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Every published model, bias and explainer — cross-linked and cited.
Burj Khalifa
The 828-metre Dubai skyscraper that has been the world's tallest building since 2010.
Read entry → WonderSalvator Mundi
The Leonardo-attributed painting of Christ that became the most expensive artwork ever sold.
Read entry → RecordThe Deepest Free Dives
Herbert Nitsch reached 253.2 metres on a single breath in the No-Limits freediving discipline in 2012.
Read entry → RecordThe Deepest Points in the Ocean
The Challenger Deep in the Mariana Trench is the deepest known point in the ocean at about 10,935 metres.
Read entry → RecordThe Fastest Human Sprinters
Usain Bolt holds the 100 m world record at 9.58 seconds, set in Berlin in 2009.
Read entry → RecordThe Fastest Human-Made Object
NASA's Parker Solar Probe is the fastest human-made object, reaching about 692,000 km/h near the Sun.
Read entry → RecordThe Fastest Land Animals
The cheetah is the fastest land animal, reaching around 110 km/h in short bursts.
Read entry → RecordThe Highest Mountains on Earth
Mount Everest is the highest mountain above sea level at 8,849 metres.
Read entry → RecordThe Hottest Places on Earth
Furnace Creek in Death Valley holds the highest reliably recorded air temperature, 56.7 °C in 1913.
Read entry → RecordThe Largest Animals Ever to Have Lived
The blue whale is the largest animal known to have existed, reaching about 30 metres and 190 tonnes.
Read entry → RecordThe Largest Planets in the Solar System
Jupiter is the largest planet in the Solar System, with a diameter of about 139,820 kilometres.
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Voyager 1 is the most distant human-made object, over 24 billion kilometres from Earth and still transmitting.
Read entry → RecordThe Most Expensive Cars Ever Sold
A 1955 Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR Uhlenhaut Coupé sold for €135 million in 2022, the most ever paid for a car.
Read entry → RecordThe Most Expensive Paintings Ever Sold
Leonardo da Vinci's Salvator Mundi is the most expensive painting ever sold, at $450.3 million in 2017.
Read entry → RecordThe Rarest Blood Type
Rh-null, or "golden blood," is the rarest known blood type, found in only a few dozen people worldwide.
Read entry → RecordThe Tallest Buildings in the World
The Burj Khalifa in Dubai is the world's tallest building at 828 metres.
Read entry → WonderUsain Bolt
The Jamaican sprinter who holds the 100 m and 200 m world records and won eight Olympic gold medals.
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