World Records & Superlatives
Every superlative in the encyclopedia — the tallest, fastest, deepest, rarest and most expensive, each with a sourced ranking and an as-of date.
The Deepest Free Dives
Herbert Nitsch reached 253.2 metres on a single breath in the No-Limits freediving discipline in 2012.
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.
RecordThe Fastest Human Sprinters
Usain Bolt holds the 100 m world record at 9.58 seconds, set in Berlin in 2009.
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.
RecordThe Fastest Land Animals
The cheetah is the fastest land animal, reaching around 110 km/h in short bursts.
RecordThe Highest Mountains on Earth
Mount Everest is the highest mountain above sea level at 8,849 metres.
RecordThe Hottest Places on Earth
Furnace Creek in Death Valley holds the highest reliably recorded air temperature, 56.7 °C in 1913.
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.
RecordThe Largest Planets in the Solar System
Jupiter is the largest planet in the Solar System, with a diameter of about 139,820 kilometres.
RecordThe Most Distant Human-Made Object
Voyager 1 is the most distant human-made object, over 24 billion kilometres from Earth and still transmitting.
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.
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.
RecordThe Rarest Blood Type
Rh-null, or "golden blood," is the rarest known blood type, found in only a few dozen people worldwide.
RecordThe Tallest Buildings in the World
The Burj Khalifa in Dubai is the world's tallest building at 828 metres.