Snworld

TEN BIGGEST BANGS ON EARTH Seattle Kingdome demolition  When: 26 March 2000 Holding up to 66,000 sports fans in its 19.821 million m3 capacity, this stadium became the largest building to be demolished by explosives when it was destroyed in 2000. Chicxulub Impact When: 65 million years ago The chicxulub crater in mexico, a staggering 180km wide, was created when a 10km-wide meteorite crashed into earth. the impact is believed to have been a major contributing factor in the extinction of the dinosaurs. Heligoland explosion When: 18 April 1947 The royal navy tried – and failed – to blow up a whole north sea island and the huge German naval base it carried by detonating around 4,000 tonnes of explosives, one of the world’s biggestever single detonations. Despite that, the island remained intact. Mt Toba When: 75,000 years ago When the supervolcano mt toba erupted, it launched at least 2,800km3 of magma and ash into the atmosphere, causing a six-year volcanic win...

TEN MOST EXPENSIVE EXPERIMENTS 01 $150 Billion International Space Station (£92 billion) Weighing nearly 420 tonnes and floating 370km above the earth, the iss has been continuously occupied by astronauts from various countries since the first crew docked on 2 november 2000. 02 $20.6 Billion International Thermonuclear experimental reactor (£12.3 billion) In 2010 construction began in france on what will become the world’s largest tokamak fusion device – a magnetically confined core in which fuel will be heated to temperatures greater than 150,000,000°c. 03 $8 Billion   James Webb Space Telescope (£4.9 billion) Scheduled to launch in 2018, this telescope – a nasa project with input from the european and canadian space Agencies – will investigate how galaxies form by peering out to the farthest reaches of space. 04 $6.65 Billion  International linear collider (£4.1 billion) A planned particle accelerator even bigger than the large Hadron collide...

TEN CRUCIAL PHYSICS THEORIES Falling objects of different sizes accelerate at the same rate Who: Galileo galilei When: 1589 to disprove Aristotle’s theory of gravity, Galileo dropped two balls of different weights from the top of italy’s leaning tower of Pisa. Everything is composed of atoms Who: Leucippus and Democritus When: 5th century bc Atomism proposes that everything is composed of an infinite variety of indestructible, immutable ‘atoms’ that collide or link up to form clusters. Atoms are composed of smaller particles Who: Joseph John thomson When: 1897 By demonstrating that cathode rays are composed of negatively charged particles, thomson effectively found the electron – the first of the subatomic particles to be discovered. Every event has a natural cause Who: Thales When: c 580BC Greek philosopher thales attempted to explain natural phenomena without reference to mythology. He was among the first to try to identify a substance from which all things ...

TEN BREAKTHROUGHS IN GEOLOGY Deep time  Who: Aristotle When: 4th century BC the Greek philosopher recognised that the earth changes at an indiscernably slow rate, writing: “the distribution of land and sea in particular regions does not endure throughout all time” – a concept dubbed ‘deep time’. Stratification of the earth’s crust Who: Abraham Werner When: 1774 As the creationist views of early geologists softened, German geologist Werner proposed a system of classification of rocks and divided them into five chronological formations. Geomorphology Who: Shen Kuo When: 11th century Ad chinese scientist shen Kuo (AD 1031–95) made observations of marine fossil shells in mountains far from the ocean, and proposed that the rocks were once on a seashore. He theorised that land formed from uplift and silt deposits, and is gradually eroded. Continental drift  Who: Abraham Ortelius When: 1596 though Alfred Wegener is credited with the idea of continental drift ...

TEN SCIENTISTS WHO EXPERIMENTED ON THEMSELVES Max Joseph von Pettenkofer  1818–1901 in 1992, this Bavarian hygienist drank the diarrhoea of a cholera-stricken man in an attempt to demonstrate that the microbes became harmful only after incubating in the ground. He discovered that he was wrong. William J Harrington 1923–92 the American researcher in autoimmune disorders transfused blood from a patient with idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura into himself, showing that the condition causes the body to destroy blood platelets. Horace Wells  1815–48 An American dentist in connecticut, Wells pioneered the use of nitrous oxide (laughing gas) in dentistry by having one of his own teeth extracted while under anaesthesia. John Paul Stapp 1910–99 the American researcher made a huge contribution to air-crash safety by testing the effects of rapid deceleration on the human body, strapping himself to a rocket sled braking rapidly from up to 1,000km/h. Nicolae Mino...

TEN GAME-HANGING FOSSIL FINDS Marine fossils Discovered: 6th century Bc Where: Greece lived: various periods the Greek philosopher Xenophanes reasoned that the fossils of marine creatures found on land were evidence of sea covering the earth in previous eras. Mosasaurus Discovered: 1764 Where: maastricht, netherlands lived: cretaceous (around 70–65 million years ago) this aquatic reptile was the first to be identified as an extinct species, by Georges cuvier, and the first genus of such an animal to be named, in 1822 by William conybeare. Megalosaurus Discovered: 1676 Where: oxfordshire lived: Jurassic (201–145 million years ago) A fossilised femur from this carnivore (left) was discovered in 1676, but it was nearly 150 years later that William Buckland and colleagues named the ‘huge lizard’ – and recognised it as the first-known dinosaur. Iguanodon Discovered: c1821 Where: sussex lived: early cretaceous (around 125 million years ago) one of three genera inc...

TEN BREAKTHROUGHS IN BIOLOGY Cell division Who: Robert Remak When: 1855 By staining a cell’s membrane, remak was able to prove that new cells are formed by the division of existing cells. He also surmised that tumours grow and are spread in the same manner. Cell biology  Who: Henri dutrochet When: early 19th century the french physiologist pioneered the study of cells as the key units of function in life, and suggested that basic processes of life are similar across all organisms. Homeostasis Who: Claude Bernard When: 1854 Bernard stated that “all the vital mechanisms, varied as they are, have only one object: that of preserving constant the conditions of life.” this encapsulates the concept of homeostasis – the maintenance of a constant internal environment, key to most forms of life. Genetic inheritance  Who: Gregor Mendel When: 1865 By studying pea plants, mendel discovered that inheritance of many traits, such as height, could be explained through ...

TEN BIG BLUNDERS & FALSE CLAIMS Mars mission malfunction NASA spent $327 million launching the Mars Climate Orbiter, which reached the red planet on 23 September 1999 – only to be lost in the Martian atmosphere. A navigation malfunction in its navigation systems was discovered to be the result of a basic error: the orbiter had been engineered using imperial measurements, but was guided using technology that followed the metric system. The universe revolves around us the influential (and groundbreaking) Grecoroman mathematician and geographer Ptolemy developed an astronomical model in which earth sat at the centre of the cosmos. His geocentric model went uncorrected until copernicus proposed his heliocentric theory in 1543 – nearly 1,500 years later. Dna is a triple helix American scientist linus Pauling was a nobel-winning chemist – but erred in 1953 when suggesting that DnA has a triple helix structure. later that year, francis Watson and James crick discovered t...

Ten countries most affected by climate change 01 Honduras Climate Risk Index: 10.17 Droughts and floods hit food production. 02 Myanmar Climate Risk Index: 11.83 Warmer temperatures have led to huge increases in the spread of water-borne diseases. 03 Haiti Climate Risk Index: 16.83 the number and power of hurricanes have increased significantly in recent years. 04 Nicaragua Climate Risk Index: 17.17 two category-five storms in the past 15 years claimed thousands of lives. 05 Bangladesh Climate Risk Index: 19.67 frequent flooding of the Ganges delta wipes out crops, destroys homes and spreads diseases. 06 Vietnam Climate Risk Index: 24.00 increases in flash floods, landslides and other natural disasters causing many deaths. 07 Philippines Climate Risk Index: 31.17 increasingly frequent, intense natural disasters, especially floods,are claiming thousands of lives. 08 Dominican Republic Climate Risk Index: 31.33 flooding and erosion are bot...

TEN MOST DENSELY POPULATED COUNTRIES 01 Monaco  Area: 2.02km2  Population: 36,136  density: 18,068 people/km2 02 Singapore Area: 716km2 Population: 5,399,200 Density: 7,669 people/km2 03 Vatican city Area: 0.44km2 Population: 800 Density: 1,818 people/km2 04 bahrain Area: 757km2 Population: 1,234,571 Density: 1,631 people/km2 05 Malta Area: 315km2 Population: 4,16,055 Density: 1,321 people/km2 06 Maldives Area: 298km2 Population: 3,17,280 density: 1,065 people/km2 07 Bangladesh Area: 1,47,570km2 Population: 1,52,518,015 density: 1,034 people/km2 08 palestine Area: 6,020km2 Population: 4,420,549 density: 734 people/km2 09 taiwan Area: 36,191km2 Population: 23,361,147 density: 645 people/km2 10 barbados Area: 430km2 Population: 2,74,200 Density: 638 people/km2

TEN HIGHEST CAPITAL CITIES 01 La Paz Bolivia 3,640m Sitting in a bowl with mountains on all sides, the Bolivian capital is located in the valleys of the Andes. With a population of 877,363, the city’s more affluent citizens tend to reside in its lower-lying neighbourhoods, while poorer residents make their homes at higher altitudes within the capital. 02 Quito Ecuador 2,850m 03 Thimphu Bhutan 2,648m 04 Bogotá Colombia 2,625m 05 Addis Ababa Ethiopia 2,355m 06 Asmara Eitrea 2,325m 07 Sana’a Yemen 2,250m 08 Mexico City Mexico 2,240m 09 Nairobi Kenya 1,795m 10 Kabul Afghanistan 1,790m

THE TEN SMALLEST COUNTRIES (BY AREA) 01 Vatican city 0.4 square km 02 Monaco 1.9 square km 03 nauru 21 square km 04 tuvalu 26 square km 05 San Marino 61.2 square km 06 liechtenstein 160 square km 07 Marshall Islands 181 square km 08 Saint Kitts and nevis 269 square km 09 Maldives 298 square km 10 Malta 316 square km

TEN CITIES LEFT ABANDONED Pripyat Where: Ukraine Abandoned: 1986 Following the Chernobyl nuclear disaster, the entire population of around 50,000 residents were evacuated – never to return. Oradour-sur-Glane Where: France Abandoned: 1944 A German Panzer division destroyed this town, killing 642 inhabitants. Varosha Where: Cyprus Abandoned: 1974 this holiday playground of the rich was abandoned after the invasion by turkey. Kolmanskop Where: Namibia Abandoned: 1954 this mining town was abandoned when its diamond yield declined. Kayaköy Where: Turkey Abandoned: 1923 the non-muslim inhabitants of this town were forced to relocate after the Greco-turkish War. Salton riviera Where: California Abandoned: 1970s local fish population died out; so did local tourism. Humberstone Where: Chile abandoned: 1961 Abandoned after the saltpeter-mining industry declined. now a unesco World Heritage site. Craco Where: Italy Abandoned: 1963 the instability o...

 TEN MOST POPULOUS COUNTRIES 01 China Population: 1,349,585,838 02 India Population: 1,220,800,359 03 Usa Population: 316,438,601 04 Indonesia Population: 251,160,124 05 Brazil Population: 201,009,622 06 Pakistan Population: 193,238,868 07 Nigeria Population: 174,507,539 08 Bangladesh Population: 163,654,860 09 Russia Population: 142,500,482 10 Japan Population: 127,253,075

THE TEN TALLEST SKYSCRAPERS 01 Burj Khalifa Dubai, united arab emirates Height: 828m date completed: 2009 02 Shanghai Tower Shanghai, China Height: 632m Date completed: 2014 03 Makkah Royal Clock Tower Hotel Mecca, Saudi arabia Height: 601m Date completed: 2012 04 One World trade center New York City, usa Height: 541.3m Date completed: 2013 05 Taipei 101 Taipei, Taiwan Height: 509m Date completed: 2004 06 Shanghai World Financial center Shanghai, China Height: 492m Date completed: 2008 07 international commerce centre Hong Kong Height: 484m Date completed: 2010 08 petronas tower 1 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Height: 452m Date completed: 1998 09 petronas tower 2 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Height: 452m Date completed: 1998 10 Zifeng Tower Nanjing, China Height: 450m Date completed: 201

TEN COUNTRIES THAT DON’T OFFICIALLY EXIST Republic of Somaliland Where: Horn of Africa Capital: Hargeisa Declared independence from somalia in 1991. not recognised internationally. Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic (Trans-dniester)  Where: Between Moldova and Ukraine Capital: Tiraspol Declared independence from moldova in 1990; not recognised by most nations, except three that are also non-un members. Nagorno-Karabakh Republic Where: Surrounded by Azerbaijan Capital: Stepanakert Declared independence in 1991, though still claimed by Azerbaijan and not recognised by most nations, except three that are also non-un members. Republic of Abkhazia Where: Black sea coast between Georgia and russia capital: sukhumi Declared independence from Georgia in 1999, and has subsequently been recognised by states including russia, nicaragua, Venezuela, nauru, tuvalu and three others themselves not recognised by the un. Republic of China (Taiwan)  Where: South China S...

TEN LONGEST WARS 01 Three hundred and Fifty Years’ War Belligerents: Isles of scilly, netherlands 1651–1986 this ‘conflict’ started during the english civil War, when a Dutch fleet declared war on the royalist scilly isles. A peace treaty was finally signed in 1986. 02 Arauco War Belligerents: Colonial Spanish, Mapuche people 1536–1820s this clash between the indigenous people of chile and spanish colonists ended in native victory when chile won its independence in the 1820s. 03 Hundred Years’ War Belligerents: england, France, Burgundy, Scotland 1337–1453 english attempts to seize the throne of france were foiled in this longrunning conflict that awakened french nationalism. 04 GrecoPersian War Belligerents: Greek city states, Persian empire 499–449BC the city states of Greece overcame seemingly impossible odds in repelling a series of invasions launched by the full might of the Persian empire. 05 Guatemalan Civil War Belligerents: guatemalan military, leftish r...

TEN BAFFLING HISTORICAL MYSTERIES Nazca lines Where: Southern Peru created: 300bc–ad 600 Discovered: 1930s these extraordinary ground markings depicting animals and plants – some over 200m long – have puzzled scientists for decades. some have even claimed they’re ancient runways for visiting aliens. Piri Reis map  Where: Topkapı Palace, Istanbul, Turkey Created: 1513 Discovered: 1929 How did a 16th-century Turkish mariner map northern Antarctica – the continent wasn’t visited until 1818? Just one of the questions posed by Piri Reis’ remarkable cartography. Chou Chou buckle Where: China created: around ad 300 discovered: 1956 Aluminium wasn’t isolated until the 19th century. So how was this girdle fastener – found in the grave of Chinese general Chou Chou – created 15 centuries earlier and made from 85% aluminium? City of Nan Madol Where: Micronesia created: 12th–13th century ad Discovered: early 19th century this once-great city – dubbed the ...

TEN DOOMED EXPEDITIONS North face of the eiger Led by: Toni Kurz and andreas hinterstoisser Date: 1936 Kurz and Hinterstoisser both lost their lives during this famous attempt on the formidable swiss peak, the former tragically dying from exhaustion just metres from his would-be rescuers. Imperial Trans-Antarctic expedition Led by: ernest Shackleton date: 1914–17 shackleton’s attempt on a land crossing of Antarctica ended in disaster when his ship, endurance, became trapped in ice and sank. the story of his epic rescue mission is legendary. the Donner party led by: the reed and Donner families date: 1846–47 When a party of pioneer families and their employees got trapped in the mountains of the sierra nevada, this journey west to california descended into cannibalism. Polaris expedition led by: charles Francis hall Date: 1871 it wasn’t the cold that scuppered Hall’s attempt on the north Pole, but arsenic poisoning, suggesting that he may have been murdered by another mem...

TEN ANCIENT ENGINEERING ACHIEVEMENTS The Colosseum  Where: Rome Date built: aD 70–80 It took an estimated 100,000 cube mtr of travertine stone to build the largest amphitheatre in the Roman empire, accommodating 50,000 spectators. Saksaywaman Where: Peru Date built: 15th century Ad Scientists still don’t know how the Inca transported the massive boulders used to construct this huge walled complex in Cusco. Aqueduct of Segovia Where: Spain Date built: 1st century aD it may have been constructed by the romans 2,000 years ago, but this 167arch masterpiece still carries water from the river Frio to the town of Segovia today. Great Pyramid Of Giza Where: Egypt Date built: c 2500BC the tallest man-made structure on earth for 3,800 years, construction of the pyramid of Khufu took 100,000 workmen up to 20 years. Stonehenge Where: England Date built: From c 2500BC Our prehistoric ancestors may have transported 82 huge stones more than 200km from the Preseli M...