly.
WilliamDicksonandhisteamcreatedtheillusionofmovementby
continuouslymovingthestripofperforatedfilm,bearingsequentialimages,
whilstilluminatingitbybriefflashesoflightthroughtheslitinarotating
shutter.TheyalsodevisedtheKinetograph,amotionpicturecamerawith
rapidintermittent,orstop-and-go,filmmovement,tophotographfilmsforin-
houseexperimentsandeventually,commercialKinetoscopepresentations,
atspeedsofupto46framespersecond.
TheseformerEdisonassociateshelpedtodesigntheEidoloscopeprojector
systemandawidescreencameratofilmwith,whichwouldbeusedinthe
firstcommercialmoviescreeninginworldhistoryon20thMay1895.
Households &
Stationaries
ḤasanIbnal-Haytham
(c.965-c.1040)wasanArabmathematician,
astronomer,andphysicistoftheIslamic
ferred
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107. Inventors
EugeneDolgoff(born1950)isthe
founder,CEO,andCTOofHolobeanTechnologies
INC.,whichisdevelopingnewtechnologiesfor
diagnosingdiseasesusingadvancedmedical
imagingandforimprovingtreatment.Dolgoffwasan
earlydeveloperofdigitalprojectionandstarted
experimentingandthinkingaboutLCDprojectorsin
1968.HefoundedProjectavisionInc.,theworld's
firstdedicateddigitalprojectioncompanyin1988
(listed
ledtothefirstworkingliquidcrystaldisplaysbasedonwhathecalledthe
dynamicscatteringmode(DSM).
onNASDAQin1990).WithfundingfromDARPA,heworkedonthe
developmentoftheU.S.HDTVsystem.Hehaspublishedseveralpapersin
3-Dimaging,optics,holography,thebrain,andLCDvideoprojection,and
hasmorethan65patentsgrantedworldwidewithotherspending.
Avideoprojectorisanimageprojectorthatreceivesavideosignaland
projectsthecorrespondingimageonaprojectionscreenusingalens
system.Videoprojectorsuse
Households &
Stationaries
GeorgeHarryHeilmeier
(22May1936–21April2014)wasan
Americanengineer,manager,anda
pioneeringcontributortoliquidcrystal
displays(LCDs).In1958Heilmeierjoined
RCALaboratoriesinPrinceton,NewJersey,
whereheworkedonparametric
amplification,tunneldiodedown-converters,
millimeterwavegeneration,ferroelectricthin
filmdevices,organicsemiconductorsand
electro-opticeffectsinmolecularandliquid
crystals.In1964hediscoveredseveralnew
electro-opticeffectsinliquidcrystals,which
averybrightultrahighpressuremercurylamp,
Xenonarclamp,LEDorsolidstateblue,RB,
RGBorremotefiberopticRGBlaserstoprovide
theilluminationrequiredtoprojecttheimage,and
mostmodernonescancorrectanycurves,
blurriness,andotherinconsistenciesthrough
manualsettings.Ifabluelaserisused,a
phosphorwheelisusedtoturnbluelightinto
whitelight,whichisalsothecasewithwhite
LEDs.(WhiteLEDsdonotuselasers.)
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108. Inventors
Medical
Inventions
Eichengründeservedcreditfortheinventionofaspirin.Bayerdeniedthisina
pressrelease,assertingthattheinventionofaspirinwasduetoHoffmann.
(independentlyfromC.R.AlderWrightwhosynthesized
it23yearsearlier),whichwaspopularizedunderthe
Bayertradenameof"heroin".Heisalsocreditedwith
synthesizingaspirin,thoughwhetherhedidthisunderhis
owninitiativeorundertheinstructionofArthur
Eichengrüniscontested.Hoffmannfirstclaimedtobethe
"inventor"ofaspirin.In1949,ex-BayeremployeeArthur
Eichengrünpublishedapaperinwhichheclaimedto
haveplannedanddirectedHoffman'ssynthesisofaspirin
alongwiththesynthesisofseveralrelatedcompounds.
ArthurEichengrun(13August1867–23
December1949)wasaGermanJewishchemist,materials
scientist,andinventor.Heisknownfordevelopingthe
highlysuccessfulanti-gonorrheadrugProtargol.
Eichengrünclaimedtohavedirectedtheinitialsynthesisof
aspirinin1897,buthisclaimhasbeendisputed.Formany
yearsBayercreditedFelixHoffmann,Eichengrün'sjunior,
withtheinventionofaspirin.However,thefirstattributionof
thediscoverytoHoffmannappearsin1934.
FelixHoffmann(21January1868
–8February1946)wasaGermanchemist
notableforre-synthesizingdiamorphine
(indepen
SirAlexanderFleming(6August1881–
11March1955)wasaScottishphysicianand
microbiologist.Hisbest-knowndiscoveriesarethe
enzymelysozymein1923andtheworld'sfirstbroadly
effectiveantibioticsubstancebenzylpenicillin(Penicillin
G)fromthemouldPenicilliumrubensin1928.During
WorldWarI,Flemingwitnessedthedeathofmany
soldiersfromsepsisresultingfrominfectedwounds.
Antiseptics,whichwereusedatthetimetotreatinfected
wounds,oftenworsenedtheinjuries.Hegrewthemouldinapureculture
andfoundthattheculturebrothcontainedtheantibacterialasubstance.After
somemonthsofcallingit"mouldjuice"or"theinhibitor",henamedthe
substanceitreleasedpenicillinon7March1929.Theystartedmass
productionafterthebombingofPearlHarbour.ByD-Dayin1944,enough
penicillinhadbeenproducedtotreatallthewoundedintheAlliedforces.
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109. Inventors
Medical
Inventions
inspiredhim.Hebuilthisfirstinstrumentasa25cmby2.5cmhollow
woodencylinder,whichhelaterrefinedtocomprisethreedetachableparts.
Therefineddesignfeaturedafunnel-shapedcavitytoaugmentthesound,
separablefromthebodyofthestethoscope.
Hisskillofcarvinghisownwoodenflutesledhimto
inventthestethoscopein1816,whileworkingatthe
HôpitalNecker(Necker–EnfantsMaladesHospitalin
Paris,France).Hepioneereditsusageindiagnosing
variouschestconditions.Hehaddiscoveredthatthenew
stethoscopewassuperiortothenormallyusedmethodof
placingtheearoverthechest.Astethoscopealso
avoidedtheembarrassmentofplacingtheearagainst
thechestofawoman.Hisskillasaflautistmayalso
have
SirAlecJohnJeffreys(born9January
1950)isaBritishgeneticist,whodeveloped
techniquesforgeneticfingerprintingandDNA
profilingwhicharenowusedworldwideinforensic
sciencetoassistpolicedetectiveworkandtoresolve
paternityandimmigrationdisputes.
Jeffreys'sDNAmethodwasfirstputtousein1985
whenhewasaskedtohelpinadisputedimmigration
René-Théophile-Hyacinthe
Laennec(17February1781–13August
1826)wasaFrenchphysicianandmusician.
casetoconfirmtheidentityofaBritishboywhosefamilywasoriginallyfrom
Ghana.DNAFingerprintingwasfirstusedinapoliceforensictesttoidentify
thekilleroftwoteenagers,LyndaMannandDawnAshworth,whohadbeen
rapedandmurderedinNarborough,Leicestershire,in1983and1986
respectively.DNAprofiling,basedontypingindividualhighlyvariable
minisatellitesinthehumangenome,wasalsodevelopedbyAlecJeffreysand
histeamin1985.
MauriceRalphHilleman(30August1919–
11April2005)wasanAmericanmicrobiologistwho
specializedinvaccinologyanddevelopedover40
vaccines,anunparalleledrecordofproductivity.Ofthe
14vaccinesroutinelyrecommendedincurrentvaccine
schedules,hedevelopedeight:thoseformeasles,
mumps,hepatitisA,hepatitisB,chickenpox,meningitis,
pneumoniaandHaemophilusinfluenzaebacteria.
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110. Inventors
Medical
Inventions
thermometerthenwasplacedintothemixtureandtheliquidinthe
thermometerallowedtodescendtoitslowestpoint.Thethermometer's
readingtherewastakenas0°F.Thesecondreferencepointwasselectedas
thereadingofthethermometerwhenitwasplacedinstillwaterwhenicewas
justformingonthesurface.Thiswasassignedas30°F.Thethirdcalibration
point,takenas90°F,wasselectedasthethermometer'sreadingwhenthe
instrumentwasplacedunderthearmorinthemouth.
FahrenheitcameupwiththeideathatMercuryboilsaround300degreeson
thistemperaturescale.TheFahrenheitscalewastheprimarytemperature
standardforclimatic,industrialandmedicalpurposes.
exactthermometry,hehelpedlaythefoundationsforthe
eraofprecisionthermometrybyinventingthemercury-
in-glassthermometer (firstpractical,accurate
thermometer)andFahrenheitscale(firststandardized
temperaturescaletobewidelyused).Hedeterminedhis
scalebyreferencetothreefixedpointsoftemperature.
Thelowesttemperaturewasachievedbypreparinga
frigorificmixtureofice,waterandsaltandwaitingforthe
eutecticsystemtoreachequilibriumtemperature.The
was
DanielGabrielFahrenheit(24
May1686-16September1736)wasa
physicist,inventorandscientificinstrument
maker.Apioneerof
IanHectorFrazer(born6January1953)isa
Scottish-bornAustralianimmunologist.JianZhouandhe
developedandpatentedthebasictechnologybehindthe
HPVvaccineagainstcervicalcancerattheUniversityof
Queensland.Thevaccine,nowmarketedasGardasiland
Cervarix,wasthesecondcancerpreventingvaccine,and
thefirstvaccinedesignedtopreventacancer.Thevaccine
completelyprotectsunexposedwomenagainstfourHPV
strainsresponsiblefor70%ofcervicalcancers,whichkillabout250,000
womenannually.
JianZhou(1957–March1999)wasaChinesevirologistandcancer
researcher,whowithfellowresearcherIanFrazer,inventedGardasiland
Cervarix,thevaccinesforstimulatinghumanimmunologicalresistancetothe
cervicalcancer-inducinghumanpapillomavirus.Thetwoconsideredthe
problemofdevelopingavaccineforHPV–avirusthatcannotbecultured
withoutlivingtissue.FrazerandZhoufiledaprovisionalpatentinJune1991
andbeganworkondevelopingthevaccinewithinUQ.
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111. Inventors
Medical
Inventions
GeorgiiFrantsevichGause(27
December1910–2May1986),wasaSoviet
biologistandevolutionist,whoproposedthe
competitive
ErnstKarlAbbe(23January1840–14January
1905)wasaGermanphysicist,opticalscientist,
entrepreneur,andsocialreformer.TogetherwithOtto
SchottandCarlZeiss,hedevelopednumerousoptical
instruments.Hewasalsoaco-ownerofCarlZeissAG,
aGermanmanufacturerofscientificmicroscopes,
astronomicaltelescopes,planetariums,andother
advancedopticalsystems.In1886heinventedthe
apochromaticlens,amicroscopelenswhicheliminates
exclusionprinciple,fundamentaltothe
scienceofecology.Classicofecology,hewoulddevote
mostofhislaterlifetotheresearchofantibiotics.Inthe
1930sGauseconductedaseriesofstudies,dedicatedto
theprotoplasmasymmetry.Theseworksraisedinterest
amongbiogeochemists.From1939Gausebeganstudies
ofantibiotics.Henoticedaninhibitiononthegrowthof
Staphylococcusaureuswhenthetwowereinmixed
culture.TheinhibitionofS.aureuswascausedbya
metabolite
boththeprimaryandsecondarycolordistortion.By1870,Abbeinventedthe
Abbecondenser,usedformicroscopeillumination.In1871,hedesignedthe
firstrefractometer.Hedevelopedthelawsofimageofnon-luminousobjects
by1872.
CarlZeiss(11September1816–3December1888)was
aGermanscientificinstrumentmaker,opticianand
businessman.Hegatheredagroupofgiftedpracticaland
theoreticalopticiansandglassmakerstoreshapemost
aspectsofopticalinstrumentproduction.Hiscollaboration
withErnstAbberevolutionizedopticaltheoryandpractical
design
producedbyB.brevis.Gauseisolatedthisproductandnamedit
GramicidinS.
ofmicroscopes.ThefirmofCarlZeissgrewtooneofthelargestand
mostrespectedopticalfirmsintheworld.
FriedrichOttoSchott(17December1851–27
August1935)wasaGermanchemist,glasstechnologistand
theinventorofborosilicateglass.In1884,withDrAbbeand
CarlZeiss,hefoundedSchott&AssociatesGlass
TechnologyLaboratoryinJena.
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112. Inventors
Medical
Inventions
Anotherinvention,theFemi-Xpill,isasortofViagraforwomensufferingfrom
sexualdysfunction.ItwasdevelopedincooperationwithKing'sCollegeand
launchedworldwidein2004.Basedonamixtureofherbalingredients,the
Femi-Xpillallegedlyenhancesthefemalelibidobystimulatingthebloodflow
andnaturalbrainactivity.
OthersystemsinventedbyHesselincludetheAquaWall(1978),anindoor
waterfalldesignedtoimprovetheenvironmentalcondition;aremoverof
insectpoison;aremoverofpimples;Cellastic(1986),aprotectivematerial
basedonhumancellstructure;theBioTap,atitaniumringsystemforsecure
attachmentofstomabags;theDiaTestsalivacollectionkit;andthe
DiaQuick,adiagnosticsystemforearlydetectionofbreastcancer.
inventionsastheFemidomandtheFemi-Xpill,andaninternationally
acknowledgedexpertonnutritionanddietaryfibre.
Hessel'sbest-knowninventionisprobablytheFemidom,
alsocalledthefemalecondom.Hedevelopeditafter
hearingaboutthelackofoptionsavailableforwomen
tryingtoavoidHIV/AIDS.ItlaunchedinEuropein1990
andwasapprovedbytheFDAforsaleintheUnitedStates
in1993.Today,itsproductionissponsoredbyWorld
HealthOrganizationandtheUnitedNations.
CharlesGoodyear(29December1800–1
July1860)wasanAmericanself-taughtchemistand
manufacturingengineerwhodevelopedvulcanizedrubber,
forwhichhereceivedpatentnumber3633fromtheUnited
StatesPatentOfficeonJune15,1844.Goodyearis
creditedwithinventingthechemicalprocesstocreateandmanufacture
pliable,waterproof,moldablerubber.Therubbervulcanizationprocesswas
inventedbyhimin1839andpatentedin1844.Thefirstrubbercondomwas
producedin1855andbythelate1850sseveralmajorrubbercompanies
weremass-producing,amongotheritems,rubbercondoms.
Condomshavebeenmadefromavarietyofmaterials;priortothe19th
century,chemicallytreatedlinenandanimaltissuearethebestdocumented
varieties.Rubbercondomsgainedpopularityinthemid-19thcentury,andin
theearly20thcenturymajoradvancesweremadeinmanufacturing
techniques.Priortotheintroductionofthecombinedoralcontraceptivepill,
condomswerethemostpopularbirthcontrolmethodintheWesternworld.
LasseLeifHessel(1940-25
April2019)alsoknownas"thefamilydoctor",
isaDanishinventor,authorandMDnotedfor
such
The Book of Knowledge 112

113. Inventors
1887)wasaDutchchemistand makerknownforthetreatmentof
cocoamasswithalkalinesaltstoremovethebittertasteandmakecocoa
solids solidmorewater-soluble;theresultingproductisstill
called"Dutchprocesschocolate".Heisalsocredited
withintroducingamethodforpressingthefat(cocoa
butter)fromroastedcocoabeans,thoughthiswasin
facthisfather,CasparusvanHouten'sinvention.The
introductionofcocoapowdernotonlymadecreating
chocolatedrinksmucheasier,butalsomadeitpossible
tocombinethepowderwithsugarandthenremixitwith
cocoabuttertocreateasolid,alreadycloselyresembles
Food &
Processes
CoenraadJohannesvan
Houten(15March1801–27May
chocolate
today'seatingchocolate.CoenraadVanHoutenintroducedafurther
improvementbytreatingthepowderwithalkalinesalts(potassiumorsodium
carbonates)sothatthepowderwouldmixmoreeasilywithwater.Today,this
processisknownas"Dutching".Thefinalproduct,Dutchchocolate,hasa
darkcolorandamildtaste.
In1838thepatentexpired,enablingotherstoproducecocoapowderand
buildonVanHouten'ssuccess,experimentingtomakenewchocolate
products.In1847EnglishchocolatemakerJ.S.Fry&Sonsproduced
arguablythefirstchocolatebar.LaterdevelopmentswereinSwitzerland,
whereDanielPeterintroducedmilkchocolatein1875andRodolpheLindt
madechocolatemoreblendablebytheprocessofconchingin1879.
J.S.Fry&Sons,Ltd.betterknownasFry's,wasaBritishchocolate
companyownedbyJosephStorrsFryandhisfamily.BeginninginBristolin
the18thcentury,thebusinesswentthroughseveralchangesofnameand
ownership,becomingJ.S.Fry&Sonsin1822.In1847,Fry'sproducedthe
firstsolidchocolatebar.Thecompanyalsocreatedthefirstfilledchocolate
sweet,CreamSticks,in1853.FryismostfamousforFry'sChocolateCream,
thefirstmass-producedchocolatebarwhichwaslaunchedin1866,andFry's
TurkishDelight,launchedin1914.
DanielPeter(9March1836–4November1919)wasaSwiss
chocolatier.AneighbourofHenriNestléinVevey,hewasoneofthefirst
chocolatierstomakemilkchocolate,in1875or1876,byaddingpowdered
milktothechocolate
The Book of Knowledge 113

114. Inventors
forhisinventionofmargarine.By1852,Mège-Mouriès
wasstudyingthechemistryoffoods.Headdedcalcium
phosphateandproteintochocolateinanattemptto
makeithealthier.By1855,Mège-Mourièswasstudying
bread.Inadditiontoexaminingthecolorationofbread,
hedevelopedawayofmakingbreadthatallowed
bakerstoproduce14%morebreadgivenafixed
amountofingredients.
Inthe1860sMège-Mourièsfocusedonfatprocessing.
Francewasexperiencingabuttershortage,and
NapoleanIIIofferedaprizeforproducingabuttersubstitute.Mège-Mouriès
experimentedwithwhatwasbelievedtobeanewfattyaciddiscoveredby
MichelEugeneChevreul,acidemargariqueormargaricacid.Mège-Mouriès's
invention,originallyknownasoleomargarine,wascreatedbymixing
processedbeeftallowwithskimmedmilk.
Modernmargarineismademainlyofrefinedvegetableoilandwater,whereas
butterismadefromthebutterfatofmilk.Butterisadairyproductmadefrom
thefatandproteincomponentsofmilkorcream.Itisasemi-solidemulsionat
roomtemperature,consistingofapproximately80%butterfat.Untilthe19th
century,thevastmajorityofbutterwasmadebyhand,onfarms.Inthelate
1870s,thecentrifugalcreamseparatorwasintroduced,marketedmost
successfullybySwedishengineerCarlGustafPatrikdeLaval.This
dramaticallyspedupthebutter-makingprocessbyeliminatingtheslowstep
oflettingcreamnaturallyrisetothetopofmilk.
KarlGustafPatrikdeLaval(9
May1845–2February1913)wasaSwedishengineer
andinventorwhomadeimportantcontributionstothe
designofsteamturbinesanddairymachinery.De
Lavalalsomadeimportantcontributionstothedairy
industry,includingthefirstcentrifugalmilk-cream
separatorandearlymilkingmachines,thefirstofwhich
hepatentedin1894.Itwasnotuntilafterhisdeath,
however
HippolyteMège-Mouriès
(24October1817–31May1880)wasa
Frenchchemistandinventorwhoisfamous.
,thatthecompanyhefoundedmarketedthefirstcommercially
practicalmilkingmachine,in1918.In1882heintroducedhisconceptofan
impulsesteamturbine.
Food &
Processes
The Book of Knowledge 114

115. Inventors
hepatentedawaytomakepeapaste,anearlyversionofpeanutbutter.
Edsondevelopedtheideaofpeanutpasteasadeliciousandnutritious
foodstuffforpeoplewhocouldhardlychewsolidfood,acommonstatein
thosedays.In1884,EdsonwasawardedUnitedStatesPatentNo.306727
fortheinvention.Hiscooledproducthad"aconsistencylikethatofbutter,
lard,orointment",accordingtohispatentapplication.Heincludedthe
mixingofsugarintothepastetohardenitsconsistency.Thepatent
describesaprocessofmillingroastedpeanutsuntilthepeanutsreached"a
fluidorsemi-fluidstate“.Peanutbutterisafoodpasteorspreadmadefrom
ground,dry-roastedpeanuts.Itoftencontainsadditionalingredientsthat
modifythetasteortexture,suchassalt,sweeteners,oremulsifiers.
ThomasBramwellWelch(31December
1825–29December1903)wasaBritish–American
Methodistministeranddentist.In1869,hepioneered
theuseofpasteurizationasameansofpreventing
thefermentationofgrapejuice.Hepersuadedlocal
churchestoadoptthisnon-alcoholicwinesubstitute.
IlyaIlyichMechnikov(15May1845–15
July1916)wasaRussianImperialzoologistof
Moldavian-Jewishoriginbestknownforhis
pioneeringresearchinimmunology.Inparticular,he
iscreditedwiththediscoveryofphagocytes
(macrophages)in1882.Thisdiscoveryturnedoutto
bethemajordefencemechanismininnateimmunity.
Heisalsocreditedbysomesourceswithcoiningthe
some
MarcellusGilmoreEdson(7
February1849–6March1940)wasa
Canadianchemistandpharmacist.In1884,
nut
Heisalsocreditedby sourceswithcoiningthetermgerontologyin
1903,fortheemergingstudyofagingandlongevity.ElieMetchnikofffirst
suggestedthepossibilityofcolonizingthegutwithbeneficialbacteriainthe
early20thcentury.Probioticshavereceivedrenewedattentioninthe21st
centuryfromproductmanufacturers,researchstudies,andconsumers.
Theirhistorycanbetracedtothefirstuseofcheeseandfermented
products.Theoriginalmodernhypothesisofthepositiveroleplayedby
certainbacteriawasfirstintroducedbyRussianscientistandNobellaureate
ÉlieMetchnikoff,whoin1907suggestedthatitwouldbepossibletomodify
thegutmicrobiotaandtoreplaceharmfulmicrobeswithusefulmicrobes.
Food &
Processes
The Book of Knowledge 115

116. Inventors
foundedNissinFoodProductsCo.,Ltd.Heisknownas
theinventorofinstantnoodlesandthecreatorofthe
brandsTopRamenandCupNoodles.
OnAugust25,1958,attheageof48,andaftermonths
oftrialanderrorexperimentationtoperfecthisflash-
fryingmethod,Andomarketedthefirstpackageof
precookedinstantnoodles.Theoriginalchickenflavoris
calledChikinRamen.Ando'sinventionofCupNoodles
in1971,attheageof61,helpedsparkthepopularityof
instantnoodlesoverseas.
NicolasAppert(17November1749–1June1841)wasthe
Frenchinventorofairtightfoodpreservation.Appert,knownasthe"father
ofcanning",wasaconfectioner.Appertdescribedhisinventionasaway"of
conservingallkindsoffoodsubstancesincontainers“.In1795,hebegan
experimentingwithwaystopreservefoodstuffs,succeedingwithsoups,
vegetables,juices,dairyproducts,jellies,jams,andsyrups.Heplacedthe
foodinglassjars,sealedthemwithcorkandsealingwaxandplacedthemin
boilingwater.‘LaMaisonAppert’(TheHouseofAppert),inthetownofMassy,
nearParis,becamethefirstfoodbottlingfactoryintheworld,yearsbefore
LouisPasteurprovedthatheatkilledbacteria.
LouisPasteur(27December1822–28
September1895)wasaFrenchbiologist,microbiologist
andchemistrenownedforhisdiscoveriesofthe
principlesofvaccination,microbialfermentationand
pasteurization.Heisrememberedforhisremarkable
breakthroughsinthecausesandpreventionof
diseases,andhisdiscoverieshavesavedmanylives
eversince.Hereducedmortalityfrompuerperalfever
andcreatedthefirstvaccinesforrabiesandanthrax.
MomofukuAndo (5March
1910–5January2007)wasaTaiwanese-
Japaneseinventorandbusinessmanwho
ssin
EarlSilasTupper(28July1907–5October1983)wasan
Americanbusinessmanandinventor,bestknownastheinventorof
Tupperware,anairtightplasticcontainerforstoringfood.Tupperfounded
theTupperwarePlasticsCompanyin1938,andin1948thecompany
introducedTupperPlasticstohardwareanddepartmentstores.
Food &
Processes
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117. Inventors
Military
& Space
IntimetheMorsecode,whichhedeveloped,wouldbecometheprimary
languageoftelegraphyintheworld.Itisstillthestandardforrhythmic
transmissionofdata.TheMorsetelegraphicapparatuswasofficiallyadopted
asthestandardforEuropeantelegraphyin1851.
asaportraitpainter,inhismiddleageMorse
contributedtotheinventionofasingle-wiretelegraph
systembasedonEuropeantelegraphs.Hewasaco-
developerofMorsecodeandhelpedtodevelopthe
commercialuseoftelegraphy.
WhilereturningbyshipfromEuropein1832,Morse
encounteredCharlesThomasJacksonofBoston,aman
whowaswellschooledinelectromagnetism.Witnessing
variousexperimentswithJackson'selectromagnet,
Morsedevelopedtheconceptofasingle-wiretelegraph.
JamesGregory(November1638–October
1675)wasaScottishmathematicianandastronomer.He
describedanearlypracticaldesignforthereflecting
telescope–theGregoriantelescope–andmade
advancesintrigonometry,discoveringinfiniteseries
representationsforseveraltrigonometricfunctions.
KarlGutheJansky(22October1905–14
February1950)wasanAmericanphysicistandradio
engineerwhoinAugust1931firstdiscoveredradiowaves
emanatingfromtheMilkyWay.Heisconsideredoneofthe
foundingfiguresofradioastronomy.Afterrecording
signalsfromalldirectionsforseveralmonths,thebrightest
pointmovedawayfromthepositionoftheSun.Healso
determinedthatthesignalrepeatedonacycleof23hours
Inhis1663OpticaPromota,JamesGregorydescribedhisreflectingtelescope
whichhascometobeknownbyhisname,theGregoriantelescope.Gregory
pointedoutthatareflectingtelescopewithaparabolicmirrorwouldcorrect
sphericalaberrationaswellasthechromaticaberrationseeninrefracting
telescopes.
SamuelFinleyBreeseMorse(27
April1791–2April1872)wasanAmerican
inventorandpainter.Afterhavingestablishedhis
reputation
and56minutes,theperiodoftheEarth'srotationrelativetothestars,instead
ofrelativetothesun.Bycomparinghisobservationswithopticalastronomical
maps,heconcludedthattheradiationwascomingfromtheMilkyWayand
wasstrongestinthedirectionofthecenterofthegalaxy.
The Book of Knowledge 117

118. Inventors
Military
& Space
contributionstoliterature,education,andscience.Amonghis
discoveriesweretheatmosphereofVenusandthelawofconservationof
massinchemicalreactions.Hewasthefirsttodiscoverandappreciatethe
atmosphereofVenusduringhisobservationofthetransitofVenusof1761in
asmallobservatorynearhishouseinStPetersburg.
In1762,hepresentedanimproveddesignofareflectingtelescopetothe
RussianAcademyofSciencesforum.Histelescopehaditsprimarymirror
adjustedatanangleoffourdegreestothetelescope'saxis.Thismadethe
imagefocusatthesideofthetelescopetube,wheretheobservercouldview
theimagewithaneyepiecewithoutblockingtheimage.
In1759,withhiscollaborator,academicianJosephAdamBraun,Lomonosov
wasthefirstpersontorecordthefreezingofmercuryandtocarryoutinitial
experimentswithit.Hegotclosetothetheoryofcontinentaldrift,theoretically
predictedtheexistenceofAntarctica(hearguedthaticebergsoftheSouth
Oceancouldbeformedonlyonadrylandcoveredwithice),andinventedsea
toolswhichmadewritingandcalculatingdirectionsanddistanceseasier.In
1764,heorganizedanexpeditiontofindtheNortheastPassagebetweenthe
AtlanticandPacificoceansbysailingalongthenortherncoastofSiberia.
Theideaofcoaxialrotors(coaxrotorsareapairof
helicopterrotorsmountedoneabovetheotheron
concentricshafts,withthesameaxisofrotation,but
turninginoppositedirections(contra-rotating))originates
withMikhailLomonosov.Hehaddevelopedasmall
helicoptermodelwithcoaxialrotorsinJuly1754and
demonstratedittotheRussianAcademyofSciences.
In1859,theBritishPatentOfficeawardedthefirst
helicopterpatenttoHenryBrightforhiscoaxialdesign.
MikhailVasilyevichLomonosov
(19November1711–15April1765)wasa
Russianpolymath,scientistandwriter,whomade
important
VladimirGrigoryevichFyodorov(3May
1874-19September1966)wasaRussianandSoviet
scientist,weaponsdesigner,professor,lieutenantgeneral
ofacorpsofmilitaryengineers,founderoftheSoviet
schoolofautomaticsmallarms,andaHeroofLabour.He
designedanumberofautomaticrifles:onechamberedin
7.62mm(1912),anotherin6.5mmforacartridgeofhis
owndesign(1913),andoneofthefirstprototypeassault
riflesintheworld.
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119. Inventors
Military
& Space
divisions,arbitrarilylinkedtotheGreenwichmeridian.Thatconference
acceptedadifferentversionofUniversalTimebutrefusedtoaccepthis
zones,statingthattheywerealocalissueoutsideitspurview.Nevertheless,
by1929,allmajorcountriesintheworldhadacceptedtimezones.
Scotland,heemigratedtocolonialCanadaattheageof
18.Hepromotedworldwidestandardtimezones,a
primemeridian,anduseofthe24-hourclockaskey
elementstocommunicatingtheaccuratetime,allof
whichinfluencedthecreationofCoordinatedUniversal
Time.HedesignedCanada'sfirstpostagestamp,lefta
hugebodyofsurveyingandmapmaking.Aftermissinga
trainwhiletravelinginIrelandin1876becauseaprinted
schedulelistedp.m.insteadofa.m.,heproposeda
single24-hourclockfortheentireworld,withthe24hour
NarcísMonturioliEstarriol(28
September1819–6September1885)wasaSpanish
artistandengineer.Hewastheinventorofthefirstair-
independentandcombustion-engine-drivensubmarine.
In1858Monturiolpresentedhisprojectinascientific
thesis,titledTheIctineoorfish-ship.Thefirstdiveofhis
firstsubmarine,IctineoI,tookplaceinSeptember1859
intheharbourofBarcelona.IctineoIwas7mlongwitha
beamof2.5manddraftof3.5m.Herintendedusewas
toeasetheharvestofcoral.AnimprovedversionofIctineoI,IctineoIIwas
launchedon2October1864.IctineoIImadehermaidenvoyageunder
humanpoweron20May1865,submergingtoadepthof30m.On22
October1867,IctineoIImadeherfirstsurfacejourneyundersteampower,
averaging3.5kn(6.5km/h)withatopspeedof4.5kn(8.3km/h).
SirSandfordFleming(7January
1827–22July1915)wasaScottishCanadian
engineerandinventor.Bornandraisedin
Scotland,
CornelisJacobszoonDrebbel(1572–7November
1633)wasaDutchengineerandinventor.Hewasthebuilderofthefirst
navigablesubmarinein1620andaninnovatorwhocontributedtothe
developmentofmeasurementandcontrolsystems,opticsandchemistry.He
workedonproducingtorpedoes,navalmines,detonatorswiththatusedglass
Bataviantears,andworkedonfulminatinggold(aurumfulminans)asan
explosive.Healsobuiltthefirstnavigablesubmarinein1620whileworking
fortheEnglishRoyalNavy.
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120. Inventors
servedasthepresidentofthemanufacturerMattel
Inc.,In1959sheinventedtheBarbiedoll,whichsold
overabillioncopiesworldwide.Shewasthefounder
andpresidentoftheworld'slargesttoycompany,which
atitspeakhad18,000employeesandannualsalesof
over$300million.RuthHandlerclaimedherdaughter
Barbara,whowasbecomingapre-teen,playedwith
paperdollsbypretendingtheywereadults.Ruth
HandlersawtheGermanBildLillidoll(whichwasnota
children'stoy,butratheranadultgaggift)inaSwiss
shopandbroughtithome.Oncehome,shereworked
thedesignofthedollandnamedherBarbieaftertheHandlers'daughter,
Barbara.BarbiedebutedattheNewYorktoyfaironMarch9,1959.
MordechaiMeirovitz(born1930in
Romania)wasanIsraelitelecommunicationsexpert.
Meirovitzinventedthecode-breakingboardgame
MasterMind.Afterbeingrejectedbyleadinggames
companies,hesparkedtheinterestofaLeicester-based
company,InvictaPlastics,whichrestyledandrenamed
thegame.Releasedin1971,thegamesoldover50
millionsetsin80countries,makingitthemost
successfulnewgameofthe1970s.
RuthMariannaHandler(4
November1916–27April2002)wasan
Americanbusinesswomanandinventor.She
toy
WalterFredrick"Fred"Morrison
(23January1920-9February2010)wasanAmerican
inventorandentrepreneur,whoinventedtheFrisbee(flying
disk).
Hobby &
Pastimes
In1946,Morrisonsketchedoutadesign(Whirlo-
Way)fortheworld'sfirstflyingdisc.In1948aninvestor,
WarrenFranscioni,paidformoldingthedesigninplastic.
TheynamedittheFlyin-Saucer.Afterdisappointingsales,
FredandWarrenpartedwaysinearly1950.In1954,Fredboughtmoreofthe
Saucersfromtheoriginalmolderstosellatlocalfairs,butsoonfoundhecould
producehisowndiscmorecheaply.In1955,heandLudesignedthePluto
Platter,thearchetypeofallmodernflyingdiscs.OnJanuary23,1957,they
soldtherightsforthePlutoPlattertotheWham-Otoycompany.Initially
Wham-Ocontinuedtomarketthetoysolelyasthe"PlutoPlatter",butbyJune
1957theyalsobeganusingthenameFrisbeeafterlearningthatcollege
studentsintheNortheastwerecallingthePlutoPlatterbythatname.
The Book of Knowledge 120

121. Inventors
Heisprincipallyknownasapioneerinthefieldof
motionpictures,creatingaseriesofcamerasinthe
period1888–1891withwhichheshotmovingpicturesin
London.Hewentontopatentanearlytwo-colour
filmingprocessin1905.Hisinventionsinthefieldof
printing–includingphoto-typesettingandamethodof
printingwithoutink–broughthimwealth,asdidhischain
ofphotographicstudios.On21June1889,Friese-
Greenewasissuedpatentno.10131forhiscamera.It
wasapparentlycapableoftakinguptotenphotographs
persecondusingpaperandcelluloidfilm.Friese-Greene'slaterexploitswerein
thefieldofcolourinmotionpictures.
EadweardMuybridge(9April1830–8
May1904)inKingstonuponThames,wasanEnglish-
Americanphotographerimportantforhispioneeringwork
inphotographicstudiesofmotion,andearlyworkin
motion-pictureprojection.Today,Muybridgeisknown
forhispioneeringworkonanimallocomotionin1877
and1878,whichusedmultiplecamerastocapture
motioninstop-motionphotographs,andhis
zoopraxiscope
WilliamFrieseGreene (7
September1855–5May1921)wasaprolific
Englishinventorandprofessionalphotographer.
Hobby &
Pastimes
DaisukeInoue(bornMay10,1940)isa
Japanesebusinessmanbestknownastheinventorofa
karaokemachine.Inoue,amusicianinhisyouth
employedinbackingbusinesspeoplewhowantedtosing
inbars,inventedthemachineasameansofallowing
themtosingwithoutliveback-up.Thinkingthattheidea
mighthavewidespreadappeal,hebeganin1971renting
tobarsinKobeelevenmachinesoutfittedwithtapesand
amplifierswhichhehadassembledalongwithsome
friends.Theyprovedpopular,andatrendwasborn.Inoue
didnotpatenthisinventionandsodidnotdirectlyprofit
thatfromtheinvention startedaboomingindustry.AFilipino,Robertodel
Rosariofiledapatentforakaraokemachinesystem,theSingAlongSystem,
whichdelRosariodevelopedin1975.
,adeviceforprojectingmotionpicturesthatpre-datedthe
flexibleperforatedfilmstripusedincinematography.
The Book of Knowledge 121

122. Sports
UsainStLeoBolt,isaJamaican
formersprinter.Heisaworldrecordholderinthe
100metres,200metresand4×100metresrelay.
Owingtohisachievementsanddominancein
sprint
FastestMen
in the World
competition,heiswidelyconsidered
tobethegreatestsprinterofalltime.An
eight-timeOlympicgoldmedallist,Boltisthe
onlysprintertowinOlympic100mand200
mtitlesatthreeconsecutiveOlympics
(2008,2012and2016).Inadditionhewon
two4×100relaygoldmedals.Hegained
worldwidefameforhisdoublesprintvictory
inworldrecordtimesatthe2008Beijing
Olympics,whichmadehimthefirstpersontoholdbothrecordssincefully
automatictimebecamemandatory.Boltimproveduponhissecond100mworld
recordof9.69with9.58secondsin2009–thebiggestimprovementsincethe
startofelectronictiming.Hehastwicebrokenthe200metresworldrecord,
setting19.30in2008and19.19in2009.HehashelpedJamaicatothree4×
100metresrelayworldrecords,withthecurrentrecordbeing36.84seconds
setin2012.Bolt'smostsuccessfuleventisthe200m,withthreeOlympicand
fourWorldtitles.
ChristianColeman
isanAmericanprofessionaltrack
andfieldsprinterwhocompetesin
the100-meterdashand200-meter
dash.Heisthecurrentworld
championinthe100meters.He
wasadoublemedallistattheWorld
ChampionshipsinAthleticsin2017,
winningsilvermedalsinboththe
100mand4×100-meterrelay.He
holdspersonalrecordsof9.76sfor
the100mand19.85forthe200m,andisalsotheworldindoorrecordholder
forthe60-meterdashwith6.34seconds.
InFebruary,ColemandecidedtocompeteattheU.S.IndoorChampionships
inAlbuquerqueonthe14thand15thwiththeintentofbreakinghisworld
recordinthe60m.hetooktheU.S.titleinaworld-leading6.37seconds,
equalhissecondfastesttimeinworldhistoryand0.12saheadofsecond
placeMarvinBracy.
The Book of Knowledge 122

123. Sports
Shelly-AnnFraser-Pryce,isa
Jamaicantrackandfieldsprinter.Bornand
raisedinKingston,Jamaica,sheascendedto
prominencein2008whenat21yearsold,the
relativelyunknownathletebecamethefirst
Caribbeanwomantowin100mgoldatthe
Olympics.In2012,shebecamethethird
womaninhistorytosuccessfullydefendan
Olympic100mtitle.Fraser-Prycetookabreak
fromathleticsin2017tohaveherfirstchild.At
the2019WorldChampionships,attheageof
32
FastestWomen
in the World
,shebecametheoldestwomanandsecond
motherevertowin100mgoldataglobal
championship.Fraser-Pryceistheonlysprinter
inhistorytobecrownedworldchampionover100mfourtimes(2009,2013,
2015and2019).Since2008,shehaswonfourofthefiveWorld
Championship100mtitlesshehascontested,aswellastwoofthelastthree
Olympic100mtitles.Theonlywomantoachievea"sprinttriple"atasingle
WorldChampionship(goldinthe100m,200mand4×100min2013),she
isalsotheonlyfemalesprintertoreignasworldchampionat60m,100m,
200mand4×100mrelayatthesametime.
FlorenceDelorezGriffithJoyner,alsoknownasFlo-
Jo,wasanAmericantrackandfieldathlete.Sheis
consideredthefastestwomanofalltimebasedon
thefactthattheworldrecordsshesetin1988for
boththe100m(10.49sec)and200m(21.34sec)
stillstand.Duringthelate1980sshebecamea
popularfigureininternationaltrackandfield
becauseofherrecord-settingperformancesand
flashypersonalstyle.
InFebruary1989,sheabruptlyretired.Afterher
retirementfromathletics,sheremainedapop
culturefigurethroughendorsementdeals,acting,
anddesigning.Shediedinhersleepastheresult
ofanepilepticseizurein1998attheageof38.
Hersuccessatthe1988Olympicsledtonewopportunities.Intheweeks
followingtheOlympics,Griffith-Joynerearnedmillionsofdollarsfrom
endorsementdeals,primarilyinJapan.Griffith-Joyneralsosignedadealwith
toymakerLJNToysforaBarbie-likedollinherlikeness.
The Book of Knowledge 123

124. Sports
MichaelFredPhelps(born30
June1985)isanAmericanformercompetitive
swimmerandthemostsuccessfulandmost
decoratedOlympianofalltime,withatotalof28
medals.Phelpsalsoholdstheall-timerecordsfor
Olympicgoldmedals(23),Olympicgoldmedalsin
individualevents(13),andOlympicmedalsin
individualevents(16).Whenhewoneightgold
medalsatthe2008BeijingGames,Phelpsbroke
fellowAmericanswimmerMarkSpitz's1972
recordofsevenfirst-placefinishesatanysingle
OlympicGames.Atthe2004SummerOlympicsin
Athens,Phelpshadalreadytiedtherecordof
eightmedalsofanycoloratasingleGamesby
winningsixgoldandtwobronzemedals.Atthe
2012
Record-holding
Swimmers
in the World
SummerOlympicsinLondon,Phelpswonfourgoldandtwosilver
medals,andatthe2016SummerOlympicsinRiodeJaneiro,hewonfive
goldmedalsandonesilver.Thismadehimthemostsuccessfulathleteofthe
GamesforthefourthOlympicsinarow.
CésarAugustoCieloFilho
(born10January1987)isaBraziliancompetitive
swimmerwhospecializesinsprintevents.Heis
themostsuccessfulBrazilianswimmerinhistory,
havingobtainedthreeOlympicmedals,winningsix
individualWorldChampionshipgoldmedalsand
breakingtwoworldrecords.Cieloisthecurrent
worldrecordholderinthe100-metreand50-metre
freestyle(longcourse).Hisgoldmedalatthe2008SummerOlympics,inthe
50-metrefreestylecompetition,isBrazil'sonlyOlympicgoldinswimmingto
date.In2008,hebroketheNCAArecordinthe50-yard(46m)freestyle
(18.47seconds)andinthe100-yard(91m)freestyle(40.92seconds).Cielo
becamethefastestswimmerintheworldinthetwodistances.
SarahFredrikaSjöström(born
17August1993)isaSwedishcompetitiveswimmer
specializedinthesprintfreestyleandbutterflyevents.
Sheisthecurrentworldrecordholderinthe50-meter
freestyle(longcourse),the100-meterfreestyle(long
course),the200-meterfreestyle(shortcourse),the
50-meterbutterfly(longcourse),andthe100-meter
butterflybutterfly(longcourseandshortcourse).SheisthefirstSwedishwomantowin
anOlympicgoldmedalinswimming.
The Book of Knowledge 124

125. Animals
Largest
& Heaviest
Land Mammal
in the World
AfricanBushElephantis
thelargestandheaviestterrestrialanimal.
Cowsare2.2–2.6mtallattheshoulderand
weigh2,160–3,232kg,whilebullsare3.2–4m
tallandweigh4,700–6,048kg.Itsbackis
concave-shaped,whilethebackoftheAfrican
forestelephantisnearlystraight.Thelargest
recordedindividualstood3.96metresatthe
shoulder,andisestimatedtohaveweighed
10,400kg.Thetallestrecordedindividual
stood4.21mattheshoulderandweighed
8,000kg.
Elephantsaremammalsofthefamily
Elephantidaeandthelargestexistingland
animals.3speciesarecurrentlyrecognised:
theAfricanbushelephant,theAfricanforest
elephant,andtheAsianelephant.
Africanelephantsarelistedasvulnerableand
AsianelephantsasendangeredbytheInternationalUnionforConservationof
Nature(IUCN).Oneofthebiggestthreatstoelephantpopulationsistheivory
trade,astheanimalsarepoachedfortheirivorytusks.Otherthreatstowild
elephantsincludehabitatdestructionandconflictswithlocalpeople
Largest & Heaviest
Mammal in the World
TheBlueWhaleisamarine
mammalbelongingtothebaleenwhale
suborderMysticeti.Reachingamaximum
confirmedlengthof29.9mandweightof
173,000kg,itisthelargestand
heaviestmammalknowntohaveever
existed.Itisalsotheloudestmammal,
withvocalizationsthatreach188decibels.Theaveragelengthofsexually
maturefemalebluewhalesis22.1mforEasternNorthPacificbluewhales,
24.1mforcentralandwesternNorthPacificbluewhales,28.1mforNorth
Atlanticbluewhales,25.4-26.6mforAntarcticbluewhales,23.5mfor
Chileanbluewhales,and21.3mforpygmybluewhales.Antarcticmales
averaged101,605kgandfemales117,934kg.Pygmiesaverage78,925kg.
The Book of Knowledge 125

126. Animals
Tallest Mammal
in the World
TheGiraffeisanAfricanartiodactyl
mammal,thetallestlivingterrestrial
animalandthelargestruminant.
The giraffe’smain distinguishing
characteristicsareitsextremelylongneck
andlegs,itshorn-likeossicones,andits
distinctivecoatpatterns.
Fullygrowngiraffesstand4.3–5.7m(14.1–
18.7ft)tall,withmalestallerthanfemales.
Thetallestrecordedmalewas5.88m(19.3
ft)andthetallestrecordedfemalewas5.17
m(17.0ft)tall.Theaverageweightis1,192
kg(2,628lb)foranadultmaleand828kg
(1,825lb)foranadultfemalewithmaximum
weightsof1,930kg(4,250lb)and1,180kg
(2,600lb)havingbeenrecordedformales
andfemales,respectively.Despiteitslong
neckandlegs,thegiraffe'sbodyisrelatively
short.
Smallest Mammal
in the World
BumblebeeBatalso
knownastheKitti'shog-nosedbat,
isanear-threatenedspeciesofbat
andtheonlyextantmemberofthe
familyCraseonycteridae.Itoccurs
inwesternThailandandsoutheast
Myanmar,whereitoccupieslimestonecavesalongrivers.
Kitti'shog-nosedbatisabout29to33mm(1.1to1.3in)inlengthand2g
(0.071oz)inmass,hencethecommonnameof"bumblebeebat".Itisthe
smallestspeciesofbatandmaybetheworld'ssmallestmammal,depending
onhowsizeisdefined.Themaincompetitorsforthetitlearesmallshrews;in
particular,theEtruscanshrewmaybelighterat1.2to2.7g(0.042to0.095oz)
butislonger,measuring36to53mm(1.4to2.1in)fromitsheadtothebase
ofthetail.
The Book of Knowledge 126

127. Animals
TheMaineCoon isthelargest
domesticatedcatbreed.Ithasadistinctive
physicalappearanceandvaluablehuntingskills.
ItisoneoftheoldestnaturalbreedsinNorth
America,specificallynativetothestateofMaine.
Domestic Cats
in the World
cat,makinghimthecurrentholderoftheGuinnessWorldRecords,
verifiedon22May2018.Whenmeasuredfromheadtotailtipon22May2018,
Barivelcameinat120cm.Hetookoverfrom“Ludo,measuring118.33cm.
NeitherBarivelnorLudoquitemeasureuptothelongestdomesticcatever,
though.MymainsStewartGilligan,anotherMaineCoon,wasverified
tobe123cmon28Aug2010.“Stewie”alsopreviouslyheldtherecordfor
longesttailonadomesticcat,at41.5cm.Hesadlydiedin2013.
Theworld'stallestcat,accordingtoGuinness,wasArcturus
AlderbaranPowers,whomeasured48.4cm,certifiedin2017.
ThesmallestcatonrecordwasamalebluepointHimalayan-Persian,named
Onaverage,malesweighfrom5.9to8.2kg,with
femalesweighingfrom3.6to5.4kg.Theheightof
adultscanvarybetween10and25and41cmand
theycanreachalengthofupto120cm,including
thetail,whichcanreachalengthof36cmandis
long,tapering,andheavilyfurred,almostresembling
araccoon'stail.LargeMaineCoonscanoverlapin
lengthwithEurasianlynxes,althoughwithamuch
lighterbuildandlowerheight.
BarivelfromItaly,aMaineCoonisthelongest
domestic
TinkerToythatmeasuredonly7cmtalland19cm
longwhenfullgrown(aged2.5years).Theunusuallytiny
felinewasownedbyKatrinaandScottForbes(USA)of
Taylorville,Illinois,USA.
TinkerToywasbornon25December1990(theruntofsixkittens)anddiedin
November1997attheageofsix.
TheshortestcatisLilieput,9year-oldfemale
munchkincatorsausagecat(newerbreedofcatwhich
hasveryshortlegs,causedbyageneticmutation),who
measured13.34cmfromthefloortotheshoulderson19
July2013,andisownedbyChristelYoung(USA)of
Napa,California,USA.
The Book of Knowledge 127

128. Animals
Largest
Living Cat
in the World
Hercules,thelargestliger,recognisedbythe
GuinnessBookofWorldRecordsasthelargest
livingcatonEarth,weighing418.2kg.Whenhe
wasonly3yearsold,healreadyweighed408.25kg.
Herculeseatsaround13.6kgofmeat,aboutthe
weightasatwoyear-oldchild,everyday,
washeddownwithseverallitresofwater.
Theliger,thebiggestcatintheworld,isa
hybridoffspringofamalelionandafemale
tiger.Theligerhasparentsinthesame
genusbutofdifferentspecies.Theligeris
distinctfromthesimilarhybridcalledthe
tigon.
TheSiberianTigerisatigrispopulationintheRussianFarEast
andNortheastChinaandpossiblyNorthKorea,thelargestwildcatinthe
world.TheSiberiantigerwasalsocalled"Amur
tiger","Manchuriantiger","Koreantiger",and
"Ussuriantiger",dependingontheregionwhere
individualswereobserved.Thetigerisreddish-
rusty,orrusty-yellowincolour,withnarrowblack
transversestripes.Thebodylengthisnotlessthan
150cm,condylobasallengthofskull25cm,
zygomaticwidth18cm,andlengthofupper
carnassialtoothover2.6cmlong.Ithasanextendedsupplebodystandingon
rathershortlegswithafairlylongtail.
Smallest
& Largest
Wild Cats
in the World
TheRusty-SpottedCatisoneofthecat
family'ssmallestmembers,ofwhichhistorical
recordsareknownonlyfromIndiaandSriLanka.
ItisthesmallestwildcatinAsia
andrivalstheblack-footedcatas
theworld'ssmallestwildcat.Itis
35to48cminlength,witha15to
30cmtail,andweighsonly0.9to1.6kg.
TheBlack-FootedCat,isthesmallestAfricancat
andendemictoAfrica.Malesreachahead-to-bodylength
of36.7to43.3cm.Femalesaresmallerwithlengthof36.9
cmandtails12.6to17.0cmlong
The Book of Knowledge 128

129. Animals
Domestic Dogs
in the World
TheGreatDaneisaGermanbreedof
domesticdogknownforitslargesize.The
recordholderforthetallestdogeverisaGreat
DanecalledZeus(diedSeptember2014;aged
from5),whomeasured1.118m pawtoshoulder.Thetallestlivingdogis
anotherDanenamedFreddy,measuring1.035m.
TheEnglishMastiffisabreedoflargedog.Thegreatestweightever
recordedforadog,155.6kg,wasthatofanEnglishMastifffromEngland
namedAicamaZorbaofLaSusa.
FreddyisaGreatDanefromEssex,UK,knownasthe
world’stallestlivingdogbytheGuinnessBookofWorld
Records,takingthetitlefromthepreviousrecordholder,
Zeus,thetallestdogever.Freddywasmeasuredon13
September2016,standingat103.5cmtothewithers,or
over226cmwhenstandingonhishindlegs.
Zeus(November22,2008–September3,2014)wasaGreatDanefrom
Otsego,Michigan,UnitedStates,famousforbeingnamedthe"world'stallest
dog"bythe2012and2013GuinnessBookofWorldRecords.Standingon
hishindlegsZeusstretched2.26mandwhenmeasuredinOctober2011,
Zeuswas1.118mfromhisfoottohiswithers.
AicamaZorbaofLa-SusaorZorba,bornon
26September1981,wasamaleOldEnglish
MastiffwhowasrecognizedbyGuinnessWorld
Recordsastheheaviest(156.6kgin1989)and
longestdog(254.4cmfromnosetotailtip)inthe
world.Itis94cmtallin1989anddiedin1992.
MorganfromCanada,isthetallestfemaledogever,asdocumentedby
GWR.Shestood98.15cmtothewithersasverifiedon9January2013
TheChihuahuaisthesmallestbreedofdog.Theheightranges
between15and23cm;however,somedogsgrowastallas30to38cm.
TheBritishstandardalsostatesthataweightof1.8–2.7kgispreferred.
MiracleMilly(bornDecember2011),afemale
chihuahuafromPuertoRico,istheworld'ssmallest
livingdogbyheight,accordingtotheGuinnessBook
ofWorldRecords.On21February2013herheight
wasmeasured,placingherat9.65cm.
The Book of Knowledge 129

130. Animals
Thewolfisthelargestmemberof
theCanidaefamily,andisfurther
distinguishedfromcoyotesand
jackalsbyabroadersnout,shorter
ears,ashortertorsoandalonger
tail.Itisslenderandpowerfullybuilt
withalarge,deeplydescendingrib
cage,aslopingback,andaheavily
muscledneck.Thewolf’slegsare
canids
GreyWolforgraywolf,isalargecanine
nativetoEurasiaandNorthAmerica.Itisthe
largestextantmemberofCanidae,males
averaging40kgandfemales37kg.Onaverage,
wolvesmeasure105-160cminlengthand80-
85cmatshoulderheight.
Smallest
& Shortest
Wild Dog
in the World
TheFennecFoxordesertfox,isasmall
crepuscularfoxnativetotheSaharaDesert,the
SinaiPeninsula,AravadesertandtheArabian
desert.Thefennecfoxweighsabout0.7-1.6kg,
withabodylengthofbetween24-41cm;itis
around20.3cmtall.Afennecfoxhasabushytail
thatmeasures17-30cm.Itisthesmallest
speciesofcanidintheworld.Thetail
hasablacktipandis18-31cmlong,
whiletheearscanbebetween10-15
cmlong.Thecoatisoftenacream
colourandfluffy,whichdeflectsheat
duringthedayandkeepsthefox
warmatnight.[3]Thefennec's
characteristicearsarethelargest
amongallfoxesrelativetobodysize
ThefennecfoxisthenationalanimalofAlgeria.Italsoservesasthe
nicknamefortheAlgerianationalfootballteam
Largest
Wild Dog
in the World
moderatelylongerthanthoseofothercanids,whichenablestheanimalto
moveswiftly,andtoovercomethedeepsnowthatcoversmostofits
geographicalrangeinwinter.Theearsarerelativelysmallandtriangular.
Thewolf'sheadislargeandheavy,withawideforehead,strongjawsanda
long,bluntmuzzle.
The Book of Knowledge 130

131. Animals
Smallest Bird
in the World
BeeHummingbird,zunzuncito
orHelenahummingbirdisaspeciesof
hummingbirdwhichistheworld'ssmallest
bird.ItisendemictoCubaandtheIsladela
Juventud,Cubanisland.
Thebeehummingbirdisthesmallestlivingbird.
Femalesweigh2.6g(0.092oz)andare6.1cm
(2.4in)long,andareslightlylargerthanmales,
withanaverageweightof1.95g(0.069oz)and
lengthof5.5cm(2.2in).Asitsnamesuggests,
itisscarcelylargerthanabee.Likeall
hummingbirds,itisaswift,strongflier
Largest Bird
in the World
Thebeehummingbirdhasbeenreportedtovisit
10plantspecies,nineofthemnativetoCuba.
Theyoccasionallyeatinsectsandspiders.Inatypicalday,bee
hummingbirdswillconsumeuptohalftheirbodyweightinfood.
TheNorthAfricanOstrich,red
neckedostrich,orBarbaryostrichisthenominate
subspeciesofthecommonostrichfromWestand
NorthAfrica.Itisthelargestsubspecies,makingit
southernMorocco.Ithasnowdisappearedfromlargepartsofthisrangeandit
onlyremainsin6ofthe18countrieswhereitoriginallyoccurred.NorthAfrican
ostrichescanbefoundinopenfieldsandthesavannahs,especiallyinthe
SahelofAfrica.InIsrael,theintroducedNorthAfricanostricheslivein
grasslands,semi-desertsandplains
thelargestlivingbird,at2.74m
(9.0ft)inheightandupto154kgs
(340lb)inweight.Theneckis
pinkish-red,theplumageofmales
isblackandwhite,andthe
plumageoffemalesisgrey.
Itwaswidespreadfromwesternto
northeasternAfrica.Itusedto
rangefromEthiopiaandSudanin
theeastthroughouttheSahelto
SenegalandMauritaniainthe
west,andnorthtoEgyptand
The Book of Knowledge 131

132. Animals
Largest
Predatory Fish
in the World
Largest Fish
in the World
TheWhaleSharkisa
slow-moving,filter-feedingcarpet
sharkandthelargestknown
extantfishspecies.Thelargest
confirmedindividualhadalengthof
18.8m(62ft)Thewhaleshark
kingdom
TheGreatWhiteSharkalso
knownasthegreatwhite,whitesharkor
"whitepointer",isaspeciesoflargemackerel
sharkwhichcanbefoundinthecoastal
surfacewatersofallthemajoroceans.
It is arguably the world's largest known extant macropredatoryfish, and is
one of the primary predators of marine mammals.
holdsmanyrecordsforsizeintheanimal ,mostnotablybeingbyfar
thelargestlivingnonmammalianvertebrate.
Thewhalesharkisfoundinopenwatersofthetropicaloceansandisrarely
foundinwaterbelow21°C(70°F).Modellingsuggestsalifespanofabout70
years,andwhilemeasurementshaveprovendifficult,estimatesfromfielddata
suggesttheymayliveaslongas130years.Thename"whaleshark"refersto
thefish'ssize,beingaslargeassomespeciesofwhalesandalsotoitsbeing
afilterfeederlikebaleenwhales.
Thewhalesharkisafilterfeeder–oneofonlythreeknownfilter-feedingshark
species(alongwiththebaskingsharkandthemegamouthshark).Itfeedson
planktonincludingcopepods,krill,fisheggs,ChristmasIslandredcrablarvae
andsmallnektoniclife,suchassmallsquidorfish.Italsofeedsoncloudsof
eggsduringmassspawningoffishandcorals.
Thegreatwhitesharkisnotableforits
size,withlargerfemaleindividuals
growingto6.1m(20ft)inlengthand
1,905–2,268kg(4,200–5,000lb)in
weightatmaturity.However,mostare
smaller;malesmeasure3.4to4.0m(11
to13ft),andfemalesmeasure4.6to4.9
m(15to16ft)onaverage.
The Book of Knowledge 132

133. Animals
Smallest Fish
in the World
Smallest
Vertebrate
in the World
PaedocyprisProgeneticaisatinyspeciesofcyprinidfish
The smallest sea-dwelling mammal is the rare and little-known marine otter, aka sea cat, native largely to the Pacific coast of
South America, although its range may also edge around Cape Horn into the Atlantic waters of southern Argentina. Adults
measure between 87 and 115 centimetres in total length and typically weigh no more than 5 kilograms.
suchasSchindleriabrevipinguis,with
femalesreachingamaximumstandard
lengthof10.3mm(0.41in),males9.8mm
(0.39in)andthesmallestknownmature
specimen,afemale,measuringonly7.9mm
(0.31in).Itheldtherecordfortheshortest
known vertebrateuntilthefrog
Paedophryneamauensiswasformally
describedinJanuary2012,whilethe
parasiticmalesoftheanglerfish
Photocorynus
endemictotheIndonesianislandsofSumatra
andBintanwhereitisfoundinpeatswampsand
blackwaterstreams.Itisoneofthesmallest
knownfishintheworld,togetherwithspecies
ThePaedophryneAmauensis
isaspeciesofmicrohylidfrogfromPapuaNew
Guinea.At7.7mm(0.30in)insnout–to–vent
length,itisconsideredtheworld'ssmallestknown
vertebrate.Attaininganaveragebodysizeofonly
doesnotincludeatadpolestage. ,membersofthisspecieshatchas
'hoppers':miniaturesoftheadults.Theskeletonisreducedandthereareonly
sevenpresacralvertebraepresent.Theyarecapableofjumpingthirtytimes
theirbodylength.Thefrogiscrepuscularandfeedsonsmallinvertebrates.
Malescallformateswithaseriesofveryhigh-pitchedinsect-likepeepsata
frequencyof8400–9400Hz.
7.7millimetres(0.30in),is0.2millimetres
(0.0079in)smallerthantheprevious
record-holderastheworld'ssmallest
vertebrate,aspeciesofcyprinidfish
(Paedocyprisprogenetica;7.9mm[0.3in])
fromIndonesiaandaspeciesofgobyfish
(Schindleriabrevipinguis;7.7mm[0.30in])
fromAustralia.
Thefroglivesonlandanditslifecycle
instead
spinicepsarebut6.2millimetres(0.24in)long.
The Book of Knowledge 133

134. Animals
Largest &
Heaviest
Snake
in the World
Smallest Snake
in the World
TheGreenAnaconda also
knownascommonanaconda,commonwater
boaorsucuri,isanon-venomousboaspecies
foundinSouthAmerica.Itistheheaviestand
oneofthelongestknownextantsnake
species.Theterm"anaconda"oftenrefersto
thisspecies,thoughthetermcouldalsoapply
toothermembersofthegenusEunectes.
BarbadosThreadsnake
isaspeciesofthreadsnake.Itisthe
smallestknownsnakespecies.This
memberoftheLeptotyphlopidaefamilyis
foundontheCaribbeanisland
ofBarbados.Ithasbeen
reportedtobeontheislandsof
AntiguaandBarbuda.
Theaveragelengthof
Tetracheilostomacarlaeadults
isapproximately10cm,(3.94
inches),withthelargest
specimenfoundtodate
measuring10.4cm(4.09
inches).
Thegreenanacondaistheworld’s
heaviestandoneoftheworld’s
longestsnakes,comingto5.21m
(17.1ft)long.Moretypicalmature
specimensreportedlycanrange
upto5m(16.4ft),withthe
females,aroundameanlengthof
4.6m(15.1ft),beinggenerally
muchlargerinadulthoodthanthe
males,whichaveragearound3m
(9.8ft).Weightsarelesswell
studied,thoughreportedlyrange
from30to70kg(66to154lb)ina
typicaladult.Itisthelargestsnake
nativetotheAmericas.
The Book of Knowledge 134

135. Animals
Smallest Reptile
in the World
Biggest Reptile
in the World
TheSaltwaterCrocodileisa
crocodiliannativetosaltwaterhabitatsand
brackishwetlandsfromIndia'seastcoast
acrossSoutheastAsiaandtheSundaicregion
to
Sphaerodactylusisagenusof
geckosfromtheAmericasthatare
distinguishedfromotherGekkotabytheir
smallsize,bytheirround,ratherthanvertical,
eyepupils,andbyeachdigitterminatingina
single,roundadhesivepadorscale,from
whichtheirname(Sphaero=round,dactylus
=finger)isderived.Allspeciesinthisgenus
arerathersmall,buttwospecies,S.ariasae
andS.parthenopion,aretiny,andwitha
snout-ventlengthofabout1.6cm–the
smallestreptilesintheworld.
.
(reptile).Malesgrowtoalengthofupto6m,rarelyexceeding6.1
moraweightof1,000–1,075kg.Femalesaremuchsmallerandrarely
surpass3m.Saltwatercrocodilesarealsothelargestextantriparianpredators
andheaviestreptilestheworld.
Thelargestcrocodileincaptivityeverwasa6.17msaltwatercrocodile
capturedon3September2011inBunawan,Mindanao,Philippines.The
crocodilewasnamedLolongandweighedapproximately1,075kg.Lolong
diedon10February2013.
Cassius,anAustraliansaltwatercrocodile,isthelargestcrocodileincaptivity
(living)at5.48m.TheAustraliansaltwatercrocodileisthelargestandmost
fearsomeoftoday'sspecies.Specimenscanliveformorethan100years,can
growto7mandweighmorethan1,016kg.
northernAustraliaandMicronesia.It
isregardedasdangerousforpeople
whosharethesameenvironment.Itis
alsoknownastheestuarinecrocodile,
Indo-Pacificcrocodile,marine
crocodile,seacrocodileorsaltie.
Thesaltwatercrocodileisoften
claimedtobethelargestliving
crocodilian
The Book of Knowledge 135

136. Animals
Smallest Insect in
the World
Heaviest Insect
in the World
ThePhasmatodeaareanorderofinsects
whosemembersarevariouslyknownasstick
insects,stick-bugs,walkingsticksorbugsticks.
Fairyfliesorfairywasps,arechalcid
waspsfoundintemperateandtropical
regionsthroughouttheworld.Fairyfliesare
verytinyinsects,likemostchalcidwasps,
GiantWetaareseveralspeciesofwetainthe
genusDeinacridaofthefamilyAnostostomatidae.
GiantwētāareendemictoNewZealandandare
examplesofislandgigantism.Thereareeleven
speciesofgiantweta.Largespeciescanbeupto
10cm,notinclusiveoflegsandantennae,with
bodymassusuallynomorethan35g.One
gravidcaptivefemalereachedamassofabout
70g,makingitoneoftheheaviestinsectsinthe
worldandheavierthanasparrow.Thelargest
speciesofgiantwetaistheLittleBarrierIslandgiantwetaalsoknownasthe
wetapunga.Oneexamplereportedin2011weighed71g.
However,GuinnessWorldRecordsmentionedthegoliathbeetles,discovered
in1835,astheheaviestinsectswithweightsof70-100g.
TheTitanBeetleisa
neotropicallonghornbeetle,
thesolespeciesinthegenus
Titanus,andthelargestknown
Largest Insect
in the World
beetle.withthelargestreliablemeasuredspecimenbeing
16.7cminlength.Itisknownfromtherainforestsof
Venezuela,Colombia,Ecuador,Peru,theGuianas,andnorth-centralBrazil.
Longest Insect
in the World
Thelongestrecordedbodyisastickinsectcalled
Chan'smegastickPhobaeticuschani,fromthe
rainforestsoftheMalaysianstateofSabah,onthe
islandofBorneo.Thelongestspecimenhadabody
lengthaloneof35.5cm;itmeasured56.6cmlong
withitslegsfullystretchedout.
mostlyrangingfrom0.5to1.0mmlong.Theyaretheworld's
smallestinsect,withabodylengthofonly0.139mm,andthe
smallestknownflyinginsect,only0.15mmlong.Theyusually
havenon-metallicblack,brown,oryellowbodies.
The Book of Knowledge 136

137. Animals
Smallest Spider
in the World
PatuDiguaisaverysmallspeciesof
spider.Themaleholotypeandfemaleparatype
werecollectedfromRioDigua,nearQueremal,
ValledelCaucainColombia.
Bysomeaccountsitisthesmallestspiderin
theworld,asmalesreachabodysizeofonly
about0.37mm,roughlyonefifththesizeofthe
headofapin.However,thereareotherspider
speciesofsimilarsizewhereonlythefemaleis
known;andmalespidersaregenerallysmaller.
Largest Spider
in the World
TheGoliathBird-eaterbelongs
tothetarantulafamilyTheraphosidae.Found
innorthernSouthAmerica,itisthelargest
spiderintheworldbymass-170gandsize-30
cm,butitissecondtothegianthuntsman
spiderbylegspan.ItisalsocalledtheGoliath
bird-eatingspider.TheGoliathbirdeateris
nativetotheuplandrainforestregionsof
northernSouthAmerica:Suriname,Guyana,
FrenchGuiana,northernBrazil,andsouthern
Venezuela.
Poisonous Spider
in the World
TheSydneyfunnel-web
Spiderisaspeciesofvenomous
mygalomorphspidernativetoeastern
Australia,usuallyfoundwithina100km
radiusofSydney.Itisamemberofagroup
ofspidersknownasAustralianfunnel-web
spiders.Itsbiteiscapableofcausing
seriousillnessordeathinhumansifleft
untreated.Ithasabodylengthranging
from1to5cm.Bothsexesareglossyand
darklycoloured,rangingfromblue-black,to
blacktoshadesofbrownordark-plumcoloured.Thespidercanbefoundin
moistmicrohabitats,includingunderlogsandfoliage.
The Book of Knowledge 137

138. Animals
Fastest Bird
in the World
Fastest Mammal
on Land
TheCheetahisalarge
catofthesubfamilyFelinae
thatoccursinNorth,Southern
andEastAfrica,andafewlocalitiesinIran.Africancheetahsmayachieve
successfulhuntsrunningataspeedofonly64km/h(40mph)whilehunting
duetotheirexceptionalabilitytoaccelerate,butarecapableofaccelerating
upto112km/h(70mph)onshortdistancesof100m(330ft).Thecheetahis,
therefore,thefastestlandanimal.
Sarah,an11-year-oldcheetahachieveda100-mrunfromastandingstartin
5.95seconds.TherecordwassetonaUSATrack&Field-certifiedcourse
establishedbytheCincinnatiZooatitsRegionalCheetahBreedingFacility
(MastFarm)inClermontCounty,Ohio,USA,on20June2012
ThePeregrineFalcon,alsoknown
astheperegrine,andhistoricallyastheduck
hawkinNorthAmerica,isawidespreadbirdof
prey(raptor)inthefamilyFalconidae.Alarge,
is389km/h.Asistypicalforbird-eatingraptors,peregrinefalconsare
sexuallydimorphic,withfemalesbeingconsiderablylargerthanmales.The
peregrinefalconhasabodylengthof34to58cm(13–23in)anda
wingspanfrom74to120cm(29–47in).Malesweigh330to1,000g(0.73–
2.20lb)andthelargerfemalesweigh700to1,500g(1.5–3.3lb).
crow-sizedfalcon,ithasabluegrey
back,barredwhiteunderpartsand
ablackhead.ThePeregrineis
renownedforitsspeed,reaching
over320km/h(200mph)duringits
characteristichuntingstoop(high
speeddive),makingitthefastest
birdintheworld,aswellasthe
fastestmemberoftheanimal
kingdom.AccordingtoaNational
GeographicTVprogram,the
highestmeasuredspeedofafalcon
The Book of Knowledge 138

139. Animals
Laziest Mammal
in the World
Laziest
Freshwater
Turtle
in the World
TheThree-toedSlothsare
tree-livingmammalsfromLatinAmerica.The
fourlivingspeciesofthree-toedslothsare
thebrown-throatedsloth,themanedsloth,
thepale-throatedsloth,andthepygmythree
toedsloth.Slothsarefamousforbeingthe
slow-coachesoftheanimalkingdom,indeed,
theyholdarecordfortheirleisurelypace
amongmammals.Whileontheground,
three-toedslothstravelatjust1.8–2.4m(6–8
ft)permin,they’reslightlyquickerintherain
NativetotheMekongRiverin
Cambodia,Cantor'sgiantsoft-
shelledturtlespends95%ofitslife
motionlessinsandontheriver
bottomwaitingforpreytoapproach.
Itcomesuptothewatersurfaceto
breatheaironlytwiceeachday.It
hasabroadheadandsmalleyes
closetothetipofitssnout.
softshellturtleandthefrog-facedsoftshell,
turtle,isaspeciesoffreshwaterturtleinthe
familyTrionychidae.Thespeciesisnativeto
SoutheastAsia.Ithasbeenconsideredtobe
amongthelargestextantfreshwaterturtles.The
speciesisendangeredandinthe20thcentury
hasdisappearedfrommuchofitsformerrange.
AsianGiantSoftshellTurtlealsoknownasCantor’sgiant
forestcanopy,wheretheycanreach“blistering”speedsof4.6m(15ft)per
min!Eventhistoprateisstillaroundfivetimesslowerthanadriftingiceberg.
Generally,slow-moving,atanaveragespeedof0.24km/h(0.15mph).
Three-toedslothsareaboutthesizeofasmalldogoralargecat,withthe
headandbodyhavingacombinedlengtharound45cm(18in)andaweight
of3.5–4.5kg(8–10lb).Unlikethetwo-toedsloths,theyalsohaveshorttailsof
6–7cm(2–3in),andtheyhavethreeclawedtoesoneachlimb.Allsloths
havethreedigitsontheirhindlimbs;thedifferenceisfoundinthenumberof
digitsontheforelimbs;thustheyaresometimesreferredtoasthree-fingered
sloths.However,slothsaregenerallyregardedasquadrupeds.
The Book of Knowledge 139

140. Animals
Longest Lived
Mammal
in the World
Oldest Animal
on Land
in the World
Jonathan isaSeychellesgiant
tortoise,asubspeciesoftheAldabragiant
tortoise,andtheoldestknownliving
terrestrialanimalintheworld,(hatchedc.
1832,187−188yearsold).Jonathanresides
ontheislandofSaintHelena,aBritishOverseas
TerritoryintheSouthAtlantic
Ocean.Thisputshimjust1year
awayfromthetitleofoldestever
chelonian,currentlyheldby
Tu’iMalila,aradiatedtortoise
thatreachedatleast188years
old.
TheBowheadWhaleisaspeciesof
baleenwhalebelongingtothefamilyBalaenidae
andtheonlylivingrepresentativeofthegenus
Balaena.Thebowheadistheonlybaleenwhale
endemictotheArcticandsub-arcticwaters.The
spespeciesisnamedafteritscharacteristic
massivetriangularskull,whichisusedto
breakthroughArcticice.
Thebowheadhasthelargestmouthofany
animalrepresentingalmostonethirdofthe
lengthofthebody,thelongestbaleenplates
withamaximumlengthof4meters(13.1
feet),andthethickestblubberinanyanimal
ispossessedbythebowheadwhale.
Probably,thelongest-livedmammal,with
theabilitytolivemorethan200years.
.
Largest Mouth
of all Animals
Largest Mouth on a
Terrestrial Animal
Thelargestmouthofalllandanimals
belongstothehippopotamusofAfrica
whichcanopenitsjawstoalmost180°.Ina
fullygrownmalehippo,thisequatestoan
averagegapeof1.2m(4ft).
The Book of Knowledge 140

141. Animals
Countries
without snakes
in the World
NewZealandisasovereignisland
countryinthesouthwesternPacificOcean.The
countryhastwomainlandmasses-theNorth
Island,andtheSouthIslandandaround600
smallerislands.VolcanismisrecordedinNew
Zealandthroughoutitswholegeologicalhistory.
MostvolcanisminNewZealand,hasbeen
causedbythesubductionofonetectonicplate
underanother;thiscausesmeltinginthemantle,
thelayeroftheearthbelowthecrust.Volcanism
andgeologicalclimatehasundergoneseveral
periodsofglaciation,makingtheislandstoocold
forcold-bloodedlandsnakes.
IcelandisaNordicislandcountryintheNorth
Atlantic,andmostsparselypopulatedcountryin
Europe.Itisvolcanicallyandgeologicallyactive.
Theinteriorconsistsofaplateaucharacterisedby
sandandlavafields,mountains,andglaciers.No
nativeorfree-livingreptilesoramphibiansareon
theislandduetocoldclimateandvolcanismtoo.
.
Besidestheabove-mentionedcountries,
places(notcountriesbutterritories)withno
snakesareAntarctica,Greenlandand
Hawaii.AntarcticaandGreenland(Denmark)
arewithextremecoldclimateandHawaii(US)
iswithvolcanicactivitiesthatdoesnotsupport
anylivingconditionsforsnakes.
IrelandisanislandintheNorthAtlantic.It
isseparatedfromGreatBritaintoitseastbythe
NorthChannel,theIrishSea,andStGeorge's
Channel.Irelandisthesecond-largestislandof
theBritishIsles,thethird-largestinEurope,and
thetwentieth-largestonEarth.Climatenot
favourableaswellforsnakes.
Places without snakes
in the World
The Book of Knowledge 141

142. Animals
Countries with
Most Snakes
in the World
BrazilisthelargestcountryinSouth
America.ItsAmazonRiverbasinincludesavast
tropicalforest,hometodiversewildlife,avariety
ofecologicalsystems,andextensivenatural
resourcesspanningnumerousprotected
habitats.Brazilhas375speciesofsnakes.
SnakeIsland(IlhadaQueimadaGrande),
(left)isanislandoffthecoastofBrazilinthe
AtlanticOcean.Itistheonlyhomeofthe
criticallyendangered,venomousBothrops
insularis(goldenlanceheadpitviper),whichhas
Australia,isasovereigncountrycomprisingthe
mainlandoftheAustraliancontinent,theislandof
Tasmania,andnumeroussmallerislands.Itisthe
largestcountryinOceania.Australiahasthegreatest
numberofreptilesofanycountry,with755species.
Australiaishometomanydangerousanimalsincluding
adietofbirds.Thesnakesbecametrappedontheislandwhenrisingsea
levelscoveredupthelandthatconnectedittothemainland.Thereareso
manysnakesononeisland,bysomeestimatesonesnaketoeverysq.mof
theislandrenderingtheislanddangeroustopublicvisitation.
India,aSouth-Asiancountryisalsowithlargestnumberofsnakes.
About280speciesofsnakesoccurinIndia,outofabout2900knownsnake
species.Indiaisahabitatfor8.6%ofallmammalspecies,13.7%ofbird
species,7.9%ofreptilespecies,6%ofamphibianspecies,12.2%offish
species,and6.0%ofallfloweringplantspecies.The4venomoussnake
speciesresponsibleforcausingthegreatestnumberofmedicallysignificant
humansnakebitecasesinIndiaarecalledastheBig4;IndianCobra,Indian
Saw-ScaledViper,Russel’sViperandCommonKrait.
BhutanisalandlockedcountryinSouthAsiaand
knownas‘CountryofSnake’.ThewildlifeofBhutanis
notableforitsdiversity.Indotyphlopsbraminus,
commonlyknownasthebrahminyblindsnakeand
IndianRockPython(Pythonmolurus)aresomecommonspecies.
someofthemostvenomoussnakesintheworld.Theamethystinepython
orscrubpython,oneofthesixlargestsnakesintheworld,asmeasured
eitherbylengthorweight,isconsideredAustralia'slargestnativesnake.
The Book of Knowledge 142

143. ,
Wonders of the World
7 Wonders
of the World
ChichenItzawasalargepre-
ColumbiancitybuiltbytheMayapeopleof
theTerminalClassicperiod.The
archaeologicalsiteislocatedinTinúm
Municipality,YucatánState,Mexico.
WeberandorganizedbytheNew7WondersFoundationbasedin
Zurich,Switzerland,withwinnersannouncedon7July2007inLisbon.The
foundationrantwosubsequentprograms:New7WondersofNature,the
subjectofvotinguntil2011,andNew7WondersCities,whichendedin2014.
WinnersareChichenItza(Mexico),ChristtheRedeemer(Brazil),Colosseum
(Italy),GreatWallofChina(China),MachuPicchu(Peru),Petra(Jordan)and
TajMahal(India).TheGreatPyramidofGiza,largestandoldestofthethree
pyramidsattheGizaNecropolisinEgyptandtheonlysurvivingoftheoriginal
SevenWondersoftheAncientWorld,wasgrantedhonorarystatus.
Theother13finalistsareAcropolisofAthens(Greece),Alhambra(Spain),
AngkorWat(Cambodia),EiffelTower(France),HagiaSophia(Turkey),
Kiyomizu-dera(Japan),Moai(Chile),Neuschwanstein(Germany),RedSquare
(Russia),StatueofLiberty(USA),Stonehenge(UK),SydneyOperaHouse
(Australia)andTimbuktu(Mali).
New7WondersoftheWorldwasa
campaignstartedin2000tochooseWondersofthe
Worldfromaselectionof200existingmonuments.
ThepopularitypollwasledbyCanadian-Swiss
Bernard
ChichenItzawasoneofthelargestMayacities,withtherelativelydensely
clusteredarchitectureofthesitecorecoveringanareaofatleast5sq.km.
ChichenItza,aUNESCOWorldHeritageSite,isthesecond-mostvisitedof
Mexico'sarchaeologicalsiteswithover2.6milliontouristsin2017.
ChristtheRedeemerisanArtDecostatue
ofJesusChristinRiodeJaneiro,Brazil,createdby
FrenchsculptorPaulLandowski.Constructed
between1922and1931,thestatueis30mhigh,
excludingits8mpedestal.Thearmsstretch28m
wide.Itweighs635metrictonsandislocatedatthe
peakofthe700mCorcovadomountainintheTijuca
ForestNationalParkoverlookingthecityofRiode
Janeiro.Itismadeofreinforcedconcreteand
soapstone.
The Book of Knowledge 143

144. ,
Wonders of the World
7 Wonders
of the World
reignofDomitian(81–96).ThesethreeemperorsareknownastheFlavian
dynasty,andtheamphitheatrewasnamedinLatinforitsassociationwiththeir
familyname.In2018,itwasthemostpopulartouristattractionintheworld,
with7.4millionvisitors.
Builtoftravertinelimestone,tuff(volcanicrock),
andbrick-facedconcrete,itwasthelargest
amphitheatreeverbuiltatthetimeandheld
50,000to80,000spectators.Constructionbegan
undertheemperorVespasianinAD72andwas
completedinAD80underhissuccessorandheir,
Titus.Furthermodificationsweremadeduringthe
TheColosseumalsoknownastheFlavian
Amphitheatreisanovalamphitheatreinthecentre
ofthecityofRome,Italy.
werelaterjoinedtogetherbyQinShiHuang(220–206BC),thefirst
emperorofChina.LittleoftheQinwallremains.Themostwell-known
sectionsofthewallwerebuiltbytheMingdynasty(1368-1644).A
comprehensivearchaeologicalsurveyhasconcludedthatthewallsbuiltby
theMingdynastymeasure8,850km.Thisismadeupof6,259kmsectionsof
actualwall,359kmoftrenchesand2,232kmofnaturaldefensivebarriers
suchashillsandrivers.Anothersurveyfoundthattheentirewallwithallofits
branchesmeasures21,196km.Today,thedefensivesystemoftheGreat
Wallisrecognizedasoneofthemostimpressivearchitecturalfeatsinhistory.
MachuPicchuisa15th-century
Incacitadel,intheEasternCordilleraof
southernPeru,ona2,430mmountainridge,
abovetheSacredValley.TheIncasbuiltthe
estatearound1450butabandonedita
centurylateratthetimeoftheSpanish
conquest.ItwasdeclaredaPeruvianHistoric
CO
TheGreatWallofChinais
thecollectivenameofaseriesoffortification
systemsgenerallybuiltacrossthehistorical
northernbordersofChina.Severalwallswere
beingbuiltfromasearlyasthe7thcentury
BCbyancientChinesestates;selective
stretches
Sanctuaryin1981andaUNES WorldHeritageSitein1983.
The Book of Knowledge 144

145. ,
Wonders of the World
7 Wonders
of the World
1985.UNESCOhasdescribedPetraas"oneofthemostprecious
culturalpropertiesofman'sculturalheritage.
TheGreatPyramidofGizaisthe
oldestandlargestofthethreepyramidsinthe
Gizapyramidcomplexborderingpresent-day
GizainGreaterCairo,Egypt.Itistheoldestofthe
SevenWondersoftheAncientWorld,andthe
onlyonetoremainlargelyintact(granted
honorarystatusinNew7Wonders).Itisestimated
that
Petraoriginallyknowntoitsinhabitantsas
Raqmu,isahistoricalandarchaeologicalcityin
southernJordan.PetraliesaroundJabalAl-Madbah
inabasinsurroundedbymountainswhichformthe
easternflankoftheArabahvalleythatrunsfromthe
DeadSeatotheGulfofAqaba.Theareaaround
Petrahasbeeninhabitedfromasearlyas7000BC.
Famousforitsrock-cutarchitectureandwater
conduitsystem,Petraisalsocalledthe'RoseCity'
becauseofthecolourofthestonefromwhichitis
carved.IthasbeenaUNESCOWorldHeritageSite
since
ShahJahanhimself.Thetombisthecentrepieceofa17-hectare(42-acre)
complex,whichincludesamosqueandaguesthouse,andissetinformal
gardensboundedonthreesidesbyacrenellatedwall.Construction,
completedin1643,butworkcontinuedonotherphasesoftheprojectfor
another10years.Itisbelievedtohavebeencompletedin1653atacost
estimated32millionrupees,whichin2020wouldbe70billionrupees.The
constructionprojectemployedsome20,000artisansundertheguidanceofa
boardofarchitectsledbythecourtarchitect,UstadAhmadLahauri.TheTaj
MahalwasdesignatedasaUNESCOWorldHeritageSitein1983.
TheTajMahalisanivory-white
marblemausoleumonthesouthernbankof
theriverYamunaintheIndiancityofAgra.It
wascommissionedin1632bytheMughal
emperorShahJahan(reignedfrom1628to
1658)tohousethetombofhisfavouritewife,
MumtazMahal;italsohousesthetombof
thepyramidweighsapproximately6milliontonnesandconsistsof2.3
millionblocksoflimestoneandgranite,someweighingasmuchas80tonnes.
The Book of Knowledge 145

146. Mauritius
MALDIVES
Capital: Malé
Area: 298 sq. km
Population: 379,270
(2020 est)
Density: 1,102.5 / sq. km
Currency: Maldivian rufiyaa
Time Zone: UTC + 5 hours
MAURITIUS
Capital: Port Louis
Area: 2,040 sq. km
Population: 1,265,475
(2019 est)
Density: 618.24 / sq. km
Currency: Mauritian rupee
Time Zone: UTC + 4 hours
SEYCHELLES
Capital: Victoria
Area: 459 sq. km
Population: 97,096
(2018 est)
Density: 205.3 / sq. km
Currency: Seychellois rupee
Time Zone: UTC + 4 hours
TheMaldives,isasmallislandnationinSouthAsia,locatedintheArabianSeaofthe
IndianOcean.ItliessouthwestofSriLankaandIndia,about1,000kmfromtheAsian
continent.Thechainof26atollsstretchesfromIhavandhippolhuAtollinthenorthtoAddu
Atollinthesouthtotheequator.Itisoneoftheworld'smostgeographicallydispersed
sovereignstatesaswellasthesmallestAsiancountrybylandareaandpopulation.
TheMaldivesconsistsof1,192coralislands
groupedinadoublechainof26atolls,thatstretch
alongalengthof871kmnorth-southdirection,
spreadoverroughly90,000sq.km,only298sq.
kmofthatisdryland,makingthisoneofthe
world'smostdispersedcountries.Itscuisineis
mainlycoconuts,fishandstarches.
SeychellesisanAfricanarchipelagic
islandcountryintheIndianOceanatthe
easternedgeoftheSomaliSea.Itconsistsof
115islands.Seychellesisamongtheworld's
leadingcountriestoprotectlandsforthreatenedspecies.Thereare42
graniticislandsknownastheGraniticSeychelles.
Fishplaysaprominentpartincountry'scuisinebecauseofitslocation
intheIndianOcean.TheSeychelles'scuisinehasbeeninfluencedby
African,British,French,Spanish,IndianandChinesecuisines.
MauritiusisanislandnationintheIndianOceanabout2,000kmoffthesouth-east
coastoftheAfricancontinent.ThecountryincludestheislandsofMauritius,Rodrigues,
AgalégaandSt.Brandon.MauritiuscurrentlyhastwoUNESCOWorldHeritageSites,
namely,AapravasiGhatandLeMorneCulturalLandscape.Additionally,BlackRiver
GorgesNationalParkiscurrentlyintheUNESCOtentativelist.ThecuisineofMauritiusis
ablendofChinese,EuropeanandIndianinfluencesinthehistoryofMauritius.Dishesfrom
FrenchcuisinehavegrownverypopularinMauritius.Mostofthedishesandpracticesinto
theculinarytraditionsareinspiredbyformerslaves,IndianworkersandChinesemigrants
arrivingduringthe19thcentury.
Maldives Seychelles
Y d Confusion The Book of Knowledge 146
YtheCONFUSION
Maldives
Seychelles
Mauritius

147. REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO
Capital: Brazzaville
Area: 342,000 sq. km
Population: 5,244,359
Density: 12.8 / sq. km
Currency: CFA franc
Time Zone: UTC + 1 hour
TheDemocraticRepublicoftheCongoalso
knownasDRCongo,isacountrylocatedinCentralAfrica.It
wasformerlycalledZaire(1971–1997).Itis,byarea,the
largestcountryinsub-SaharanAfrica,the2
nd
largestinallof
Africa(afterAlgeria),andthe11
th
largestintheworld.Itisthe
4
th
mostpopulouscountryinAfrica,andthe16thmostpopulouscountryinthe
world.ThenationaldishofDRCongoisPouletalaMoambe.
ThecuisinesofthebothDRCongoandtheRepublicoftheCongovarieswidely,
representingthefoodofindigenouspeople.Cassava,fufu,rice,plantainand
potatoesaregenerallythestaplefoodseatenwithotherdishes.
DemocraticRepublic of the Congo & Republic of the Congo
Y d Confusion
TheRepublicoftheCongoalso
knownasCongo-Brazzaville,ortheCongo
Republic,isacountrylocatedinthewestern
coastofCentralAfrica.Itisborderedbyfive
countries:Gabontoitswest;Cameroontoits
northwestandtheCentralAfricanRepublicto
itsnortheast;theDemocraticRepublicofthe
CongotothesoutheastandtheAngolan
exclaveofCabindatoitssouth;andthethe
Atlantic
DEMOCRATIC REPUPLIC OF THE CONGO
Capital: Kinshasa
Area: 2,345,409 sq. km
Population: 101,780,263
Density: 39.19 / sq. km
Currency: Congolese franc
Time Zone: UTC +1 to +2
Oceantoitssouthwest.The
nationaldishesofRepublicofCongois
PouletMoambe(savourychickendish)
andPouletYassa(marinatedfishdish).
WhatisthedifferencebetweenDRCongoandRepublicofCongo?
DemocraticRepublicoftheCongoisformerlyaBelgiancolonyandtheRepublicoftheCongoisformerlya
Frenchcolony–bothcelebratedindependencein1960.Thetwocountriesareseparatednotonlybydifferent
colonialroots,butbytheCongoRiver(orZaireRiver),thesecondlongestriverinAfrica,aftertheNileRiver.
The Book of Knowledge 147
YtheCONFUSION

148. There are confusions by many on the spotted big wild cats. Lets look at them.
Y d Confusion
ThecheetahisalargecatofthesubfamilyFelinae
thatoccursinNorth,SouthernandEastAfrica,andafew
localitiesinIran.Itinhabitsmostlyaridhabitatslikedry
forests,scrubforests,andsavannahs.It'sclosestrelatives
arethecougar(Pumaconcolor)andthejaguarundi.These
3speciestogetherformthePumalineage,oneoftheeight
lineagesofFelidae.TheCheetahisalightlybuiltspotted
catcharacterisedwithsmallroundedhead,ashortmuzzle
chesttear-likefacialstreaks,adeep ,longthinlegsandalongtail.Theselonglegsand
tailmakesitdifferentfromjaguarandleopard.Itsslender,canineformcontrastssharply
withtherobustbuildofthebigcats.Thecoatiscoveredwithnumerousround,evenly
spacedsolidblackspotsonatawnytocreamywhiteorpalebuffbackground.Each
cheetahhasadistinctpatternofspotsthatcanbeusedtouniquelyidentifyindividuals.
Adultsrangebetween20-60kg.Thecheetahisthefastestlandanimalandactiveinthe
dayunlikeleopardswhichareactiveatnight.
Thejaguarisacompactandwell-muscledanimal.Itisthe
largestcatnativetotheAmericasandthethirdlargestinthe
world,afterthetigerandthelion.Itscoatisgenerallyatawny
yellow,butrangestoreddish-brown.Theventralareasare
white.Thefuriscoveredwithrosettes,justliketheleopards,
butithasspotsinsidethem.Thespotsandtheirshapesvary
betweenindividualjaguars:rosettesmayincludeoneor
severaldots.Jaguarisstockierandmuscularthanleopard.
Weightsarenormallyintherangeof56-96kg.Bigmales
havebeenrecordedtoweighasmuchas158kg.Thesmallestfemalesweighabout36kg.
Thetailistheshortestofanybigcat,at45-75cminlength.Legsarealsoshort,but
thickandpowerful.Jaguar’stailisgenerallyshorterthantheleopard’s.
Theleopardisoneofthe5extantspeciesinthegenusPanthera,a
memberoftheFelidae.Itoccursinawiderangeinsub-SaharanAfrica,in
smallpartsofWesternandCentralAsia,ontheIndiansubcontinentto
SoutheastandEastAsia.It'sskincolourvariesbetweenindividualsfrom
paleyellowishtodarkgoldenwithdarkspotsgroupedinrosettes.Itsbelly
iswhitishanditsringedtailisshorterthanitsbody.Itspupilsareround.
Malesstand60–70cmattheshoulder,whilefemalesare57–64cmtall.
Thehead-and-bodylengthrangesbetween90and196cmwitha66to
Males102cmlongtail. weigh37–90kg,andfemales28–60kg.
Jaguar LeopardCheetah
Thejaguarisalargefelidspeciesandtheonlyextantmemberof
thegenusPantheranativetotheAmericas.Itspresentrangeextends
fromSouthwesternUSandMexico,CentralandSouthAmerica.
LynxandBobcatsare
alsospottedbutthey
aremedium-sizedwild
catsgenusLynx.
The Book of Knowledge 148
YtheCONFUSION

149. Y d Confusion
Apantherorablackpanther(right)isthemelanistic
colourvariantofanyPanthera,particularlyoftheleopardin
AsiaandAfrica,andthejaguarintheAmericas.
InNorthAfrica,darkleopardshavebeenreportedinthe
AtlasMountains.
In
Thejaguarundi(right)oreyraisasmallwildcatnativeto
southernNorthAmericaandSouthAmerica.Ittoleratesavariety
ofhabitats.Itisasecretive,generalistpredator,withaslightly
smallerbodythanlynxes.Smallpopulationsarethreatenedby
humanencroachment.Jaguarundisarebobcat-sizedsmaller
wildcats,typicallyreachingaweightof20pounds,andtheycan
alsohaveverydarkfur.Sincethe
ItisnativetotheAmericas.ItsrangespansfromtheCanadianYukontothe
southernAndesinSouthAmerica,andisthewidestofanylargewild
terrestrialmammalintheWesternHemisphere.Itisthe2ndheaviestcat
afterthejaguar.Secretiveandlargelysolitarybynature,thecougaris
consideredbothnocturnalandcrepuscular,althoughdaytimesightingsdo
occur.
Panther & Jaguarundi / Puma & Lioness
In2009,ablackjaguarwasrecordedforthefirsttimeinCostaRica'sAlbertoManuel
BrenesBiologicalReserve.Injaguars,themelanismalleleisdominant.Blackjaguarshave
eitherblackorspottedcubs,butapairofspottedjaguarscanonlyproducespottedcubs.
Awhitepanther(left)isawhitespecimenofanyofseveralspeciesof
largercat."Panther"isusedinsomepartsofNorthAmericatomeanthe
cougar(Pumaconcolor),inSouthAmericatomeanthejaguarand
elsewhereitreferstotheleopard.Awhitepanthermaythereforebea
whitecougar,awhitejaguarorawhiteleopard.Ofthese,whiteleopards
appeartobethemostcommon,althoughstillveryrare.Whitecougars,
whitejaguarsandwhiteleopardsoccasionallysightedtoo.
ywereaprotectedspecies,theyweretrappedandbrought
northandreleased.Overtheyearsmanysightingshaveof“blackpanthers”,werereported.
Apuma(below)isagenusinthefamilyFelidaethatcontainsthecougar(alsoknownas
thepuma).Thecougar(Pumaconcolor)isalargefelidofthesubfamilyFelinae.
Pumaisthemountainlion,cougar,pumaconcolor
whilelionisabigcat,pantheraleo.
ALioness(right)isafemalelion.Thetailofalllions
endsinadark,hairytuft,unlikeforpumaorcougar,thatcanbe
differentiatedbetweenthem.Specieslion(P.leo),tiger(P.tigris),jaguar
(P.onca),andleopard(P.pardus)onthebasisofcommoncranial
features.SnowleopardalsobelongstothePanthera(P.uncia).
The Book of Knowledge 149
YtheCONFUSION

150. ontheirsternumbone)thatarenativetothetropical
forestsofPapuaNewGuinea,Indonesiaandnorth-
easternAustralia.Itisthe3
rd
tallestand2
nd
heaviest
livingbird,smalleronlythantheostrichandemu.Emuis
asinglespecies,whiletherearethreespeciesof
cassowaries.Cassowaryhasanattractiveandprominent
Y d Confusion
Theostrichesareafamily,Struthionidae,offlightless
birds.Thetwoextantspeciesofostricharethecommon
ostrichandSomaliostrich,bothinthegenusStruthio,
whichalsocontainsseveralspeciesknownfrom
HolocenefossilssuchastheAsianostrich.Thecommon
ostrichisthemorewidespreadofthetwolivingspecies,
andisthelargestlivingbirdspecies.Otherostrichesare
alsoamongthelargestbirdspeciesever.Ostrichesare
Theemuisthe2
nd
largestlivingbirdbyheight,afterits
ratiterelative,theostrich.ItisendemictoAustraliawhere
itisthelargestnativebirdandtheonlyextantmemberof
thegenusDromaius.It’srangecoversmostofmainland
Australia.Emusaresoft-feathered,brown,flightlessbirds
withlongnecksandlegs,andcanreachupto1.9min
height.
Ostrich v Emu v Cassowary
WhatisthedifferencebetweenanEmuandanOstrich?
EmusarethesecondlargestbirdsnativetoAustraliawhileOstrichislargestbirdnativetoAfrica.Emushavedeepbrown
featherswithitbeingverydifficulttodistinguishthemalesandfemalesexceptduringmatingseasonwhiletheostrichmales
haveblackandwhiteandfemaleshavebrownfeathers.
Emusandostrichesarepolygamousindifferentways.Femaleemusmatewithamale,layeggs,andthenleavethatmale,
whoincubatesandcaresforoffspring.Thefemalethenmateswithanothermale.Maleostrichesfighttocreateaharemof
fivetosevenfemales.
Emushavethreetoesoneachfootinatridactylarrangement,whichisanadaptationforrunningandisseeninotherbirds,
suchasbustardsandquails.Theostrichhastwotoesoneachfoot.
Emuscantravelgreatdistances,andcansprintat50km/h.
superbrunnersthatcansprintatspeedsofupto72km/honaverage,witha
peak96.6km/hduringshortperiods,with12-foot(3.7m)strides.Thisalso
makestheostrichthefastestanimalontwolegs.Theostrichisalsoan
endurancerunnerandcanjogat48km/hforaslongashalfanhour.
Cassowaries,genusCasuarius,areratites(flightlessbirdswithoutakeel
on
casqueontheheadandalargeredwattle,butnotonemu.
The Book of Knowledge 150
YtheCONFUSION

151. Y d Confusion
Crocodiles(R)ortruecrocodilesarelargesemiaquatic
reptilesthatlivethroughoutthetropicsinAfrica,Asia,the
AmericasandAustralia.Thelargestspeciesofcrocodile,the
saltwatercrocodilecangrowtosizesover7mandweigh
1,000kg.Severalotherlargespeciescanreachover5.2m
longandweighover900kg.Theyhaveverygoodnightvision,
andaremostlynocturnalhunters.Theyusethedisadvantage
Acaiman(right),isasmall-sizedcrocodilian,
oneoftwoprimarylineageswithinAlligatoridae,the
otherbeingalligators.CaimansinhabitMexico,
CentralandnorthernSouthAmericafrommarshes
and
Alligator(left)isacrocodilianinthegenusAlligatorof
thefamilyAlligatoridae.ThetwolivingspeciesaretheAmericanalligatorandtheChinese
alligator.AnaverageadultAmericanalligator'sweightandlengthis360kgand4m,but
theysometimesgrowto4.4mlongandweighover450kg.Thelargesteverrecorded,
foundinLouisiana,measured5.84m.TheChinesealligatorissmaller,rarelyexceeding2.1
minlength.Additionally,itweighsconsiderablyless,withmalesrarelyover45kg.Alligators
arenativetoonlytheUnitedStatesandChina.
Crocodile v Alligator v Caiman v Gharial
WhatarethedifferencebetweenaCrocodile,anAlligatorandaGharial?
Althoughtheyappearsimilar,crocodiles,alligatorsandthegharialbelongto
separatebiologicalfamilies.Thegharial,withitsnarrowsnout,iseasierto
distinguish,whilemorphologicaldifferencesaremoredifficulttospotin
crocodilesandalligators.Themostobviousexternaldifferencesarevisiblein
thehead,withcrocodileshavingnarrower,longerpointedheads,withamoreV-
shapedthanawider,U-shapedsnoutofalligatorsandcaimans.Allcrocodiles
aretropicalspeciesthat,unlikealligators,areverysensitivetocold.
ofmostpreyanimals'poornocturnalvisiontotheiradvantage.Crocodilesaresimilarto
alligatorsandcaimans;fortheircommoncharacteristicsanddifferencesamongthem.
andswampstomangroveriversandlakes.Caimanshavescalyskin,and
liveafairlynocturnalexistence.Caimansaredistinguishedfromalligators,
theirclosestrelatives,byafewdefiningfeatures:alackofabonyseptum
betweenthenostrils,ventralarmourcomposedofoverlappingbony
scutesformedfromtwopartsunitedbyasuture,andrelativelylonger,
slendererteeththanthosepossessedbyalligators.
Thegharial(right)orgavial,afisheating
crocodileandamongthelongestofallliving
crocodilians.Itssnoutisverylongand
narrowwithadistinctbossattheend.
The Book of Knowledge 151
YtheCONFUSION

152. Climateisthelong-termaverageofweather,
typicallyaveragedoveraperiodof30years.Someofthe
meteorologicalvariablesthatarecommonlymeasured
aretemperature,humidity,atmosphericpressure,wind,
andprecipitation.Inabroadersense,climateisthestate
ofthecomponentsoftheclimatesystem,whichincludes
theoceanandiceonEarth.Theclimateofalocationis
affectedbyitslatitude,terrain,andaltitude,aswellas
rents.
Weatheristhestateoftheatmosphere,
describingforexamplethedegreetowhichitishotor
cold,wetordry,calmorstormy,clearorcloudy.Most
weatherphenomenaoccurinthelowestlevelofthe
atmosphere,thetroposphere,justbelowthe
stratosphere.Weatherreferstoday-to-day
temperatureandprecipitationactivity,whereas
climateisthetermfortheaveragingofatmosphericconditionsoverlongerperiodsoftime.
Whenusedwithoutqualification,"weather"isgenerallyunderstoodtomeantheweatherof
Earth.Weatherisdrivenbyairpressure,temperatureandmoisturedifferencesbetween
oneplaceandanother.OnEarth,thecommonweatherphenomenaincludewind,cloud,
rain,snow,fogandduststorms.Lesscommoneventsincludenaturaldisasterssuchas
tornadoes,hurricanes,typhoonsandicestorms.Almostallfamiliarweatherphenomena
occurinthetroposphere(thelowerpartoftheatmosphere).
Climate and Weather
Weatherreferstoshort-termchangesintheatmosphere,climatedescribeswhattheweatherislikeovera
longperiodoftimeinaspecificarea.Differentregionscanhavedifferentclimates.Example,weathertells
youwhattoweareachday.Climatetellsyouwhattypesofclothestohaveinyourcloset.
nearbywaterbodiesandtheircur
Thestandardaveragingperiodis30years,butotherperiodsmaybeuseddependingon
thepurpose.Climatealsoincludesstatisticsotherthantheaverage,suchasthe
magnitudesofday-to-dayoryear-to-yearvariations.Thereareseveralwaystoclassify
climatesintosimilarregimes.Originally,climesweredefinedinAncientGreecetodescribe
theweatherdependinguponalocation'slatitude.Modernclimateclassificationmethods
canbebroadlydividedintogeneticmethods,whichfocusonthecausesofclimate,and
empiricmethods,whichfocusontheeffectsofclimate.
TheKöppenclassificationdependsonaveragemonthlyvaluesoftemperatureand
precipitation.ThemostcommonlyusedformoftheKöppenclassificationhasfiveprimary
typeslabeledAthroughE.TheseprimarytypesareA)tropical,B)dry,C)mildmid-latitude,
D)coldmid-latitude,andE)polar.Thefiveprimaryclassificationscanbefurtherdivided
intosecondaryclassificationssuchasrainforest,monsoon,tropicalsavanna,humid
subtropical,humidcontinental,oceanicclimate,Mediterraneanclimate,desert,steppe,
subarcticclimate,tundra,andpolaricecap.
Y d Confusion The Book of Knowledge 152
YtheCONFUSION

153. Selected list of common Phobias (i)
Phobias
Phobia/s
Psychological Conditions (Fear of…)
Achluophobia Darkness
Acousticophobia Noise
Acrophobia Heights
Aerophobia Aircraft or flying
Agoraphobia Open places
Agyrophobia Crossing streets
Aichmophobia Sharp or pointed objects
Ailurophobia Cats
Algophobia Pain
Aquaphobia Water
Arachnophobia Spiders or Arachnids
Astraphobia Thunder and Lightning
Atelophobia Imperfection
Autophobia Isolation
Bacteriophobia Bacteria
Basophobia Falling
Batrachophobia Amphibians
Belonephobia Needles
Bibliophobia Books
Catoptrophobia Mirrors
Chemophobia Chemicals
Cherophobia Happiness
Chiroptophobia Bats
Chromophobia Colours
Chronomentrophobia Clocks
Claustrophobia No escape / Being closed in
Coimetrophobia Cemeteries
Coprophobia Feces or defecation
The Book of Knowledge 153

154. Selected list of common Phobias (ii)
Phobias
Phobia/s
Psychological Conditions (Fear of…)
Coulrophobia Clowns
Cyberphobia Computers
Cynophobia Dogs
Demonophobia Demons
Dendrophobia Trees
Dentophobia Dentists
Dysmorphophobia Real or imaginary body defect
Eisoptrophobia Seeing one’s reflection in mirror
Emetophobia Vomiting
Enochlophobia Crowds
Entomophobia Insects
Equinophobia Horses
Ergophobia Surgeon’s fear of operating
Erotophobia Sexual abuse
Erythrophobia ColourRed or blushing
Frigophobia Becoming too old
Gamophobia Marriage
Gelotophobia Being laughed at
Gephyrophobia Bridges
Genuphobia Act of kneeling
Gerascophobia Growing old or Aging
Globophobia Balloons
Glossophobia Speaking in public / trying to speak
Gymnophobia Nudity
Halitophobia Bad breath
Heliophobia Sun or sunlight
Helminthophobia Worms
Hemophobia Blood
The Book of Knowledge 154

155. Selected list of common Phobias (iii)
Phobias
Phobia/s
Psychological Conditions (Fear of…)
Herpetophobia Reptiles
hexakosioihexekontahexaphobia Number 666
Hodophobia Travel
Hypnophobia Sleep or Nightmares
Hypochondria Illness
Ichthyophobia Fish, eating fish, dead fish
Insectophobia Insects
Koumpounophobia Buttons
Lilapsophobia Tornadoes or Hurricanes
Mageirocophobia Cooking
Melanophobia ColourBlack
Melissophobia Bees
Musophobia Mice or Rats
Myrmecophobia Ants
Mysophobia Germs, Contamination or Dirt
Necrophobia Death or the Dead
Neophobia Newness, novelty or change
Noctiphobia Night
Nomophobia Being out of mobile phone contact
Nosocomephobia Hospitals
Nosophobia Contracting a disease
Numerophobia Numbers
Nyctophobia Darkness
Obesophobia Gaining weight
Odontophobia Dental
Oneirophobia Dreams
Ophidiophobia Snakes
Ornithophobia Birds
The Book of Knowledge 155

156. Selected list of common Phobias (iv)
Phobias
Phobia/s
Psychological Conditions (Fear of…)
Osmophobia Odours
Panphobia Everything or unknown cause
Pedophobia Babies or children
Phagophobia Swallowing
Pharmacophobia Medications
Phasmophobia Ghosts or phantoms
Philophobia Love
Phobophobia Having a phobia
Phonophobia Loud sounds or voices
Pogonophobia Beards
Porphyrophobia ColourPurple
Pteromerhanophobia Flying
Pyrophobia Fire
Radiophobia Radioactivity or X-rays
Ranidaphobia Frogs
Roller Coaster Phobia Roller Coasters
Scopophobia Being looked at or stared
Siderodromophobia Trains or railroads
Sociophobia People or social situations
Somniphobia Sleep
Spectrophobia Mirrors
Spheksophobia Wasps
Stasiphobia Standing or Walking
Submechanophobia Partially or fully submerged objects
Taphophobia Graves
Technophobia Advanced technology
Teratophobia Disfigured people
Tetraphobia Number 4
The Book of Knowledge 156

157. Selected list of common Phobias (v)
Phobias
Phobia/s
Psychological Conditions (Fear of…)
Thalassophobia Sea or being in the Ocean
Thanatophobia Dying
Thermophobia High Temperatures
Tokophobia Childbirth or Pregnancy
Tomophobia Invasive Medical Procedure
Tonitrophobia Thunder
Toxiphobia Being Poisoned
Traumatophobia Having an Injury
Trichophobia Hair Loss
Triskaidekaphobia Number 13
Trypanophobia Needles or Injections
Trypophobia Holes or Pattern of Holes
Vehophobia Driving
Verminophobia Germs
Workplace Phobia Workplace
Xanthophobia ColourYellow
Xenophobia Strangers, Foreigners or Aliens
Zoophobia Animals
The Book of Knowledge 157

158. KNOWLEDGE ISPOWER,isstronglybelievedandadvocatedbyMrKSM
Rajasekaran@KevinRaja.
Hisquestforknowledgestartedin1989whenhebecameanencyclopedia
salesrepresentative.Withtheablemanagementandguidancefromhisboss
andmentorDr.TChandroo,KevinprogressedtoRegionalSalesManager
withinfewyears.Hestartedreadingthevolumesoftheencyclopediaandhis
inquisitivemindmadehimtotakeupahobbyofreadingmorebookson
knowledgeandstatistics.
Withtheemergenceofinternet,google,Wikipediaandmore,hecultivateda
habitofsearching,readingandwritingtilltoday.
About the Author
ARegionalDataProtectionOfficernow,readingandresearchinghadmadehimtofurtherhisstudiesaswell.
EquippedwithaDiplomainLegalStudies,AdvanceDiplomainDataProtection,DoubleDiplomain
LeadershipandPeople’sManagement,KevinRajaisapassionateenthusiastinmanyfields.
HispassionforlongdistancedrivingmadehimtoexecuteadrivemissionfromSingaporetoCambodiato
helptheneedychildreninlate2019.HedrovehisMazda3sportsona5403kmtripviaMalaysiaand
ThailandtoSiemReap,Cambodiaandreturnedin12days.Heisplanninganothercharitydrivemission
furtherthanCambodiaafterthepandemicsituation.
AsanArtsenthusiast,hesings,actsandproducesstageandonlineshowsandconcerts.Inmid2020,amidst
thepandemicsituationheproducedseveralonlineshowsforonlineaudience.Oneofwhich,TiktokStars
2020wasrecordedinSingaporeBookofRecordsasthe‘LargestTiktokVideoMontage’.
DuringtheCovid-19CircuitBreakerperiod,whilesearchingandreadingmanytopicsonknowledge,he
decidedtocompilethemandmakeitusefultoeveryone.Hefeltnotmanytakesthetroubletoreadsuch
statistics.Sohedecidedtohavethemcompiledandhopeallkeepitintheirmobilephonesforquick
references.Hencethise-bookBOOKOFKNOWLEDGE isborn.IttookKevin3monthstosearch,compile,
proof-readandmakeitworthyofsharing,on9August2020asSingaporecelebratethenation’s55
th
birthday.
KevinRajathanksGoogle,GuinnessRecords,Wikipediaandmanyothersourcesthatmadethispossiblefor
alltobenefitfrom.Currentlyheiswritingabook“EarthandMankind”thattellsmuchaboutthebeginning
ofEarthanditsMankind.Expectedtocompletein2021.
Published and data correct on:9 August 2020
Sources: www.google.com / www.wikipedia.org / www.guinnessworldrecords.com

159. ADVERTISEMENTS

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161. QUICK SEARCH (ii) A -C
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The Book of Knowledge 161

162. QUICK SEARCH (iii) C -D
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Cervarix 110
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The Book of Knowledge 162

163. QUICK SEARCH (iv) D -F
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DVD 95
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Felix Hoffman 108
The Book of Knowledge 163

164. QUICK SEARCH (v) F -G
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The Book of Knowledge 164

165. QUICK SEARCH (vi) G -I
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IMG Worlds of Adventure 42
The Book of Knowledge 165

166. QUICK SEARCH (vii) I -L
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Schouhamer Immink
95
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Largest bird 131
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Largest canal 49
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The Book of Knowledge 166

167. QUICK SEARCH (viii) L -L
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Largest land mammal 125
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Words Pages
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35
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Largest pool 47
Largest predatory fish 132
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LCD 107
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The Book of Knowledge 167

168. QUICK SEARCH (ix) L -M
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Louis Charles Joseph Bleriot 83
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LP record 91
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Microbial fermentation 116
Midnight Rider 52
Mikhail LeontyevichMil 85
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Mil Mi-4 85
The Book of Knowledge 168

169. QUICK SEARCH (x) M -O
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MohanaSingh Jitarwal 76
Moldova 29
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Most children delivered at a single
birth to survive
69
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Most populated city 10
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Most populous continent 4
Most prolific father ever 69
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Motion picture 121
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Mponeng 48
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MymainsStewart Giligan 127
NadyaSuleman 69
Narcis Monturiol i Estarriol 119
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Neil Alden Armstrong 71
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Nemo 33 47
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Oldest planet 33
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Orville Wright 82
The Book of Knowledge 169

170. QUICK SEARCH (xi) O -R
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Refractometer 111
René-Théophile-HyacintheLaennec
109
The Book of Knowledge 170

171. QUICK SEARCH (xii) R -S
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Smallest continent 4
The Book of Knowledge 171

172. QUICK SEARCH (xiii) S -T
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Steven Paul Jobs 92
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Sydney funnel-web spider 137
Symphony of the Seas 53
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Tallest living man 64
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Tallest statue 37
Tallest woman 65
Tandem rotor helicopter 85
TarbelaDam 50
Taximeter 81
Telephone 88
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Telephone receiver 88
The Book of Knowledge 172

173. QUICK SEARCH (xiv) T -W
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Television, colour 90
Television, colourpicture tube 90
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TenzingNorgay 72
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Thomas BramwellWelch 115
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TupolevTu-160 56
Tupperware 116
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Tuvalu 27, 28
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UAE 27
Universal Time 119
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USS Gerald R Ford 54
Vaccination 116
Vaccines 109,110
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Valentina VladimirovnaTereshkova
70
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Velcro 102
Venus 35
VeryovkinaCave 22
Victor Vescovo 78
Victoria Falls 13
Videocassette tape 93
Vladimir GrigoryevichFyodorov 118
Walter Fredrick Morrison 120
Warmest ocean 18
Waterbed 99
Waterproof disposable diaper 105
Waterproof fabric 100
Weather 152
Wellington 25
Whale Shark 132
Whitcomb L Judson 103
White panther 149
Widest bridge 46
The Book of Knowledge 173

174. QUICK SEARCH (xv) W -Z
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Wilbur Wright 82
William Cullen 104
William FrieseGreene 121
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WolffiaGlobosa 32
Wonders of the World 143-145
World wide web (www) 93
X-15 59
Y-40 “The Deep Joy” 47
Yemen 27
Youngest female pilot 77
Words Pages
Youngest planet 33
Youngest river 16
Yuri AlekseyevichGagarin 70
YuryVladimirovich Lomonosov 81
Zambezi, River 14
ZavikonIsland 45
Zeng Jinlian 65
Zeus 129
Zipper 103
Zoopraxiscope 121
The Book of Knowledge 174
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