Creative Sandwich Art

The best thing about art is that they can show up in any form in the most unusual places. The food industry is one of the places where we have seen plenty of examples. Here are some more food art, this time in the form of delicious sandwiches.

Nightlife in England

Nightlife in England

Indian AutoRickshaw's Anatomy

The collage works of Serge Mendzhiyskogo

World's Largest Flower

World's Largest Flower

Rafflesia arnoldii is a member of the genus Rafflesia. It is noted for producing the largest individual flower on earth, and a strong odor of decaying flesh - the latter point earning it the nickname of "corpse flower". It occurs only in the rainforests of Sumatra and Borneo in the Indonesian Archipelago. Although there are some plants with larger flowering organs like the Titan Arum and Talipot palm, those are technically clusters of many flowers.

Several species of Rafflesia grow in the jungles of southeast Asia, including the Philippines. Many of them are threatened or endangered. The flower of Rafflesia arnoldii is the largest which attains a diameter of nearly one meter (3 ft) and can weigh up to 11 kilograms (24 lb).

It lives as a parasite on the Tetrastigma vine, which grows only in primary (undisturbed) rainforests. Rafflesia lacks any observable leaves, stems or even roots, yet is still considered a vascular plant. Similar to fungi, individuals grow as thread-like strands of tissue completely embedded within and in intimate contact with surrounding host cells from which nutrients and water are obtained. Perhaps the only part of Rafflesia that is identifiable as distinctly plant-like are the flowers; although, even these are unusual since they attain massive proportions, have a reddish-brown coloration and stink of rotting flesh, which is why it was nicknamed the "corpse flower". This scent attracts insects such as flies which then pollinate the rare plant. It is not to be confused with the Titan Arum, Amorphophallus titanum, which is also commonly referred to as the "corpse flower".

The Dubai Mall - The Largest Mall in the World by Area

The Dubai Mall - The Largest Mall in the World by Area
The Dubai Mall is the world's largest shopping mall based on total area and sixth largest by gross leasable area. Located in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, it is part of the Burj Khalifa complex, the 20-billion-dollar project has 1,200 shops. Access to the mall is provided via Doha Street, rebuilt as a double-decker road in April 2009.

Twice delayed, Dubai Mall opened on November 4, 2008, with about 600 retailers, marking the world's largest-ever mall opening in retail history. However it is not the largest in gross leasable space, and is surpassed in that category by several malls including the South China Mall, which is the world's largest, Golden Resources Mall, SM City North Edsa, and SM Mall of Asia.

The Dubai Mall has recorded a visitor turn-out of more than 60,000 tickets sold for the Dubai Aquarium and Discovery Centre in the first five days, following its opening. The Dubai Mall has hosted over 3 million visitors over the month of April 2009, while the mall attracts more than 750,000 visitors every week.

World's Largest Snowman - Olympia

World's Largest Snowman - Olympia

The record for the world's largest snowman was set in 2008 in Bethel, Maine. The snow-woman stood 122 feet 1 inch (37.21 m) in height, and was named in honor of Olympia Snowe, a U.S. Senator representing Maine.

The "snowwoman" towering over this village features eyelashes created from discarded skis and bright red lips made from painted car tires. She wears a giant red hat and a 100-foot-long scarf, and her blond tresses are made from rope. She gets a little bling from a snowflake pendant that's 6 feet long.

"She's a beauty. Gotta love those eyelashes," said Robin Zinchuk, executive director of the local chamber of commerce and a chief instigator of the town's offbeat project.

With the temperature in single digits, several hundred people including busloads of schoolchildren turned out for Friday's dedication of the 122-foot-tall mountain of snow.

This ski town of about 2,400 residents already holds the record for tallest snowman, dedicated in 1999. Since then, they have been waiting for someone else to break the record. When no one rose to the challenge, the folks here decided they'd have to break the record themselves.

The Largest Volcano on Earth - Mauna Loa (Hawaii)

The Largest Volcano on Earth - Mauna Loa (Hawaii)

Mauna Loa is the largest volcano on Earth in terms of volume and area covered and one of five volcanoes that form the Island of Hawaii in the U.S. state of Hawaii in the Pacific Ocean. It is an active shield volcano, with a volume estimated at approximately 18,000 cubic miles (75,000 km3), although its peak is about 120 feet (37 m) lower than that of its neighbor, Mauna Kea. The Hawaiian name "Mauna Loa" means "Long Mountain". Lava eruptions from Mauna Loa are silica-poor, thus very fluid: and as a result eruptions tend to be non-explosive and the volcano has relatively shallow slopes.
The volcano has probably been erupting for at least 700,000 years and may have emerged above sea level about 400,000 years ago, although the oldest-known dated rocks do not extend beyond 200,000 years. Its magma comes from the Hawaii hotspot, which has been responsible for the creation of the Hawaiian island chain for tens of millions of years. The slow drift of the Pacific Plate will eventually carry the volcano away from the hotspot, and the volcano will then become extinct within 500,000 to one million years from now.

Mauna Loa's most recent eruption occurred from March 24, 1984, to April 15, 1984. No recent eruptions of the volcano have caused fatalities, but eruptions in 1926 and 1950 destroyed villages, and the city of Hilo is partly built on lava flows from the late nineteenth century. In view of the hazards it poses to population centers, Mauna Loa is part of the Decade Volcanoes program, which encourages studies of the most dangerous volcanoes. Mauna Loa has been intensively monitored by the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory since 1912. Observations of the atmosphere are undertaken at the Mauna Loa Observatory, and of the Sun at the Mauna Loa Solar Observatory, both located near its summit. Hawaii Volcanoes National Park covers the summit and the southeastern flank of the volcano, including a separate volcano, Kīlauea.

Antonov An-225 - World's Largest Airplane

Antonov An-225 - World's Largest Airplane
 Currently the world's largest airplane, the An-225 Mriya (dream) is an enlarged version of the An-124. The original purpose of the An-225 was to ferry large components used in the Soviet space program. These duties were formerly performed by a modified M-4 Molot bomber, but this aircraft did not have the payload capabilities required by the rocketry developments of the 1980s. Antonov was called upon to develop a new aircraft capable of carrying the Buran space shuttle, components of the Energiya rocket, or other large cargos required by the construction and mining industries.

To minimize the An-225 development effort, Antonov used the existing An-124 as a starting point. This design was modified by lengthening the fuselage, increasing the wingspan, adding two engines, and redesigning the tail with twin vertical fins. The rear cargo doors were also removed to reduce weight although the An-225 retains a nose door. The greater weight of the An-225 also required four additional pairs of main landing gear tires.

The An-225 took to the air for the first time in 1988 and quickly set 106 world records in just one flight. The massive plane, complete with the Buran orbiter attached, also made quite a stir at the Paris air show in 1989. However, the abandonment of the Buran program after the collapse of the Soviet Union led to the grounding of the sole An-225.

7 World's Biggest Holes

7 World's Biggest Holes

Mirny Diamond Mine, Siberia

The Mirny Diamond Mine is located in Eastern Serbia near a small town known as Mirna. The mine itself is over 525 meters deep and more than 125 kilometers in diameter. The hole is so wide and so deep it is believed to cause a suction effect, which has caused several aircraft accidents in the area. The Mirny Diamond Mine is now considered a no fly zone!

Wembley - The Most Expensive Stadium Ever Built

Wembley - The Most Expensive Stadium Ever Built
Wembley Stadium (usually shortened to just Wembley) is a stadium, located in Wembley Park in London, England. Primarily an association football venue, Wembley is owned by The Football Association (The FA) via its subsidiary Wembley National Stadium Limited, and hosts the home international matches of the England national football team and the main English domestic cup finals. The Stadium is also used for music concerts and other sporting events. Wembley will host the 2011 UEFA Champions League Final.

Wembley's 90,000 capacity makes it the second largest stadium in Europe (after Camp Nou) and one of the largest (and tallest) in the world with every seat under cover. It is one of the most expensive stadia ever built, costing close to £800 million (roughly US$1.57 billion). Immediately following its opening, it was often referred to as the "new Wembley Stadium" to distinguish it from the original stadium. The land has been used for football since as early as the 1880s.

Millau Viaduct - World's Tallest Vehicular Bridge

Millau Viaduct - World's Tallest Vehicular Bridge
The Millau Viaduct (French: le Viaduc de Millau, Occitan: lo Viaducte de Milhau) is an enormous cable-stayed road-bridge that spans the valley of the river Tarn near Millau in southern France.

Designed by the structural engineer Michel Virlogeux and British architect Norman Foster, it is the tallest vehicular bridge in the world, with one mast's summit at 343 metres (1,125 ft) — slightly taller than the Eiffel Tower and only 37 m (121 ft) shorter than the Empire State Building.

The viaduct is part of the A75-A71 autoroute axis from Paris to Montpellier. Construction cost was around €400 million.

It was formally dedicated on 14 December 2004, inaugurated the day after and opened to traffic two days later.

The bridge won the 2006 IABSE Outstanding Structure Award.

World's Largest Indoor Ski Resort - Ski Dubai

Ski Dubai is an indoor ski resort with 22,500 square meters of indoor ski area. It is a part of the Mall of the Emirates, one of the largest shopping malls in the world, located in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

Opened in November 2005, the indoor resort features an 85-meter high indoor mountain with 5 slopes of varying steepness and difficulty, including a 400-meter-long run, the world's first indoor black run, and a 90-meter-long quarter pipe for snowboarders. A quad lift and a tow lift carry skiers and snowboarders up the mountain. Adjoining the slopes is a 3,000-square-meter Snow Park play area comprising sled and toboggan runs, an icy body slide, climbing towers, a snowball shooting gallery, an ice cave, and a 3D theater. Other attractions include a mirror maze and a snowman-making area. Winter clothing, ski and snowboard equipment are included in the price of admission.

An extremely efficient insulation system is the key to maintain the temperature of −1 °C during the day and −6 °C during the night when the snow is produced. That being said, the facility consumes 3000 gals of oil per day producing huge amounts of GHGs.

World's Longest Natural Beach - Cox's Bazar

World's Longest Natural Beach - Cox's Bazar

 Cox's Bazar is a town, a fishing port and district headquarters in Bangladesh. It is known for its wide sandy beach which, believed to be the world's longest natural sandy sea beach. It is an unbroken 125 km sandy sea beach with a gentle slope. It is located 150 km south of Chittagong. Cox’s Bazar is also known by the name "Panowa", the literal translation of which means "yellow flower". Its other old name was "Palongkee". The modern Cox's Bazar derives its name from Captain Cox (died 1799), an officer serving in British India. In the 18th century, an officer of British East India Company, Captain Hiram Cox was appointed as the Superintendent of Palongkee outpost after Warren Hastings became the Governor of Bengal. Captain Cox was specially mobilized to deal with a century long conflict between Arakan refugees and local Rakhains. The Captain was a compassionate soul and the plight of the people touched his heart. He embarked upon the mammoth task of rehabilitating refugees in the area, and made significant progress. A premature death took Captain Cox in 1799 before he could finish his work. But the work he had done earned him a place in the hearts of the locals and to commemorate his role in rehabilitation work a market was established and named after him as Cox's Bazaar ("Cox's Market"). Although Cox's Bazar is one of the most visited tourist destinations in Bangladesh, it has yet to become a major international tourist destination, due to lack of publicity.

World's Longest Inverted Roller Coaster

Located in China’s Guangdong Province, this is the world’s longest inverted roller coaster. It is set to start running on Feb 7 this year. This one kilometer long roller coaster designed by Switzerland-based Bolliger and Mabillard, has a vertical drop of 80 meters and is as high as a 30-storey building at its highest point. More than $27 million were spent in its making.

Spring Temple Buddha - The Tallest Statue in the World

Spring Temple Buddha - The Tallest Statue in the World

The Spring Temple Buddha is a statue depicting Vairocana Buddha located in the Zhaocun township of Lushan County, Henan, China. It is placed within the Fodushan Scenic Area, close to National Freeway no. 311.The statue was completed in 2002.

At 128 m (420 ft), which includes a 20 m (66 ft) lotus throne, it is the tallest statue in the world. When the 25 m (82 ft) pedestal/building it is placed upon is taken into account, the monument has a total height of 153 m (502 ft). As of October 2008, the hill on which the statue stands is being reshaped to form two further pedestals, the upper one being 15 m tall. The total height of the monument is now said to be 208 m.

Plans for its construction were announced soon after construction had begun on the Maitreya Project by Indian and British planners in Bihar, Northern India, which set out to be the world's largest statue itself.

The project as a whole was estimated to cost around $55m, $18m of which being spent on the statue. It was originally estimated to consist of 1,100 pieces of copper cast, with a total weight of 1,000 tonnes. Plans of the construction of the Spring Temple Buddha were announced soon after the blowing up of the Bamiyan Buddhas by the Taliban in Afghanistan. China has condemned the systematic destruction of the Buddhist heritage of Afghanistan.

World’s Most Expensive Home Entertainment System

World’s Most Expensive Home Entertainment System
 
Jeremy Kipnis, a music engineer, producer, classical music lover, has paid a whooping US $6 million for this amazing collection. And you have seen nothing yet. Wait until you find out what gadgets make this home theater so top notch.

Picture Elements:
Sony SRX-S110 Professional Video Projector (4,096-by-2,160)
Stewart 18-by-10-foot Snowmatte 1.0 Gain Laboratory-Grade Motion Picture Screen
Players and Sources:
Sony BDP-S1 Blu-ray Player
Sony PlayStation 3 Gaming Console
Toshiba HD-XA1 HD DVD Player
JVC HMDH-5U D-VHS Recorder
SATA Drive (72 HDTV Hours Total)
Mark Levinson Reference N°33 and N°33H.
Pioneer HLD-X0 Hi-Vision HDTV MUSE Laserdisc Player
Surround Processing and Decoding:
Theta Digital Generation VIII 32-bit 8x Oversampling Dual Processors (13)
Amplification:
Mark Levinson N° 33h Amplifiers (2)
McIntosh MC-2102 Amplifiers (30)
Crown Macro Reference Gold Amplifiers (3)
Speakers:
Snell 1800 THX Music & Cinema Reference Subwoofers (16)
Snell THX Music & Cinema Reference Towers (8)
MuRata ES103A Super Tweeters (10)
Snell THX Music & Cinema Reference LCR-2800 Center-Channel Speakers (3)

Angel Falls - The World's Highest Waterfall

Angel Falls - The World's Highest Waterfall
Angel Falls or Kerepakupai merú (which means "waterfall of the deepest place", in Pemon language, or: "Parakupa-vena", which means "the fall from the highest point"; Spanish: Salto Ángel) is the world's highest waterfall, with a height of 979 m (3,212 ft) and a plunge of 807 m (2,647 ft). The waterfall drops over the edge of the Auyantepui mountain in the Canaima National Park (Spanish: Parque Nacional Canaima), a UNESCO World Heritage site in the Gran Sabana region of Bolívar State, Venezuela.

The height of the falls is so great that before getting anywhere near the ground, the water is atomized by the strong winds and turned into mist. The mist can be felt a mile away. The base of the falls feeds into the Kerep River (alternatively known as the Río Gauya), which flows into the Churun River, a tributary of the Carrao River.

The height figure 3,212 feet (979 m) mostly consists of the main plunge but also includes about 0.25 miles (400 m) of shallowly sloped cascades and rapids below the drop and a 100-foot (30 m) high plunge downstream of the talus rapids. While the main plunge is undoubtedly the highest single drop in the world, including the lower cascades somewhat stretches the criteria for the measurement of waterfalls. Some other waterfalls, such as Yosemite Falls in North America, also include intermediary cascades in their height figures, but, in the case of Yosemite Falls, the middle cascades are much steeper and have less run than those of Angel Falls.

In the indigenous Pemon language Kerepakupai merú means 'waterfall of the deepest place'. The falls are sometimes referred to as Churún-merú, an error, since that name corresponds to another waterfall in the Canaima National Park. Churún in the Pemon language means "thunder".

Terex Titan - World’s Largest Truck

Terex Titan - World’s Largest Truck
 The Terex Titan 33-19 was a prototype off-road earth hauler built by the Terex Division of General Motors Corporation in 1974. It was first shown to the public in Las Vegas at the American Mining Congress. Built in General Motors' London, Ontario, Canada plant, the 33-19 was the largest in the Terex 33 series of off-road haulers, others being the 33-03, 33-05, 33-07, 33-09, 33-11 and the 33-15. It had an operating capacity of 350 short tons (320 t), an empty mass of 256 short tons (232 t), and a maximum loaded mass of 606 short tons (550 t). At the time of its construction, it was the largest truck ever built, but the size record was broken by the Caterpillar 797 in 1998 (360-400 US ton/325-350 tonnes).

The Titan was powered by a 16-cylinder 3,300/3,000 horsepower (2,500/2,200 kW) locomotive engine with a displacement of 10,343 cubic inches (169.49 l) coupled to a EMD AR10-D14 generator. This Electro-Motive Division engine, as the 16-645E4 prime mover, was intercooled and turbocharged. The generator then powered 4 electric traction motors, one at each rear wheel. The Terex featured large 40.00x57 tires made of rubber. It is 66 feet (20 m) long and 22.6 feet (6.9 m) tall; or 56 feet (17.1 m) tall with the dump body raised.

Terex assembled the Titan for Kaiser Steel in its Eagle Mountain iron mine in late 1974. At this mine the Titan suffered from downtime problems but eventually hauled some three-and-a-half million tons of earth until 1978.

In late 1978 it was then brought to Kaiser Steel's Sparwood mine in Canada. In 1980 the mine changed hands as B.C. Resources acquired all of the Kaiser property, and was renamed B.C. Coal. In 1983 the mine was again renamed, to Westar Mining, and the Titan also changed colors from lime green to Westar's blue and yellow. Shortly after, Westar directly purchased the Titan from General Motors, for US$200 thousand and $1 million in spare parts. In the following six years the Titan had an uptime rate of over 70% as it hauled loads of over 360 tons during this time. Westar finally retired the Titan in 1991.

World's Longest Car (Limousine)

World's Longest Car (Limousine)

The longest limousine built ever in the world is a limousine 100-ft long that was created by Jay Ohrberg of Burbank, California. This enormously long car is even in the Guinness Book of World Records now. This limousine rides on 26 tires spaced along the length of its body. It has 2 drivers’ cabins in the front and in the back as it’s really hard to drive such a vehicle. In order the limousine could turn and make turns around corners, its middle part is hinged to fold.

Jay Ohrberg created the longest limousine for exhibition purposes, however this news became a big sensation and many people were dreaming about hiring such a limousine. That’s why Jay provides the limousine for rentals for various functions and events. However the limousine is too long for driving in the streets and technically it’s not quite legal, but with specially trained chauffeurs in both cabins it’s possible.

Ulm Minster - World's Tallest Church

Ulm Minster - World's Tallest Church
Ulm Minster (German: Ulmer Münster, literally: minster) is a Lutheran church located in Ulm, Germany; it is the tallest church in the world, with a steeple measuring 161.53 metres (530 ft) and containing 768 steps. Although sometimes referred to as Ulm Cathedral because of its great size, the church is not a cathedral as it has never been the seat of a bishop. (The responsible bishop of the Evangelical State Church in Württemberg - member of the Evangelical Church in Germany - resides in Stuttgart.) Ulm Minster is a famous example of Gothic ecclesiastical architecture. Like Cologne Cathedral (Kölner Dom) - another building begun in the Gothic era - the Ulm Münster was not completed until the 19th century. From the top level at 143 metres (470 ft) there is a panoramic view of Ulm in Baden-Württemberg and Neu-Ulm in Bavaria and, in clear weather, a vista of the Alps from Säntis to the Zugspitze. The final stairwell to the top (known as the third Gallery) is a tall, spiraling staircase that has barely enough room for one person.

Measurements

• The church has a length of 123.56 metres (405.4 ft) and a width of 48.8 metres (160 ft).
• The building area is approximately 8,260 square metres (88,900 sq ft).
• The height of the central nave is 41.6 metres (136 ft), whilst the lateral naves are 20.55 metres (67.4 ft) high.
• The volume of the edifice is some 190,000 cubic metres (6,700,000 cu ft).
• The weight of the main steeple is estimated at 51,500 tonnes (50,700 LT; 56,800 ST).
• The church seats a congregation of 2,000.
• In the Middle Ages, before pews were introduced, it could accommodate 20,000 people.
• The Ulm Münster is the largest Lutheran church and the second largest church in Germany (after Cologne Cathedral).

Roger Federer - The Greatest Tennis Player Of All Time

Roger Federer - The Greatest Tennis Player Of All Time

 Roger Federer (born 8 August 1981) is a Swiss professional tennis player. As of January 18, 2010, he is ranked world number 1 by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP), having previously held the number one position for a record 237 consecutive weeks. Many sports analysts, tennis critics, former and current players consider Federer to be the greatest tennis player of all time.

Federer has won 15 Grand Slam singles titles, more than any other male player. He is one of six male players to have captured the career Grand Slam, one of only three (with Laver and Agassi) since the beginning of the Open Era and one of only two male players (the other being Agassi) in history to have won all four Grand Slam titles on three different surfaces (clay, grass and hard courts). Federer has appeared in an unprecedented 21 career Grand Slam finals, and as of September 2009, has reached the semi-finals or better of the last 22 Grand Slam tournaments, a record streak that spans over five years. Federer also holds the record of reaching 10 consecutive Grand Slam finals and has appeared in 17 of the last 18. Federer has won 4 ATP World Tour Finals and 16 ATP Masters Series tournaments, one less than all time winner Andre Agassi. He also won the Olympic Gold Medal in doubles with his compatriot Stanislas Wawrinka at the 2008 Summer Olympic Games. As a result of his successes in tennis, Federer was named the Laureus World Sportsman of the Year for four consecutive years (2005–2008).

The Most Expensive Object Ever Constructed - International Space Station

The Most Expensive Object Ever Constructed - International Space Station

The International Space Station (ISS) is an internationally developed research facility, which is being assembled in low Earth orbit. On-orbit construction of the station began in 1998 and is scheduled for completion by 2011. The station will remain in operation until at least 2015. With a greater mass than that of any previous space station, the ISS can be seen from the Earth with the naked eye, and, as of 2010[update], is the largest artificial satellite orbiting the Earth. The ISS serves as a research laboratory that has a microgravity environment in which crews conduct experiments in biology, human biology, physics, astronomy and meteorology. The station has a unique environment for the testing of the spacecraft systems that will be required for missions to the Moon and Mars. The ISS is operated by Expedition crews, and has been continuously staffed since 2 November 2000—an uninterrupted human presence in space for the past 9 years and 75 days. As of 1 December 2009, the crew of Expedition 22 is aboard.

The ISS is a synthesis of several space station projects that includes the American Freedom, the Soviet/Russian Mir-2, the European Columbus and the Japanese Kibō. Budget constraints led to the merger of these projects into a single multi-national programme. The ISS project began in 1994 with the Shuttle-Mir programme, and the first module of the station, Zarya, was launched in 1998 by Russia. Assembly continues, as pressurised modules, external trusses and other components are launched by American space shuttles, Russian Proton rockets and Russian Soyuz rockets. As of November 2009[update], the station consisted of 11 pressurised modules and an extensive integrated truss structure (ITS). Power is provided by 16 solar arrays mounted on the external truss, in addition to four smaller arrays on the Russian modules. The station is maintained at an orbit between 278 km (173 mi) and 460 km (286 mi) altitude, and travels at an average speed of 27,724 km (17,227 mi) per hour, completing 15.7 orbits per day.

Lucky Diamond Rich - The World's Most Tattooed Person

Lucky Diamond Rich - The World's Most Tattooed Person

Lucky Diamond Rich (born 1971, New Zealand) is "the world's most tattooed person" (a title formerly held by Tom Leppard), and has tattoos covering his entire body, including the inside of his foreskin, mouth and ears. He holds the Guinness world record as of 2006, being 100 percent tattooed.

He is also a performance artist and street performer whose act includes sword-swallowing, unicycling and juggling.

As a young boy, he read about and began to have recurring thoughts of the most tattooed men and women. It did not go much further than just a thought until he got his first tattoo, it was of a small juggling club on his hip.

He is an accomplished sword-swallower. Along with the Space Cowboy (real name Chayne Hultgren) he was jointly the first person to perform a double-sword swallowing while suspended upside-down.

He is credited as "Lucky Rich" on vocals for the 1998 5-track "Skin" EP by the band "Primitive Ghost". The lineup included Baby Lemonade (Vocals), Michael Sheridan (Guitar), FAB (Percussion), Bryan St. James (Programming) and Ollie Olsen (Programming). A video clip for the title track "Skin" was screened on ABC rage (TV program) 4 September 1998.

World's Largest Gorge - The Grand Canyon of the Colorado River

World's Largest Gorge - The Grand Canyon of the Colorado River
The Grand Canyon (Spanish: Gran Cañón) is a steep-sided gorge carved by the Colorado River in the United States in the state of Arizona. It is largely contained within the Grand Canyon National Park, one of the first national parks in the United States. President Theodore Roosevelt was a major proponent of preservation of the Grand Canyon area, and visited it on numerous occasions to hunt and enjoy the scenery.

The Grand Canyon is 277 miles (446 km) long, ranges in width from 4 to 18 miles (6.4 to 29 km) and attains a depth of over a mile (1.83 km) (6000 feet). Nearly two billion years of the Earth's geological history have been exposed as the Colorado River and its tributaries cut their channels through layer after layer of rock while the Colorado Plateau was uplifted. While the specific geologic processes and timing that formed the Grand Canyon are the subject of debate by geologists, recent evidence suggests the Colorado River established its course through the canyon at least 17 million years ago. Since that time, the Colorado River continued to erode and form the canyon to the point we see it as today.

Before European immigration, the area was inhabited by Native Americans who built settlements within the canyon and its many caves. The Pueblo people considered the Grand Canyon ("Ongtupqa" in Hopi language) a holy site and made pilgrimages to it. The first European known to have viewed the Grand Canyon was García López de Cárdenas from Spain, who arrived in 1540.


The Grand Canyon is a massive rift in the Colorado Plateau that exposes uplifted Proterozoic and Paleozoic strata, and is also one of the six distinct physiographic sections of the Colorado Plateau province. It is not the deepest canyon in the world; Kali Gandaki Gorge in Nepal is far deeper, nor the widest (Capertee Valley in Australia is about 1 km wider and longer than Grand Canyon) — but the Grand Canyon is known for its visually overwhelming size and its intricate and colorful landscape. Geologically it is significant because of the thick sequence of ancient rocks that are beautifully preserved and exposed in the walls of the canyon. These rock layers record much of the early geologic history of the North American continent.

Mammoth Cave - World's Longest Cave

Mammoth Cave - World's Longest Cave
Mammoth Cave National Park is a U.S. National Park in central Kentucky, encompassing portions of Mammoth Cave, the longest cave system known in the world. The official name of the system is the Mammoth-Flint Ridge Cave System for the ridge under which the cave has formed. The park was established as a national park on July 1, 1941. It became a World Heritage Site on October 27, 1981, and an international Biosphere Reserve on September 26, 1990.

The park's 52,835 acres (21,382 ha) are located primarily in Edmonson County, Kentucky, with small areas extending eastward into Hart County and Barren County. It is centered around the Green River, with a tributary, the Nolin River, feeding into the Green just inside the park. With a confirmed 365 miles of passageways it is by far the world's longest known cave system, being well over twice as long as the second longest cave system, which is South Dakota's Jewel Cave with 145 miles of passageways.

Mammoth Cave developed in thick Mississippian-aged limestone strata capped by a layer of sandstone, making the system remarkably stable. It is known to include more than 360 miles (580 km) of passageway; new discoveries and connections add several miles to this figure each year. Mammoth Cave National Park was established to preserve the cave system.

World's Most Dangerous Places To Live Cause By Mother Nature

World's Most Dangerous Places To Live Cause By Mother Nature

Nature is the home in which you can find out many exiting and dangerous places. Most dangerous places on the earth include volcano eruption valleys, cold places, mountains, lakes and thick dense forests. All these places make life incredible difficult for human beings. It is important to know about all these places before going there. In recent years, many people relocated from these places to safe areas. Our mother nature has many things which are not known to most people and dangerous places are one among those unknown things. This article gives best information on nine most dangerous places on the earth.

Mt Vesuvius Volcano, Campania, Italy

It is one of the world’s most dangerous and worst volcanoes. Normally a volcano erupts or explodes once in twenty years, but the last eruption of this volcano was in 1944. Mount Vesuvius is located in Campania, Italy. Millions of people are living close to this volcano. By chance, if volcano erupts, then many people will lose their lives. So in recent years, an attempt has been made to relocate some residents to non explosive location. In 79 AD an explosion of this volcano destroyed Pompeii and remains as popular tourist location in south of Napoli.

World's Longest Living Insect - Chan's Megastick

World's Largest Living Insect - Chan's Megastick
The world’s largest insect has been discovered by scientists in London.

At nearly the length of a human arm, the stick insect is not the kind of creepy crawlie you’d want to find sheltering in your bath tub.

Named Phobaeticus Chani - meaning "Chan's megastick" – the insect is more than half a metre with legs outstretched – 55.6cm between the tips of its long spindly legs.

No living examples of the creature have ever been seen, but they are thought to live in the tops of giant rain forest trees on the island of Borneo.

World's Largest Disco Ball

World's Largest Disco Ball
When the French conceptual artist Michel de Broin first spoke to his mates about producing the biggest disco ball the world had ever seen and suspending high above the night sky of Paris, surely they would have thought him a little nutso. True Michel's work does dabble in the absurd both in public and private spaces but a 7.5 metre disco ball featuring 1000 mirrors suspended by a freaking crane 50 metre into the air... I mean, really?

While many undoubtedly thought him a few stubbies short, Michel got the last laugh when his luminous, ginormous ball was suspended in the Jardin du Luxembourg during the Nuit Blanche event in Paris. The so called La Maîtresse de la Tour Eiffel when hit with spotlights from all over the city shot shards of light across Paris like a fairytale dream. Nice one Michel. Sure beats that dumb ass blimp that hovers over our city with that even dumber tv screen on it during that one day in September.

10 of the World's Largest Roadside Attractions

10 of the World's Largest Roadside Attractions

Big Merino

The Big Merino is a 15 metre tall concrete Merino sheep (a type of sheep that is drought tolerant), located in Goulburn, New South Wales, Australia. Nicknamed "Rambo" by locals, the Big Merino contains a gift shop on the ground floor and a wool display on the second floor. Visitors can climb to the top and look out through the Merino's eyes to view the local area. (At this time, Jan '08, there is a sign claiming that due to insurance reasons the lookout is closed.)

The Big Merino was officially opened on 20 September 1985. In 1992 the Hume Highway bypassed Goulburn, which resulted in a loss of 40 busloads of tourists to the Big Merino complex per day. On 26 May 2007, the Big Merino was moved to a location closer to the Hume Highway to increase visitor numbers and is now located near the freeway interchange at a service station.

Oktoberfest - World’s Largest Beer Festival

Oktoberfest - World’s Largest Beer Festival
Oktoberfest is a 16-day festival held each year in Munich, Germany, running from late September to early October. It is one of the most famous events in Germany and the world's largest fair, with some six million people attending every year, and is an important part of Bavarian culture. Other cities across the world also hold Oktoberfest celebrations, modeled after the Munich event.

The Munich Oktoberfest, traditionally, takes place during the sixteen days up to and including the first Sunday in October. In 1994, the schedule was modified in response to German reunification so that if the first Sunday in October falls on the 1st or 2nd, then the festival will go on until October 3 (German Unity Day). Thus, the festival is now 17 days when the 1st Sunday is October 2 and 18 days when it is October 1. The festival is held on an area named the Theresienwiese (field, or meadow, of Therese), often called d’ Wiesn for short.

The Largest Human Baby Every Born

The Largest Human Baby Every Born

The largest human newborn baby ever to be recorded was parented by Anna Haining Bates on January 19, 1879, four days after going into labor. The baby weighed 10.6 kg or nearly 24 pounds and was 30 inches (71 centimeters) tall. Each of his feet was six inches (152 mm) long. Sadly, the child was only able to survive for 9 hours. I could not find a record of his name. Anna Haining Bates was a Canadian from Mill Brook, New Annan and was famed for her great height, believed to be 2.27 m (7' 5½"). She weighed around 400 pounds. When visiting a circus in Halifax in which Martin Van Buren Bates, another enormously tall person was travelling.

Anna was spotted by the promoter and hired on the spot. The giant couple became a touring sensation and eventually fell in love, thus creating the largest baby ever recorded. While Anna was giving birth the doctors noticed that the baby’s head was too large and that greatly complicated the delivery and helped lead to the child’s death.

Anna Haining Bates (left)

Anna Haining Bates (right)

Cullinan Diamond - World's Largest Diamond Ever Found

Cullinan Diamond - World's Largest Diamond Ever Found

The Cullinan diamond is the largest rough gem-quality diamond ever found, at 3,106.75 carats (621.35 g).

he largest polished gem from the stone is named Cullinan I or the First Star of Africa, and at 530.2 carats (106.0 g) was the largest polished diamond in the world until the 1985 discovery of the Golden Jubilee Diamond, 545.67 carats (109.13 g), also from the Premier Mine. Cullinan I is now mounted in the head of the Sceptre with the Cross. The second largest gem from the Cullinan stone, Cullinan II or the Lesser Star of Africa, at 317.4 carats (63.5 g), is the fourth largest polished diamond in the world. Both gems are in the Crown Jewels of the United Kingdom.

History
The Cullinan diamond was found by Frederick Wells, surface manager of the Premier Diamond Mining Company in Cullinan, in what is today known as Gauteng, South Africa, on January 26, 1905. The stone was named after Sir Thomas Cullinan, the owner of the diamond mine.

Sir William Crookes performed an analysis of the Cullinan diamond before it was cut and mentioned its remarkable clarity, but also a black spot in the middle. The colours around the black spot were very vivid and changed as the analyzer was turned. According to Crookes, this pointed to internal strain. Such strain is not uncommon in diamonds.

The stone was bought by the Transvaal government and presented to King Edward VII on his birthday. It was cut into three large parts by Asscher Brothers of Amsterdam, and eventually into 9 large gem-quality stones and a number of smaller fragments. At the time, technology had not yet evolved to guarantee quality of the modern standard, and cutting the diamond was considered difficult and risky. In order to enable Asscher to cut the diamond in one blow, an incision was made, half an inch deep. Then, a specifically designed knife was placed in the incision and the diamond was split in one heavy blow. The diamond split through a defective spot, which was shared in both halves of the diamond.