ZAP’S FACTS!
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The fastest, biggest, smallest, oldest and most extreme - the world at its outer edges.

50 facts
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The deadliest plant in the world is grown on farms around the world.
DEADLIEST

The deadliest plant in the world is grown on farms around the world.

Castor bean plants make a poison so strong that just a tiny amount of pure ricin can be dangerous - yet farmers grow them for oil.

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49 facts
The deadliest avalanche in history wiped out a town in three minutes.
DID YOU KNOW? The deadliest avalanche in history wiped out a town in three minutes. In 1970, an earthquake sent ice and rock thundering down Peru's Mount Huascarán at over 200 mph. 2 min read
The deadliest event in Earth's history was an asteroid the size of a city.
DID YOU KNOW? The deadliest event in Earth's history was an asteroid the size of a city. 66 million years ago, a 6-mile-wide rock slammed into Mexico and wiped out three-quarters of all life - including most dinosaurs. 2 min read
The deadliest volcanic eruption made a 'year without summer.'
DID YOU KNOW? The deadliest volcanic eruption made a 'year without summer.' When Mount Tambora exploded in Indonesia in 1815, the ash blocked the sun and farms froze halfway around the world. 2 min read
The deadliest animal on Earth is a tiny buzzing insect.
DID YOU KNOW? The deadliest animal on Earth is a tiny buzzing insect. Mosquitoes spread diseases like malaria that affect hundreds of millions of people every year - far more than any predator. 2 min read
The deadliest tsunami in modern history crossed an entire ocean.
DID YOU KNOW? The deadliest tsunami in modern history crossed an entire ocean. In 2004, a giant earthquake under the Indian Ocean sent waves racing to 14 countries at the speed of a jet plane. 2 min read
The most venomous snake hides in cracks in the Australian outback.
DID YOU KNOW? The most venomous snake hides in cracks in the Australian outback. One bite from an inland taipan contains enough venom to drop dozens of large animals. 2 min read
The deadliest spider can bite through a fingernail.
DID YOU KNOW? The deadliest spider can bite through a fingernail. Australia's Sydney funnel-web has fangs strong enough to pierce a shoe - and venom that's especially dangerous. 2 min read
The golden poison frog is small enough to sit on a coin.
DID YOU KNOW? The golden poison frog is small enough to sit on a coin. This bright yellow Colombian frog carries enough poison in its skin to make any predator regret a single lick. 2 min read
The box jellyfish has the most painful sting in the ocean.
DID YOU KNOW? The box jellyfish has the most painful sting in the ocean. Its venom is strong enough to harm a person in minutes, making it one of the deadliest animals in the sea. 2 min read
The oldest known land animal alive today is a 193-year-old tortoise.
DID YOU KNOW? The oldest known land animal alive today is a 193-year-old tortoise. Jonathan, a Seychelles giant tortoise living on the island of St. Helena, was born around 1832. 2 min read
The oldest known love poem was written more than 4,000 years ago.
DID YOU KNOW? The oldest known love poem was written more than 4,000 years ago. A Sumerian poem called Istanbul 2461 was carved into clay around 2030 BCE - the world's first known love letter. 1 min read
The oldest beer recipe is a song sung to a Sumerian goddess.
DID YOU KNOW? The oldest beer recipe is a song sung to a Sumerian goddess. Almost 4,000 years ago, brewers in Mesopotamia recorded how to make beer as a hymn to the goddess Ninkasi. 1 min read
The oldest musical instrument is a 60,000-year-old bone flute.
DID YOU KNOW? The oldest musical instrument is a 60,000-year-old bone flute. A cave bear's thigh bone with four carved holes, found in Slovenia, was made by Neanderthals long before humans like us arrived in Europe. 2 min read
The oldest hotel in the world has been open for 1,300 years.
DID YOU KNOW? The oldest hotel in the world has been open for 1,300 years. Nishiyama Onsen Keiunkan in Japan has welcomed guests since the year 705 - through emperors, samurai and earthquakes. 2 min read
The oldest restaurant in the world has been serving food since 1725.
DID YOU KNOW? The oldest restaurant in the world has been serving food since 1725. Sobrino de Botín in Madrid, Spain, has cooked meals in the same wood-fired oven for 300 years. 1 min read
The oldest writing in the world is over 5,000 years old.
DID YOU KNOW? The oldest writing in the world is over 5,000 years old. Ancient Sumerians in modern-day Iraq pressed wedge-shaped marks into clay around 3200 BCE - the start of written language. 2 min read
The oldest wooden building in the world has stood for 1,400 years.
DID YOU KNOW? The oldest wooden building in the world has stood for 1,400 years. Horyu-ji temple in Japan, finished around 607 CE, is the oldest wooden structure still standing - and still in use. 2 min read
A pine tree in California has been alive for almost 5,000 years.
DID YOU KNOW? A pine tree in California has been alive for almost 5,000 years. Methuselah, a bristlecone pine in the White Mountains, is older than the Great Pyramid of Giza. 2 min read
The oldest known story painted on a cave wall is over 51,000 years old.
DID YOU KNOW? The oldest known story painted on a cave wall is over 51,000 years old. On the island of Sulawesi, prehistoric artists painted a pig and three human-like figures - the oldest scene ever found. 2 min read
The fastest production motorcycle has a helicopter engine.
DID YOU KNOW? The fastest production motorcycle has a helicopter engine. The MTT Y2K is powered by a turbine from a helicopter. It tops out around 250 mph - and you can actually buy one. 2 min read
The fastest skier on Earth has hit 158.8 mph.
DID YOU KNOW? The fastest skier on Earth has hit 158.8 mph. Frenchman Simon Billy held on at 255.5 km/h down an Alpine slope steeper than most ski jumps - a 2023 world record. 1 min read
The fastest human swimmer averages over 5 mph.
DID YOU KNOW? The fastest human swimmer averages over 5 mph. Australian Cameron McEvoy broke the men's 50m freestyle record in 2026 with 20.88 seconds - a slow walk for you, a sprint in water. 1 min read
The world record for solving a Rubik's cube is under three seconds.
DID YOU KNOW? The world record for solving a Rubik's cube is under three seconds. Top speedcubers can scramble and solve a 3x3 cube faster than you can read this sentence. 2 min read
The world's fastest cup stackers move so fast it looks like a video glitch.
DID YOU KNOW? The world's fastest cup stackers move so fast it looks like a video glitch. Speed-stackers can build and take apart a pyramid of 12 cups in under five seconds. 1 min read
The fastest typists can hit more than 200 words per minute.
DID YOU KNOW? The fastest typists can hit more than 200 words per minute. Modern speed-typing champions can fire off whole novels in a day - faster than most people can read out loud. 1 min read
The fastest skateboarder ever hit 91 mph going downhill.
DID YOU KNOW? The fastest skateboarder ever hit 91 mph going downhill. Peter Connolly bombed down a road in Quebec, Canada, on a normal-looking longboard, faster than cars on a highway. 1 min read
The fastest boat ever flew across the water at 317 mph.
DID YOU KNOW? The fastest boat ever flew across the water at 317 mph. Ken Warby's homemade boat, Spirit of Australia, holds a 1978 record that nobody has beaten in nearly 50 years. 1 min read
The fastest plane ever built could outrun a missile.
DID YOU KNOW? The fastest plane ever built could outrun a missile. The SR-71 Blackbird flew at over 2,193 mph - fast enough to escape enemy rockets simply by speeding up. 2 min read
The fastest train in regular service floats above the track.
DID YOU KNOW? The fastest train in regular service floats above the track. Shanghai's maglev train hits 268 mph by hovering on magnets instead of running on wheels. 2 min read
The smallest chess set in the world fits on a fingernail.
DID YOU KNOW? The smallest chess set in the world fits on a fingernail. Russian artist Anatoly Konenko made a chess set so tiny the king is shorter than a grain of rice. 1 min read
A nanoscale Stonehenge was carved with a beam of charged atoms.
DID YOU KNOW? A nanoscale Stonehenge was carved with a beam of charged atoms. Researchers built a model of Stonehenge so small that 100 of them could fit across a human hair. 1 min read
There is a working screwdriver smaller than a sesame seed.
DID YOU KNOW? There is a working screwdriver smaller than a sesame seed. Watchmakers and electronics builders use screwdrivers with tips so small they look like glittering needles under a microscope. 1 min read
The smallest mechanical watch has 98 tiny parts inside.
DID YOU KNOW? The smallest mechanical watch has 98 tiny parts inside. The Jaeger-LeCoultre Calibre 101 is a watch movement only about the size of a kidney bean - and it still ticks perfectly. 1 min read
The smallest computer is smaller than a grain of rice.
DID YOU KNOW? The smallest computer is smaller than a grain of rice. The Michigan Micro Mote is a fully working computer about the size of a salt crystal - yet it can sense, think and remember. 2 min read
Scientists built an engine made from a single atom.
DID YOU KNOW? Scientists built an engine made from a single atom. In 2016 a German team trapped one calcium atom and used it to push and pull - the smallest engine ever made. 2 min read
The smallest dog ever weighed about as much as a stick of butter.
DID YOU KNOW? The smallest dog ever weighed about as much as a stick of butter. A Chihuahua named Milly was just 3.8 inches tall - short enough to stand under a coffee mug. 1 min read
A man in London once lived in a house only 3 feet wide.
DID YOU KNOW? A man in London once lived in a house only 3 feet wide. The narrowest home ever recorded was squeezed into a leftover gap between two buildings - and someone really called it home. 1 min read
The smallest country in the world is smaller than many city parks.
DID YOU KNOW? The smallest country in the world is smaller than many city parks. Vatican City covers just 0.19 square miles - you could walk all the way across it in about 15 minutes. 2 min read
The smallest book ever printed is tinier than a grain of salt.
DID YOU KNOW? The smallest book ever printed is tinier than a grain of salt. Canadian scientists made a book of fairy-tale text just 0.07 mm wide - readable only with a powerful microscope. 1 min read
The biggest pumpkin ever grown weighed more than a small car.
DID YOU KNOW? The biggest pumpkin ever grown weighed more than a small car. Twin brothers in England grew a 2,819-pound pumpkin in 2025, nicknamed Muggle - the heaviest one ever measured. 1 min read
The biggest gold nugget ever found weighed more than a kid.
DID YOU KNOW? The biggest gold nugget ever found weighed more than a kid. The Welcome Stranger nugget, dug up in Australia in 1869, weighed 158 pounds of nearly pure gold. 1 min read
The biggest meteorite ever found weighs as much as 10 elephants.
DID YOU KNOW? The biggest meteorite ever found weighs as much as 10 elephants. The Hoba meteorite in Namibia is the largest single meteorite known - about 60 tons of solid metal sitting in a field. 1 min read
A cave in Mexico holds crystals as long as buses.
DID YOU KNOW? A cave in Mexico holds crystals as long as buses. The Cave of Crystals in Naica contains gypsum spikes up to 39 feet long - the biggest natural crystals ever found. 2 min read
The largest shopping mall has its own ski slope and aquarium.
DID YOU KNOW? The largest shopping mall has its own ski slope and aquarium. The Dubai Mall covers over 12 million square feet and contains an ice rink, a giant aquarium and more than 1,200 shops. 1 min read
The biggest crowd ever gathered held more people than most countries.
DID YOU KNOW? The biggest crowd ever gathered held more people than most countries. At the 2025 Kumbh Mela festival in India, over 500 million people came together over six weeks - the largest gathering in history. 2 min read
The biggest dam in the world made Earth spin slightly slower.
DID YOU KNOW? The biggest dam in the world made Earth spin slightly slower. China's Three Gorges Dam holds back so much water that scientists can measure how it changed the length of a day. 2 min read
The largest pizza ever made was wider than a soccer field.
DID YOU KNOW? The largest pizza ever made was wider than a soccer field. A 2023 pizza in California stretched over 13,990 square feet - enough slices to feed more than 68,000 people. 1 min read
The longest bridge in the world is over 100 miles long.
DID YOU KNOW? The longest bridge in the world is over 100 miles long. China's Danyang–Kunshan Grand Bridge carries high-speed trains for 102 miles across rice fields, rivers and lakes. 2 min read
The tallest building on Earth is more than half a mile high.
DID YOU KNOW? The tallest building on Earth is more than half a mile high. The Burj Khalifa in Dubai stands 2,717 feet tall - taller than two Eiffel Towers stacked on top of each other. 2 min read

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