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Tallest
Man
The tallest man in medical
history for whom there is irrefutable evidence is Robert Pershing Wadlow. He was born at Alton, Illinois, USA, on February
22, 1918, and when he was last measured on June 27, 1940, was found to be 2.72 m (8 ft 11.1 in) tall.
Wadlow died at 1:30 a.m. on July 15, 1940, in a hotel in Manistee, Michigan, as a result
of a septic blister on his right ankle caused by a brace, which had been poorly fitted only a week earlier. He was buried
in Oakwood Cemetery, Alton, in a coffin measuring 3.28 m (10 ft 9 in) long, 81 cm (32 in) wide and
76 cm (30 in) deep.
Wadlow's greatest recorded
weight was 222.71 kg (35 st 1 lb) on his 21st birthday and he weighed 199 kg (31 st 5 lb) at
the time of his death. His shoe size was 37AA (47 cm, 18½ in long) and his hands measured 32.4 cm (12¾ in)
from the wrist to the tip of the middle finger. He wore a size 25 ring. His arm span was 2.88 m (9 ft 5¾ in)
and his peak daily food consumption was 8000 calories.
At the age of nine,
he was able to carry his father Harold F. Wadlow, later Mayor of Alton, who stood 1.8 m (5 ft 11 in) and weighed
77 kg (170 lb), up the stairs of the family home.
Shortest man
The shorest mature man, of whom there is independent evidence was Gul Mohammed of India. On July 19, 1990, he was examined
at Ram Manohar Hospital In New Delhi, India, and found to measure a height of 57 cm (22,5in).
Oldest man
Emiliano
Mercado Del Toro (Puerto Rico), born in Cabo Rojo on August 21, 1891, became the oldest fully authenticated man residing in
the world on January 17, 2005 at the age of 113 years 149 days.
Currently living in Isabela, Puerto Rico,
he is also the oldest living veteran, having been called up in 1918 by the US Army. A non-combat veteran, he was two months
into training when World War I ended on 11 November 1918.
Highest Mountain
Mt
Everest, in the Himalayas is the highest mountain in the world. It has been measured to have a height of 8,848 m (29,028.8
ft). The mountain was formed around 60 million years ago and has been the destination for adventurers for centuries. It was
named after Sir George Everest (the British surveyor-general of India), in 1865. To the Nepalese, it is known as Sagarmatha
(meaning "goddess of the sky") and the imposing mountain is known in Tibet as Chomolungma (meaning "mother goddess of the
universe").
Highest Waterfall
The Salto Angel in Venezuela – on a branch of the Carrao
River – is the highest waterfall in the world. It has a total drop of 979 m. (3,212 ft.), the longest single drop being
807 m. (2,648 ft.). The Falls were named after the American pilot Jimmie Angel, who recorded them in his log book on 16 Nov
1933. The falls were known by the native Indians as Churun-Meru.
Highest building
With a height of 1,453 feet, one of the world's tallest buildings rise above the skyline of Kuala Lumpur. They
are called the Petronas Towers, and, inevitably, they have become the symbols for the astounding growth that has taken place
in Malaysia over the last two decades.
Longest River
The
Nile is credited as the longest river in the world. Its main source is Lake Victoria, in east central Africa. From its farthest
stream in Burundi, in eastern Africa, it extends 6,695 km (4,160 miles) in length.
Longest name of a city
Tetaumatawhakatangihangakoauaotamateaurehaeaturipukapihimaungahoronuku
pokaiwhenuaakitanarahu, that stretches the name to 92 letters. It says the name means "The
place where Tamatea, the man with the big knees, who slid, climbed, and swallowed mountains, known as land eater, played his
flute to his loved one."
Fastest animal in the world
When
measured over a short distance the cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus) can maintain a steady maximum speed of approximately 100 km/h
(60 mph) on level ground. That's nearly the American highway speed limit! Cheetahs are found on the open plains of east Africa,
Iran, Turkmenistan, and Afghanistan.
Biggest animal
The largest known animal
on Earth is the blue whale. Mature blue whales can measure
anywhere from 75 feet (23 m) to 100 feet (30.5 m) from head to tail, and can weigh as much as 150 tons (136 metric tons).
That's as long as an 8- to 10-story building and as heavy as about 112 adult male giraffes! These days, most adult blue whales
are only 75 to 80 feet long; whalers hunted down most of the super giants.
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