Sunday, April 26, 2009

World's longest Road Tunnels

The world's longest road tunnel: Laerdal - Aurland - photo 1

It was a privilege to be present when the King of Norway cut the ribbon for the opening of the world's longest road tunnel between Lærdal and Aurland on November 27, 2000. Several thousand persons attended this historic event in beautiful fall weather. Prior to the ribbon-cutting ceremony, the musician Karl Seglem played his own especially composed music on a bukkehorn, or ram's horn, to entice the "trolls" (children from Årdal, Lærdal and Flaam, dressed in red, green and yellow outfits with tails) out of the mountain to salute His Majesty. King Harald and his entourage were the first to pass through the tunnel, and they were met in Aurland and Flaam by cheering crowds carrying Norwegian flags. Lunch was served at the new Fretheim Hotel.

The Lærdal Tunnel was built during a five-year period from 1995-2000 at a cost of approximately 125 million U.S. dollars. It is an important link in the ferry-free road connection between the Bergen area and Eastern Norway, including Oslo, and is especially significant for winter traffic, when the high mountain passes are closed, or subject to closing, because of snow. The mountains above the tunnel reach elevations up to 1809 meters (5935 feet), and the breathtaking high-mountain road between Aurland and Lærdal, the so-called Snow Road, is open only for a few months during the summer. This tunnel is not only the world's longest, 24.5 km ( 15.2 miles), but also the world's most uniquely constructed tunnel with exceptional security features. (The world's second longest, the St. Gottard Tunnel in Switzerland, is only 16.92 km, or 10 miles). An access tunnel of 2.1 km (1.3 miles) was built from a side valley, Tynjadalen (Tønjum Valley), 6 km (3.72 miles) from the Lærdal side. This enabled the crews to drill from four sites, which shortened the construction time. This access tunnel also serves as an extraction tunnel for the ventilation system, and made it possible to deposit the excavated rock on the Lærdal side in an environmentally secure area.

High air quality in the tunnel is achieved in two ways, by ventilation and purification. Large fans draw air in from both entrances, and polluted air is expelled through the ventilation tunnel to Tynjadalen. The Lærdal Tunnel is the first in the world to be equipped with an air treatment plant, located in a 100-meter (328 feet) cavern 9.5 km (5.9 miles) from Aurland, that removes both dust and nitrogen dioxide from the tunnel air. Two large fans draw air through the treatment plant, where dust and soot are removed by an electrostatic filter. Then the air is drawn through a large carbon filter which removes the nitrogen dioxide.

To support and strengthen the ceiling and the walls of the tunnel, 200,000 steel bolts of up to 5 meters (16 feet) in length have been used, and 35,000 square meters (42,000 square yards) of concrete has been poured!

The new tunnel is of great importance to Aurland, not only for its connection eastward, but also for greatly improved contact to its own district, especially Lærdal, Årdal, Sogndal, Luster, Leikanger and Balestrand, as well as Sunnfjord and Nordfjord. Inner Sogn, previously isolated by high mountains, has suddenly become the navel (navle: central point) of Norway, to quote the newspaper Bergens Tidende.

In order to break the monotony of a 20-minute drive, the tunnel has been divided up into four sections by creating three large caverns, or mountain halls, 6 km (3.7 miles) from each end and one in the middle. Special attention has been paid to the lighting. Whereas white light is used in the tunnel itself, the mountain halls are equipped with blue and yellow light. This gives one the illusion of driving into daylight every 6 km (3.7 miles), and the golden light along the floor gives the illusion of sunrise! To keep the drivers from being inattentive or falling asleep, and thus causing head-on collisions, each lane is supplied with a loud rumble strip toward the center!

Thousands of tourists drive through the tunnel for the unique experience. A romantic ambiance has even been suggested when a couple decided to get married in one of the mountain halls ! A group of women from Årdal, Lærdal and Aurland, calling themselves jenteslepp "gals' night out", have had an organizational meeting in the tunnel!

The following are some of the exceptional security measures taken in case of accidents and/or fire:

- Emergency phones marked SOS have been placed every 250 meters (820 feet)
- Fire extinguishers have been placed every 125 meters (410 feet), which is closer than in other tunnels
- Stop lights and signs reading: snu og køyr ut, "turn and drive out", go on when one of the emergency phones is used
- 15 turning areas have been constructed for buses and semi-trailers
- In addition to the three mountain halls, emergency niches have been built every 500 meters (1640 feet)
- Emergency phone channels for police, fire departments and hospitals
- Data connections to night-watch and security centers in Lærdal and Bergen
- Special wiring for the use of radio and mobile phones
- Photo inspection and counting of all vehicles entering and exiting the tunnel

A total of 2.5 million cubic meters (3.27 million cubic yards) of rock has been removed from the entire tunnel. On the Aurland side, the excavated rock has been used for various municipal purposes, to build part of the new highway between Flåm and Aurland , and for a unique pedestrian and bicycle path along the Aurland Fjord from Flåm to Otternes. In order to gain the necessary width for the path, large quantities of rocks were dumped in the fjord. With landscaping, blacktopping, and wooden railings, this is probably the most exquisite and expensive path in the world!

The Lærdal Tunnel is rapidly receiving world attention. Early in December, "Time Magazine", with world-wide circulation, carried an excellent photo and text. The Aurland/Lærdal Tourist Office has received numerous inquiries from the United States, South America and Japan, and other countries. They were amused, however, when a lady from Minneapolis sent them a letter thinking that the new tunnel was being constructed from Oslo to Bergen, a distance of 287 miles! She expressed the hope that one could still get out at Myrdal to visit the Flåm Valley, Aurland and Voss!

The World's longest Road Tunnels
BNVMN Tunnel

Length
Country
Norway
Tunnel
Laerdal
Length
24 510 m
China Zhongnanshan (2 tubes) 18 040 m
Switzerland St. Gotthard / San Gottardo 2nd Röhre 16 918 m
Austria Arlberg 13 972 m
Taiwan Hsuehshan (twin tunnel + service) 12 942 m
France - Italy Fréjus 12 895 m
France - Italy Mont-Blanc / Monte Bianco 11 611 m
Norway Gudvanga 11 428 m
Norway Folgefonn 11 150 m
Japan Kan-etsu (south bound tube) 11 055 m
Japan Kan-etsu (north bound tube) 10 926 m
Japan Hida (+emergency tunnel) 10 750 m
Italy Gran Sasso d'Italia (East direction) 10 176 m
Italy Gran Sasso d'Italia (West direction) 10 173 m
Austria Plabutsch (West tube) 10 085 m
France Le tunnel Est (Rueil - Malmaison à Versailles)
Construction
10 000 m

World's Longest Tongue



World's Longest Tongue - Have you ever wondered who has the longest tongue in the world? That's why you're here right! According to the Guinness World Records, the current world recorder holder for the longest tongue is Stephen Taylor (UK). Mr. Taylor has a tongue that measures 9.5 cm (3.74 in) from the tip to the centre of his closed top lip. Details below:

Name: Stephen Taylor
Length: 9.5 cm (3.74 in)
Measured: Milan, Italy
Date of Record: January 5, 2006

The record holder for the longest tongue before Stephen Taylor was Annika Irmler. Annika still holds the longest tongue for a female at 7 centimetres (2.76 inches) Looking at these two pictures, it looks like Annika's tongue is longer, however, the difference between Annika's tongue and Stephen's is 2.5 centimeters or .98 inches. That's almost one full inch!
Name: Annika Irmler
Length: 7 cm (2.76 in)
Measured: Tangstedt, Hamburg Germany
Date of Record: 2001
In either case, our hats go off to these two. Growing a long tongue is not something that is easy to do!

World's longest TV


The world's longest television can be found at the Hong Kong Jockey Club.

The Diamond Vision display was built by the Mitsubishi Electric Corporation and measures 70.4 meters or 231 feet long and 8 meters or 26 feet high.

The world's longest TV is about as long as a 747.

The world's Longest TV
World's Longest TV

World longest URL





Characters:

263

Notes: We tried longer ones but they were truncated, so this is the longest that we could actually upload.


World's longest window




The Monterey Bay Aquarium in California is home to almost 300,000 animals and the world's longest window.

The Outer Bay exhibit holds one million gallons of sea water as well as tuna, sharks, ocean sunfish and sea turtles and can be viewed through a 56 foot long window that also happens to be 17 feet high.

The Monterey Bay Aquarium opened on October 20 1984 and cost $55 million to build.

The world's Longest window
The Monterey Bay Aquarium

Friday, April 24, 2009

World longest wall

Over 2000 years ago Qin Shi Huangdi built a wall to protect his dynasty. It was no ordinary wall, it was up to 25 feet tall and 15 - 30 feet thick.

Oops, forgot to mention, it was about 5,000 km. long. You guessed it, Qin Shi Huangdi built the Great Wall of China.

Later dynasties added to the wall and currently, including branches, the Great Wall of China measures in at over 6,000 km.

The longest wall ever
Qin Shi Huangdi's Great Wall of China

World's longest time watching TV

On September 13 2005 Suresh Joachim started watching TV on the show Live with Regis and Kelly as part of their 'Guinness World Record Breaker Week'.

September 16 2005, after 69 hours & 48 minutes Suresh Joachim added a new world record to his repertoire of over 30 other world records he currently holds.

Suresh received only a 5 minute break every hour and a 15 minute break every 8 hours. Apart from that he had to be continuously watching the screen.

Apparently he only watched ABC programs, voluntarily, we might add, it was not a stipulation to set the record.

Wolrd longest word (ENGLISH)

So what exactly is the longest word in the world

It all depends on your point of view, but here goes:

Officially the longest word is 'floccinaucinihilipilification' at 29 characters, meaning 'the act of estimating as worthless'.

Then there's 'antidisestablishmentarianism' at 28 letters, meaning 'opposition to the disestablishment of the Church of England'. It is often considered the longest word as it has an actual meaning instead of being created just to be long.

Unofficially the longest word is 'pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis' at 45 characters, meaning 'a lung disease'. It was created solely for the purpose of being the longest word, however, it does appear in a few dictionaries.

The longest place name is that of a hill in New Zealand at 85 characters:

TAUMATAWHAKATANGIHANGAKOAUAUOTAMATEATURIPU
KAKAPIKIMAUNGAHORONUKUPOKAIWHENUAKITANATAHU

The word with the most letters is a name of protein, as a name, it technically does not qualify as a word, but at 1913 characters, we just had to include it. Theoretically these names can contain an infinite amount of characters, but this one qualifies as it has actually been used in a medical journal.

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World's longest wedding dress




Recently, there was an E-Marriage Fest wedding fair in Bucharest April 3, 2009 which was being closely followed by thousands of brides-to-be I'm sure. Another reason it was being followed was because it started with a shot at trying to break the current Guinness World Records
for a wedding dress train measuring 1,362 meters. The gorgeous new train designed by Ioana Comanescu of the "Il Creatore" bridal shop did manage to set a new record by measuring 1,579 meters. The train of the wedding dress is definitely a stunner that is studded with 7,000 Swarovski crystals. It has certainly been a tough job making it as it took the designers 70 days to get it ready. I don't know if any bride would want to wear the world's longest train with her wedding gown as it will be extremely heavy. But if you want to make a statement with this train, it's priced at $5,150.


after then

wedding%20dresses.jpg


A couple showcases what is reportedly the longest wedding dress in China. The bridegroom has contracted a local tailor to make the 200.8-meter-long dress. [Photo: eastday.com]

A bride in the southern Chinese city of Guangzhou recently walked down the aisle wearing the country's longest wedding dress.

Her fiancee contracted a local tailor to make the wedding gown, with the dress' train stretching for 200.8 meters, Guangzhou Daily reported.

The bridegroom says the length echoes the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games.

It has set a new domestic record, grabbing the title from the previous holder at 99 meters.


wedding dress in the world

Jordan, AKA Katie Price, married Peter Andre oin September 10, 2005.

One of Katie Price's goals was to beat the record of 2,545 feet for the longest wedding dress. Katie's dress was be approximately 2,700 feet, a record she has since lost.

On August 05, 2006 a wedding dress created by Cindy Predhomme and France Loridan for Une Semaine Chrono was unveiled in Caudry, France measuring 1,203.9 meters or 3,949.8 feet.

World's longest wrestling match


The world's longest wrestling match occurred in 1912 during the Olympic Games in Sweden.

The match that made this world record was between Martin Kleinrepresenting Russia and Alfred Asikainen representing Finland.

Martin Klein won the match after 11 hours and 40 minutes to receive the Greco-Roman 75 kg silver medal.

World's longest year

We hope you did not answer any of the many leap years as you would be way off.

In 153 BC the Romans set the new year as January 1st, but set it at 355 days.

A bit later they reverted back to celebrating the new year in March.

Finally in 46 BC Julius Caesar created the the Julian Calendar and the new year was to fall on January 1st again and last 365 days.

Unfortunately the calendar was out of sync and an extra 90 days were added to 46 BC making it the longest year ever clocking in at 445 days.

World's longest YouTube video

The YouTube website is becoming increasingly popular with normal, everyday folk having the ability to upload their own videos and material. One can visit the website and find just about anything that tickles their fancy. But just how much time does one have to sit in front of their computer watching somebody else’s video? Well, if you want to watch the longest YouTube video ever published, you will need a total of nine hours and fifteen minutes.

Charles Trippy created the video that stays within the website’s 100-megabyte limit. The video starts out with Trippy speaking into the camera and a warning flashing across the screen, “This will be dumb.” The rest of the video seems to consist mainly of Charles just hanging out in his living room with two other young men, a girl, and a dog. Is it dumb? Well, if you enjoy watching people hang out in their living room for nine hours then no. But who knows if that’s all that happens? You need to have the time and patience to sit and watch the video in its entirety to find that out.


Longest YouTube Video

World's largest door



When it comes to the world's largest door, there's not just one, in fact there are four and they all belong to NASA's Vehicle Assembly Building at the Kennedy Space Center.

The Vehicle Assembly Building was originally built to assembly of Apollo and Saturn vehicles and and is now used to support Space Shuttle operations.

Each of the four doors are 139 meters or 456 feet high, comparatively, the Statue of Liberty is only 93 meters or 305 feet high.


NASA's Vehicle Assembly Building

world's Biggest country



Here's a listing of the twenty largest countries in the world by area, in both square kilometers and square miles.

  1. Russia: 17,075,200 km2 (6,591,027 mi2)
  2. Canada: 9,984,670 km2 (3,854,082 mi2)
  3. United States: 9,631,418 km2 (3,717,727 mi2)
  4. China: 9,596,960 km2 (3,704,426 mi2)
  5. Brazil: 8,511,965 km2 (3,285,618 mi2)
  6. Australia: 7,686,850 km2 (2,967,124 mi2)
  7. India: 3,287,590 km2 (1,269,009 mi2)
  8. Argentina: 2,766,890 km2 (1,068,019 mi2)
  9. Kazakhstan: 2,717,300 km2 (1,048,877 mi2)
  10. Sudan: 2,505,810 km2 (967,243 mi2)
  11. Algeria: 2,381,740 km2 (919,352 mi2)
  12. Congo, Democratic Republic of the: 2,345,410 km2 (905,328 mi2)
  13. Mexico: 1,972,550 km2 (761,404 mi2)
  14. Saudi Arabia: 1,960,582 km2 (756,785 mi2)
  15. Indonesia: 1,919,440 km2 (740,904 mi2)
  16. Libya: 1,759,540 km2 (679,182 mi2)
  17. Iran: 1,648,000 km2 (636,128 mi2)
  18. Mongolia: 1,564,116 km2 (603,749 mi2)
  19. Peru: 1,285,220 km2 (496,095 mi2)
  20. Chad: 1,284,000 km2 (495,624 mi2)

World's Longest Fingernails

Sixty four year old Lee Redmond of Utah, USA holds the record for the longest fingernails. The total length of her talons in 24 feet and 7 inches. She keeps them supple by rubbing in olive oil. Since the record was set in September this lady has decided to cut her nails as she needs to take care of her husband who suffers from Alzheimer's.

She hasn't cut her nails since 1979.

A retired Indian photographer from Poona near Mumbai has been growing his fingernails for almost 50 years. He has put them up for auction. His thumbnail alone measures 4.8 feet and resembles a twisted, thin, antler like protrusion. It is tortoiseshell in colour and coiled up in spirals.

Shridar Chillal has held this record for 20 years. His hands are permanently disfigured because of the weight of these nails. You can see the coil formed by his thumbnail in this picture.

Li Jian Ping of Shishi, Fujian Province, China is a close contender for this record.

Li Jian Ping heard about the Indian photographer and was determined to beat him. He has not cut his fingernails for fifteen years and the combined length of the nails on his left hand is over one metre.

World's Longest Ear Hair

World's Longest Ear Hair


His ear hair is 25cm long and still growing but Indian grocer Radhakant Baijpai has no intention of trimming it.

Officially recognised by Guinness in 2003 as having the longest ear hair in the world, Radhakant has carefully coifed his ear-folicles from 13.2cm to their current ear-itching length.

Considered by Radhakant, 58, to be symbol of luck and prosperity, his incredible ear-hair has been growing since he was 18 and more importantly has never been cut.







Source: dailymail.com

World's Longest Hair?

World's Longest Hair


World's biggest train

World's biggest train set revealed




Thursday, April 23, 2009

World's Tallest Couple

World's Tallest Couple

World's biggest hand

World's biggest hand

A Chinese man who had the world's biggest hand is hoping for a normal life after undergoing surgery.

Liu Hua, 24, from Jiangsu Province, had fingers thicker than his arms before the operation to remove 11lbs of bone and tissue, reports Xinmin Evening News.

Liu Hua's giant thumb and index finger /Ext

His left thumb, index finger and middle finger were deformed at birth but they have since grown to an amazing size.

Liu said: "My thumb and index finger are even thicker than my arms, and make my left hand useless.

"When I go out, I have to wrap my left hand in clothes and pretend I’m holding a bag."

Doctors at Shanghai City 9th People’s hospital took seven hours to do the surgery. They plan another operation in about six months.

"We kept his five fingers, and hopefully his left hand will eventually regain normal function," a spokesman said.

Liu was suffering from a rare disease called macrodactyly, a birth defect in which toes or fingers are abnormally large.

macrodactyly0822.jpg

World's biggest TV

The world's biggest TV - a whopping 150 inch plasma screen and standing six feet tall - has been unveiled.

The monster Panasonic TV, which is expected to cost a wallet-busting £50,000, is the star attraction at a gadget show in Las Vegas.

The high-definition screen, which is understood to weigh more than a quarter of a tonne (220kg), smashes the previous record size for a TV by 42 inches - the height of a small child.

Towering six feet high, it is tall enough to show full-scale footballers and will cost £5,000 to install.

And with any buyer needing a huge house and plenty of money, Premiership stars could be at the front of the queue when it goes on sale.

Scroll down for more...

television

The world's biggest television is six feet high and a staggering 11 feet wide




* Jumbo-vision: As the world's biggest television screen is unveiled, one TV critic says size isn't everything
* The £25,000 bed you can live in - and that even stops you snoring
* Computers will soon be controlled by 'voice and touch', predicts Bill Gates

Two years ago, Panasonic launched a then world record 103-inch (8.6 ft) TV at the same Consumer Electronics Show in Vegas.

John Lewis on London's Oxford Street later sold it but there was a a three-month waiting list for the TV, which had to be ordered from Panasonic's factory in Japan.

And last year, Sharp went one better when it created an 108-inch (9 ft) LCD flatscreen.

Technology experts estimate that the new Panasonic will use up to 3,000 watts of electricity.

And general guidance for watching TV is to check the size and then sit two-and-a-half times further away, giving it a viewing distance of 375 inches (31.2 ft).

Panasonic had hoped to keep the TV's existence under wraps until the show.

But after word leaked out, its spokesman Jeff Samuels admitted: "It exists and will eventually be a viable commercial product."

James Beechinor-Collins, founder of gadget website ElectricPig, marvelled: "This will be the Formula 1 car of TV. It's pushing the boundaries of technology.

"Once you get TVs that are 80, 90, 100 inches, you're compelled to go and see them because the scale is out of your mind."

But he cautioned: "How many people are going to buy a 150-inch TV for £50,000?

"These things are always about awe and wonderment. If you're too close, the picture isn't very good and I don't know of any 31-feet living rooms."

The first 3D TV sets designed for home use will also be unveiled at the Vegas event.

And the world's biggest electronics companies hope to have their products in the shops by the end of the year.

Philips is showing off TVs which can screen three-dimensional content, in which objects appear to leap out at the viewer, without the need for special glasses used in cinemas.

Its technology uses a special lens on the screen to create the effect.

Samsung has a competing 3D TV but it will require viewers to wear special glasses.

World's biggest TV

The world's biggest TV - a whopping 150 inch plasma screen and standing six feet tall - has been unveiled.

The monster Panasonic TV, which is expected to cost a wallet-busting £50,000, is the star attraction at a gadget show in Las Vegas.

The high-definition screen, which is understood to weigh more than a quarter of a tonne (220kg), smashes the previous record size for a TV by 42 inches - the height of a small child.

Towering six feet high, it is tall enough to show full-scale footballers and will cost £5,000 to install.

And with any buyer needing a huge house and plenty of money, Premiership stars could be at the front of the queue when it goes on sale.

Scroll down for more...

television

The world's biggest television is six feet high and a staggering 11 feet wide




* Jumbo-vision: As the world's biggest television screen is unveiled, one TV critic says size isn't everything
* The £25,000 bed you can live in - and that even stops you snoring
* Computers will soon be controlled by 'voice and touch', predicts Bill Gates

Two years ago, Panasonic launched a then world record 103-inch (8.6 ft) TV at the same Consumer Electronics Show in Vegas.

John Lewis on London's Oxford Street later sold it but there was a a three-month waiting list for the TV, which had to be ordered from Panasonic's factory in Japan.

And last year, Sharp went one better when it created an 108-inch (9 ft) LCD flatscreen.

Technology experts estimate that the new Panasonic will use up to 3,000 watts of electricity.

And general guidance for watching TV is to check the size and then sit two-and-a-half times further away, giving it a viewing distance of 375 inches (31.2 ft).

Panasonic had hoped to keep the TV's existence under wraps until the show.

But after word leaked out, its spokesman Jeff Samuels admitted: "It exists and will eventually be a viable commercial product."

James Beechinor-Collins, founder of gadget website ElectricPig, marvelled: "This will be the Formula 1 car of TV. It's pushing the boundaries of technology.

"Once you get TVs that are 80, 90, 100 inches, you're compelled to go and see them because the scale is out of your mind."

But he cautioned: "How many people are going to buy a 150-inch TV for £50,000?

"These things are always about awe and wonderment. If you're too close, the picture isn't very good and I don't know of any 31-feet living rooms."

The first 3D TV sets designed for home use will also be unveiled at the Vegas event.

And the world's biggest electronics companies hope to have their products in the shops by the end of the year.

Philips is showing off TVs which can screen three-dimensional content, in which objects appear to leap out at the viewer, without the need for special glasses used in cinemas.

Its technology uses a special lens on the screen to create the effect.

Samsung has a competing 3D TV but it will require viewers to wear special glasses.

World's Largest Oceans and sea



World Top 10 - Largest Oceans and sea

World's Biggest Spider

Largest Spider in the World


The Goliath Birdeater, Theraphosa leblondi, is a tarantula, and it is the largest spider in the world. Despite its name, the Goliath Birdeater does not eat birds; it eats invertebrates such as crickets and mealworms, and also small vertebrates such as mice and lizards. Native to South America, these spiders can be as large as 30 centimetres (12 inches) in leg span, when their legs are stretched out. You can see an approximately life size photograph of this huge spider here. The Goliath Birdeater is one of the few tarantulas which can catch, kill, and eat a full-grown mouse.



Spiders are high in protein! The Piaroha tribe in Venezuela collect Goliath Birdeater tarantulas and roast them over hot coals, eating them as if they were big hairy crabs ... carefully avoiding the large fangs and the poison sacs. The fangs are later used as toothpicks.

Female Birdeaters have an average life span of 6 to 14 years. Males die soon after maturity, and have a lifespan of only 3 to 6 years. Colours range from dark to light brown, with faint markings on the legs. They have hair on the body, abdomen, and legs. The female lays anywhere from 100 to 400 eggs, which will hatch within two months. Young spiders are called 'spiderlings'.

Wild Goliath Birdeaters are a deep burrowing species, found commonly in marshy or swampy areas. They may make a hissing noise when disturbed, and can defend themselves by biting, or by releasing their body hairs.

- The Goliath Birdeater, like all tarantulas, has fangs large enough to break the skin of a human. But its venom is relatively non-toxic; the bite will cause mild discomfort and swelling for a few hours, but problems will occur only if the victim is allergic to spiders, or if the wound becomes infected.


- The Goliath Birdeater, like many tarantulas, can also release its hairs, which are barbed. These can cause severe discomfort and irritation when they make contact with bare skin, or when they are inhaled.

Tarantulas are often kept as pets; many owners breed and sell them. The Goliath Birdeater is quite commonly kept as a pet, despite its aggressive nature, willingness to bite, and irritating hairs.



Like all spiders, these huge tarantulas are arthropods, and must shed their skin regularly in order to grow.





World biggest flower

largest flower in the world


The Titan Arum, or "corpse flower," is the world's largest flower, with blooms that can have a diameter of well over a metre. It is also very rare. The fully open flower emits a repulsive, 'rotting-fish' scent. This odour is to attract pollinators which, where it lives, are mainly carrion beetles and flesh flies.

The Titan Arum's natural home is the equatorial rainforest of central Sumatra, in Indonesia. The plant is in the same family as the common houseplants Dieffenbachia and Philodendrons, but is incredibly larger ... The Titan Arum grows from a large tuber that can weigh over 80 kg (170 pounds); the flowering stalk can reach 3 metres in height, and open to a diameter of over a metre. Thousands of true flowers are hidden inside at the base (the fleshy central column). The large, frilly-edged, leafy "skirt" enclosing column is the spathe, which when open resembles an upturned, fluted bell.
This giant flowering structure is called an inflorescence.

Amorphophallus titanum


The giant 'corpse flower' blooms only occasionally in captivity, and its blooming, which only lasts a day or two, is usually a sensation. It happens within about six hours, as the spathe unfurls. Inside this bell-shaped 'flower' are actually many smaller true flowers, both male and female. The female flowers inside the spathe mature first, followed a day later by the male flowers. Following successful pollination, after about a week the spathe withers and falls off, and bright red cherry-sized berries containing seeds are exposed, hopefully to be eaten by birds, which excrete the seeds that will grow into new plants elsewhere.




photograph of Titan arum

World's Biggest Truck

World's Biggest Truck

World biggest Nose

World biggest Nose

World largest trees

Certified list of largest trees and tallest trees in the world.

Tallest trees refer to the height of the tree and largest trees refer to the volume of its trunk. Here are the world's 5 tallest and 4 largest trees.

Tallest Trees in the World

  1. Coast Redwood



    Hyperion, a Coast Redwood in California, at 115.5 m tall the tallest tree in the world, found in 2006. Hyperion is the name of a coast redwood tree in Northern California that has been confirmed to measure 115.55 m (379.1 feet), which ranks it as the world's tallest known living tree. Despite its great height, Hyperion is not the largest known coast redwood; that distinction belongs to the Lost Monarch tree.
  2. Coast Douglas Fir


    Coast Douglas-fir is a very tall tree, the second-tallest conifer in the world (after Coast Redwood). Trees 60-75 m (200-250 feet) or more in height and 1.5-2 m (5-6 feet) in diameter are common in old growth stands, and heights of 100-120 m (300-400 feet) were reported by early lumbermen. The tallest living specimen is the “Doerner Fir”, (previously known as the Brummit fir), 100.3 m tall, at East Fork Brummit Creek in Coos County, Oregon. The stoutest is the “Queets Fir”, 4.85 m diameter, in the Queets River valley, Olympic National Park, Washington. It commonly lives more than 500 years and occasionally more than 1,000 years
  3. Australian Mountain-ash



    Eucalyptus regnans, known variously by the common names Mountain Ash, Victorian Ash, Swamp Gum, Tasmanian Oak or Stringy Gum, is a species of Eucalyptus native to southeastern Australia, in Tasmania and Victoria. It is known to attain heights over 295 feet (90 meters) and is described as the tallest of the flowering plants.
  4. Sitka Spruce



    The Sitka Spruce (Picea sitchensis) is a large coniferous evergreen tree growing to 50-70 m tall, exceptionally to 90 m tall, and with a trunk diameter of up to 5 m. It is by far the largest species of spruce and the third tallest conifer species in the world (after Coast Redwood and Coast Douglas-fir). It acquires its name from the community of Sitka, Alaska.
  5. Giant Sequoia



    This Giant Sequoia or Sequoiadendron giganteum is 94.9 m (311.4 ft) tall located in Redwood Mountain Grove, Kings Canyon National Park, California, United States

Largest Trees in the World

The top four species measured so far are:

  1. Giant Sequoia



    General Sherman is the name of this Giant Sequoia. It is one of the tallest Giant Sequoia trees in the world with a height of about 275 feet (84.8 meters). Although not the tallest tree in the world (coast redwood being taller), it is the biggest in terms of volume, making it the world's largest known single organism by volume. As of 2002, the volume of its trunk measured about 1487 cubic meters. The tree is located in the Giant Forest of Sequoia National Park in the US. The tree is believed to be between 2,300 and 2,700 years old. It was named after General William Tecumseh Sherman, American Civil War leader in 1879. Measuring over 115 meters, the Hyperion in Redwood National park is currently the world's tallest tree.
  2. Coast Redwood



    The second largest volume tree is the Del Norte Titan, discovered June 1998 in Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park, California. This tree has an estimated stem volume of 1044.7 cubic meters and is 93.57 m tall with a dbh of 7.22 m.
  3. Western Red Cedar



    Western red cedar is a large tree, to 50-60 m tall and 3 m (exceptionally 6 m) trunk diameter. The Quinault Lake red cedar (left) is the largest known western red cedar in the world with a wood volume of 500 cubic meters. It is located near the northwest shore of Lake Quinault north of Aberdeen, Washington.
  4. Kauri Tane Mahuta Tree



    Tane Mahuta, a giant Kauri in the Waipoua Forest of Northland Region, New Zealand. The tree's Maori name means “Lord of the Forest” and is the name of a god in the Maori pantheon. Tāne Mahuta is the most massive kauri known to stand today. It is 51 meters (169 feet) in height, and has a circumference of 13.8 meters (45 feet). There is no proof of the tree's age, but it is estimated to be between 1250 and 2500 years old. The trunk girth is 13.77 m, the trunk height is 17.68 m, the total height is 51.2 m and the trunk volume is 244.5 m3. It is the most famous tree in New Zealand and the oldest.

However, the Alerce Fitzroya cupressoides, as yet un-measured, may well slot in at third or fourth place, Montezuma Cypress Taxodium mucronatum, and Old Lost Monarch and other giants are also likely to be high in the list. The largest angiosperm tree is an Australian Mountain-ash (Eucalyptus regnans) in Tasmania, known as the “Two Towers” tree, with a volume of 430 m³ (15,185 cu ft

World largest trees

Certified list of largest trees and tallest trees in the world.

Tallest trees refer to the height of the tree and largest trees refer to the volume of its trunk. Here are the world's 5 tallest and 4 largest trees.

Tallest Trees in the World

  1. Coast Redwood



    Hyperion, a Coast Redwood in California, at 115.5 m tall the tallest tree in the world, found in 2006. Hyperion is the name of a coast redwood tree in Northern California that has been confirmed to measure 115.55 m (379.1 feet), which ranks it as the world's tallest known living tree. Despite its great height, Hyperion is not the largest known coast redwood; that distinction belongs to the Lost Monarch tree.
  2. Coast Douglas Fir



    Coast Douglas-fir is a very tall tree, the second-tallest conifer in the world (after Coast Redwood). Trees 60-75 m (200-250 feet) or more in height and 1.5-2 m (5-6 feet) in diameter are common in old growth stands, and heights of 100-120 m (300-400 feet) were reported by early lumbermen. The tallest living specimen is the “Doerner Fir”, (previously known as the Brummit fir), 100.3 m tall, at East Fork Brummit Creek in Coos County, Oregon. The stoutest is the “Queets Fir”, 4.85 m diameter, in the Queets River valley, Olympic National Park, Washington. It commonly lives more than 500 years and occasionally more than 1,000 years
  3. Australian Mountain-ash



    Eucalyptus regnans, known variously by the common names Mountain Ash, Victorian Ash, Swamp Gum, Tasmanian Oak or Stringy Gum, is a species of Eucalyptus native to southeastern Australia, in Tasmania and Victoria. It is known to attain heights over 295 feet (90 meters) and is described as the tallest of the flowering plants.
  4. Sitka Spruce



    The Sitka Spruce (Picea sitchensis) is a large coniferous evergreen tree growing to 50-70 m tall, exceptionally to 90 m tall, and with a trunk diameter of up to 5 m. It is by far the largest species of spruce and the third tallest conifer species in the world (after Coast Redwood and Coast Douglas-fir). It acquires its name from the community of Sitka, Alaska.
  5. Giant Sequoia



    This Giant Sequoia or Sequoiadendron giganteum is 94.9 m (311.4 ft) tall located in Redwood Mountain Grove, Kings Canyon National Park, California, United States

Largest Trees in the World

The top four species measured so far are:

  1. Giant Sequoia



    General Sherman is the name of this Giant Sequoia. It is one of the tallest Giant Sequoia trees in the world with a height of about 275 feet (84.8 meters). Although not the tallest tree in the world (coast redwood being taller), it is the biggest in terms of volume, making it the world's largest known single organism by volume. As of 2002, the volume of its trunk measured about 1487 cubic meters. The tree is located in the Giant Forest of Sequoia National Park in the US. The tree is believed to be between 2,300 and 2,700 years old. It was named after General William Tecumseh Sherman, American Civil War leader in 1879. Measuring over 115 meters, the Hyperion in Redwood National park is currently the world's tallest tree.
  2. Coast Redwood



    The second largest volume tree is the Del Norte Titan, discovered June 1998 in Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park, California. This tree has an estimated stem volume of 1044.7 cubic meters and is 93.57 m tall with a dbh of 7.22 m.
  3. Western Red Cedar



    Western red cedar is a large tree, to 50-60 m tall and 3 m (exceptionally 6 m) trunk diameter. The Quinault Lake red cedar (left) is the largest known western red cedar in the world with a wood volume of 500 cubic meters. It is located near the northwest shore of Lake Quinault north of Aberdeen, Washington.
  4. Kauri Tane Mahuta Tree



    Tane Mahuta, a giant Kauri in the Waipoua Forest of Northland Region, New Zealand. The tree's Maori name means “Lord of the Forest” and is the name of a god in the Maori pantheon. Tāne Mahuta is the most massive kauri known to stand today. It is 51 meters (169 feet) in height, and has a circumference of 13.8 meters (45 feet). There is no proof of the tree's age, but it is estimated to be between 1250 and 2500 years old. The trunk girth is 13.77 m, the trunk height is 17.68 m, the total height is 51.2 m and the trunk volume is 244.5 m3. It is the most famous tree in New Zealand and the oldest.

However, the Alerce Fitzroya cupressoides, as yet un-measured, may well slot in at third or fourth place, Montezuma Cypress Taxodium mucronatum, and Old Lost Monarch and other giants are also likely to be high in the list. The largest angiosperm tree is an Australian Mountain-ash (Eucalyptus regnans) in Tasmania, known as the “Two Towers” tree, with a volume of 430 m³ (15,185 cu ft

World's largest Bridge

World's largest Bridge

Italy to build the world's largest suspension bridge between Calabria and Sicily

According to The Daily Telegraph (Feb 25th 2009), Italy will forge ahead with a controversial plan to build the world's largest suspension bridge, a massive structure which will arch between the mainland and Sicily, the government said on Wednesday.


Italy to build the world's largest suspension bridge between Calabria and Sicily
Photo simulation of suspention bridge, connecting mainland Italy to Sicily. Photo: AP

Critics say that at six billion euros (£5.4bn), the cost of the two-and-a-half mile bridge across the Strait of Messina is far too high and have questioned the wisdom of building such a giant span in a region which is prone to earthquakes.

Some engineers have given warning that the area's huge pylons would be vulnerable to high winds.

"It's true that it costs six billion euros but this is the project and we're not going back on it," Altero Matteoli, the public works minister, told Italian radio.

He acknowledged that it would be essential to improve the ramshackle roads and railways on either side of the bridge, in Sicily and the mainland region of Calabria.

"The bridge will oblige us to improve railway and motorway infrastructure as well as the ports. It's an enormous amount of work that will also increase tourism."

The project, which Mr Matteoli said could get underway this year, was first envisioned by Silvio Berlusconi, the prime minister, when he was in office in 2001-2006, but then ditched by his centre-left successor, Romano Prodi, amid concerns that it would mostly benefit construction firms run by the mafia.

Mr Prodi's administration labelled it a vanity project and "the most useless and harmful plan of the past 100 years."

Mr Berlusconi was re-elected prime minister last year and put the project back on track.

He insists that it will create thousands of jobs, boost tourism and improve transport links between the 'toe' of the Italian mainland and Sicily, replacing ferry services.

The bridge would be able to handle nearly 5,000 cars an hour as well as high-speed trains.

The dream of building a bridge across the narrow strait was first envisioned by the Romans and later considered by Sicily's Norman rulers.

World's tallest man

In terms of height they are worlds apart.

The world's tallest man, Bao Xishun today shook hands with He Pingping who claims to be Earth's shortest.

But these two men actually hail from the same region of Inner Mongolia.

.

Mr Xishun shakes hands with Mr Ping Ping


While Mr Xishun, 56, towers above everyone at an astonishing 7.9ft, 19-year-old Mr Pingping is a mere 2.4ft high.


Bao Xishun, a herdsman from Chifeng, Inner Mongolia, was recently married in a traditional ceremony to a 28-year-old saleswoman from his hometown. At 5ft 6" Xia Shujian only comes up to his elbow and is half his age.

He claims he was of normal height until he was 16 when he experienced a growth spurt and reached his present height seven years later.

Mr Xishun was confirmed as the tallest person by the Guinness Book of Records last year.

Mr Pingping was born nearby in Wulanchabu city, Inner Mongolia. His father claims he was only the size of an adult's palm at birth.

He is now seeking to be registered as the world's shortest man by the Guinness Book of Recrods. He could be in for a disappointment though. While Mr Pingping is 73cms tall, the current holder of the title Lin Yih-Chih was measured as 67.5cm.

http://www.instadaily.com/images/worlds-tallest-man-saves-dolphin_18.jpg

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