Cheetahs are capable of reaching speeds of up to 114 km (71 miles) per hour, making them the fastest land animals. However, they can maintain such speeds for short distances only. They can accelerate from 0 to 96.5 km (60 miles) per hour in less than three seconds. This rapid acceleration is

The speed of a snail varies depending on the species. Most prosobranchs—a group that includes some land, marine, and freshwater snails—move at a speed of less than 8 cm (about 3 inches) per minute, but abalone (Haliotis) has been reported to move at almost 10 times that rate. Some aquatic, tropical

Bears, despite their at times lumbering appearance, can move at impressive speeds in pursuit of prey. The fastest of these mammals are grizzly bears. Known for their massive size and strength, they can reach top speeds of 35 miles per hours (56 kilometers per hour) over short distances. This speed

Eagles generally soar at speeds of about 50 km (30 miles) per hour when flying at high altitudes. They can accelerate to even greater speeds when diving in pursuit of prey. The golden eagle (Aquila chrysaetos), one of the fastest eagle species, can swoop down at 240 to 320 km (150 to 200 miles) per

The average horse can reach speeds of 50 km (30 miles) per hour at a gallop, the animal’s fastest gait (pattern of leg movements while in motion). Horses specifically bred for racing, such as Thoroughbreds and American Quarter Horses, can achieve even greater speeds—sometimes more than 64 km (40

Modern fighter jets can reach supersonic speeds exceeding 1,000 miles (1,600 kilometers) per hour. The journey to these impressive speeds began with the fighter aircraft of World War I, which were primarily biplanes with wooden frames and cloth skins, reaching speeds of about 135 miles (215 km) per

Helicopters typically fly at speeds of about 150 mph (240 km/hr), with some experimental flights having reached up to 290 mph (465 km/hr). The record for the fastest officially recognized helicopter flight, certified by the International Aeronautical Federation (FAI), is held by the Westland Lynx

Hummingbirds, those tiny marvels of the avian world, can reach speeds greater than 48 km per hour (30 miles per hour) during regular flight. However, during courtship displays, male hummingbirds have been known to dive at 88.5–96.5 km per hour (55–60 miles per hour) to attract a female’s attention.

Tornadoes can travel at speeds of up to 120 km (75 miles) per hour in extreme examples, with an average forward speed of about 48 km (30 miles) per hour. Tornadoes are notoriously unpredictable when it comes to their travel speed. They can seem to linger in one place or move as fast as a car going

Earth spins at a velocity of about 1,674 kilometers (1,040 miles) per hour at the Equator. The speed at which Earth spins varies depending on the latitude. To find the velocity at any given latitude, one multiplies the equatorial speed by the cosine of the latitude. This means that the farther away

The visible flash of a lightning strike travels at the speed of light (670 million miles per hour), while the electrical discharge itself travels more slowly, roughly around 200 million miles per hour (about 322 million km per hour). However, the actual speed of the discharge varies, depending on

The rate at which the universe is expanding is called the Hubble constant, named after astronomer Edwin Hubble, who, with Milton Humason, showed convincingly that the velocity with which a galaxy was moving away from Earth was proportional to its distance. That is, velocity = Hubble constant ×

In 2009 Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt set the world record in the 100-meter sprint at 9.58 seconds. For those of us more accustomed to sitting than sprinting, to translate this feat into terms of speed is to simply underscore the stunning nature of Bolt’s performance. Speed is the rate at which an

The Concorde jet could reach a maximum cruising speed of 2,179 km (1,354 miles) per hour, or Mach 2.04 (more than twice the speed of sound). This supersonic speed allowed it to significantly reduce travel time, making it possible to fly from London to New York City in about three hours. By

Financial technology, or fintech, is a broad category of technology-driven financial services. Much of the modern financial system operates through apps, websites, and other digital tools. If you’ve used a bank account, made a digital payment, or managed money online, you’ve likely used

The Gemini spaceflights of 1965–66 were designed to acquire the skills necessary for the Apollo lunar landing program. A key step was performing docking between two vehicles in space; in the Apollo program, the command module, which carried the astronauts, would have to dock with the lunar module,

Low-key, goated, crash out. You’ve probably heard these terms tossed around online, in class, or at work, but what do they actually mean? If you’ve ever nodded along only to realize you’re not quite sure what was just said, you’re not alone. Members of Generation Z—those born roughly between the

Walter Abish: How German Is It/Wie Deutsch ist es (1980), often considered Abish’s best work, is a multilayered novel about postwar Germany and its past. Other works by Abish include Duel Site (1970), a collection of poems; 99: The New Meaning (1990), a group of narratives; and…

Johann Heinrich Pestalozzi: …Gertrud ihre Kinder lehrt (1801; How Gertrude Teaches Her Children) contains the main principles of intellectual education: that the child’s innate faculties should be evolved and that he should learn how to think, proceeding gradually from observation to comprehension to the formation of clear ideas. Although the teaching method is…

Richard Llewellyn: …and playwright, known especially for How Green Was My Valley (1939; filmed 1941), a best-selling novel about a Welsh mining family. It was followed by Up, Into the Singing Mountain (1960), And I Shall Sleep . . . Down Where the Moon Is Small (1966), and Green, Green My Valley…

John Ford: …The Grapes of Wrath (1940), How Green Was My Valley (1941), and The Quiet Man (1952)—were of this genre. His films, whether westerns or in other genres, are notable for a turn-of-the-20th-century ideal of American masculinity—loyal, self-deprecating yet competent, dependable in a scrap, bound by duty, courtly if somewhat tongue-tied…

While many associate the modern Olympics with tradition, the quadrennial sporting event is continually changing. There’s the size of the Games: at the Athens Olympics in 1896, 241 athletes competed in 43 events, while the 2020 Tokyo Games (delayed until 2021 owing to the COVID-19 pandemic) featured

Zoroastrianism is one of the world’s oldest monotheistic religions. Founded in ancient Persia in the 6th century BCE, it gradually overtook local polytheistic faiths. Zoroastrianism was even practiced by Persia’s ruling families. Under the Sasanian empire, which was founded in 224 CE, it was the

The majority of birds fly at altitudes of about 150 meters (around 500 feet) or lower. During migration, however, many species fly at higher altitudes, often around 610 to 1,525 meters (2,000 to 5,000 feet). Exceptions include Rüppell’s griffon vulture, which has been recorded flying at an altitude

Aircraft fly at a wide range of altitudes, from about 3,000 to 98,400 feet (900 to 30,000 meters). Commercial airplanes on long-haul routes usually fly at cruising altitudes of about 30,000 to 40,000 feet (9,100 to 12,000 meters) above sea level. Some business jets can fly higher; for example,

A thunderstorm on a hot summer afternoon might cool down the air outside, but the air around the lightning itself can get incredibly hot. Lightning is electricity, so it does not have a temperature by itself. However, as the lightning passes through the air, or strikes an unsuspecting tree, it

The surface of the Sun, known as the photosphere, reaches a temperature of about 5,800 kelvin (K; 10,000 degrees °F). This intense heat is what gives the Sun its glow, providing the warmth necessary for life on Earth. Deep within the Sun, the temperature in the core is 15 million kelvin (27 million

Housing inflation refers to the rising cost of living in or purchasing a home, and it’s a tricky and often misunderstood topic. Contributing to the confusion are numerous reports that measure different aspects of the housing market—home values, rent prices, and material costs, among others—with no

Henry Morton Stanley: Relief of Livingstone: How I Found Livingstone was published soon after Stanley’s arrival in England in the late summer of 1872, when the exploits of this hitherto unknown adventurer gave rise to controversy. Members of the Royal Geographical Society (RGS) resented an American journalist having succeeded in relieving…

Carolyn M. Rodgers: With how i got ovah: New and Selected Poems (1975), Rodgers moved away from the stridency that marks her early work and offered mature reflections on love, family, and religion, mostly from an autobiographical perspective. Critics praised her refined voice, and the book was a finalist…

Mary-Louise Parker: …performance in the stage drama How I Learned to Drive (1997), which followed the relationship between Parker’s character, the insecure Li’l Bit, and the sexually abusive Uncle Peck (played by David Morse).

Tom Holland: Childhood and early career: …Ronan in the action drama How I Live Now (2013). In 2015 he appeared as the son of Thomas Cromwell in the British miniseries Wolf Hall, based on the novels by Hilary Mantel about the rise of Cromwell in the court of King Henry VIII. That same year Holland starred…

Bryan Cranston: Other TV shows: Sneaky Pete and Your Honor: …had a recurring role on How I Met Your Mother and did voice work on the animated series Robot Chicken, SuperMansion, and Family Guy. In the Amazon crime drama Sneaky Pete—the pilot episode of which debuted in 2015, though the first season did not air until two years later—Cranston portrayed…

Richard Lester: …the wickedly satiric antiwar pieces How I Won the War (1967) and The Bed Sitting Room (1969)—were cut from the same stylistic cloth as the director’s two Beatles pictures, and the first of them was awarded the Palme d’Or at the Cannes film festival. His later films were more “mainstream”…

Charli XCX: Vroom Vroom, Barbie soundtrack, and other recordings from the late 2010s and early 2020s: … and the albums Charli (2019), How I’m Feeling Now (2020), and Crash (2022). Over the years she has collaborated with many artists, including Troye Sivan, A.G. Cook, and Lorde. In 2023 mainstream listeners got a feel for her sound when the single “Speed Drive” was featured in a pivotal chase…

Dolphins are highly intelligent animals, and this intelligence appears in many aspects of their lives. One well-documented example is their exceptional social memory, the longest recorded in any nonhuman species. This capacity allows them to recall and identify specific individuals they were once

To understand how interest rates work, you first need to look at the two ways in which they affect you. There’s the rate you pay when you borrow money from a lender, and the interest rate you receive when you deposit money at a bank or credit union. Interest rates set by lenders cover a variety of

Vaccines play an essential role in disease prevention, helping minimize the spread of contagious illness and saving countless lives. Before vaccines ever gain widespread use in humans, however, they undergo years of research and development, with multiple rounds of clinical testing, to ensure that

When not enough snow falls at winter sports resorts, artificial snow is used to supplement nature’s deficit. Despite its name artificial snow is not made of different materials from real snow. Natural hexagonal snowflakes are made when ice crystals form around minute particles of dust or chemical

BMI stands for “body mass index” and is an estimate of total body fat. BMI does not measure body fat directly, but it does help determine whether a person is clinically underweight or obese. The formula to calculate BMI is as follows: weight (kg) / [height (m)]2 = BMI For adults over age 20, a BMI

Cheese production involves curdling milk to form solid curds and liquid whey, after which the curds are processed, shaped, and matured into the final product. The process of making cheese usually begins with fresh cow’s, goat’s, or sheep’s milk, which is pasteurized and then inoculated with starter

Chocolate making is a fascinating process that begins with the cocoa bean, the seed of the cacao tree, which thrives in tropical climates. Once harvested, the beans are fermented for several days, a crucial step that develops their flavor, fragrance, and color. After fermentation, the beans are

Coffee "beans" (they aren’t really beans) naturally contain caffeine. Although a jolt of caffeine is exactly what many people are looking for when they reach for a cup of joe, the beans can be processed to remove most of the stimulant, creating a drink that can be enjoyed at night without losing

The Summer Olympic Games mean that the graceful sport of diving is once again in the international spotlight. The individual and synchronized events on the platform and springboard showcase the aerial talents of these athletes, although it can be hard to tell how some dives are better than others.

Gold is formed through cosmic and geological processes that involve the concentration and deposition of the metal in the Earth’s crust. Gold present in Earth’s crust is thought to have originated with cosmic events, primarily supernovae and neutron star collisions, that occurred billions of years

Only a handful of the more than 20,000 species of bees on Earth make honey, with domesticated honeybees (Apis mellifera) being the major commercial source of the sweet liquid. Honeybees first collect nectar from flowers (and sometimes non-floral nectar sources) and store it in their “honey

Immediately following an injury, the traumatized area becomes red, warm, and painful, and it begins to swell. The swelling process, also known as edema, is the result of acute inflammation, a response triggered by damage to living tissues. In the case of injury, the purpose of the inflammatory

The behavior of light cannot be explained solely by models of particles or solely by models of waves. If light is a particle, then why does it refract when travelling from one medium to another? And if light is a wave, then why does it dislodge electrons? But all behavior of light can be explained

Marble is formed when limestone or dolomite (rocks composed of calcium magnesium carbonate) recrystallizes under the influence of intense heat, pressure, and chemical changes involving aqueous solutions, a process called metamorphism. This recrystallization produces a denser rock and gives marble

The journey of silk begins with the silkworm, specifically the domesticated silkworm known as Bombyx mori. This caterpillar is raised in a process called sericulture, where it is fed mulberry leaves until it is ready to spin a cocoon. The silkworm builds the cocoon by producing and surrounding

Sugar production starts with either sugarcane (Saccharum officinarum) or sugar beets (Beta vulgaris), the two primary sources of sucrose. Sucrose is found in many plants, but it occurs at concentrations high enough for economic recovery only in those two; the sugar maple tree and the date palm also

To win a game in tennis, a player must win four points and must win by a margin of two. The scoring goes as follows, after starting at love: 15, 30, 40, game. This system is medieval in origin. It never has been satisfactorily explained why three points equal 40 rather than 45. Zero is generally

As the internationally renowned 14th Dalai Lama has aged, speculation about how the future 15th Dalai Lama will be chosen has increased. There were doubts about whether there would be a 15th Dalai Lama until July 2025, when the 14th Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso, affirmed that after his death there

A new pope is elected to lead the Roman Catholic Church through a procedure known as the papal conclave, which takes place in Vatican City after a pope dies or resigns. Only cardinals under the age of 80 are eligible to vote, and the selection is typically made from among the cardinals themselves,

This article was originally published on May 1, 2020. In general, the unemployment rate in the United States is obtained by dividing the number of unemployed persons by the number of persons in the labor force (employed or unemployed) and multiplying that figure by 100. There are, however, various

Joint ventures are collaborative business arrangements where two or more parties come together to form a new entity or partnership. The partners in the joint venture use contracts or a new corporate entity to pool resources, expertise, and capital in pursuit of a common business objective. Although

N.K. Jemisin: …collection of short stories titled How Long ’til Black Future Month? She subsequently released “Emergency Skin” (2019), in which an explorer whose people fled centuries before returns to Earth and does not find the postapocalyptic world he expected; “Emergency Skin” won the Hugo Award in 2020 for best novelette. She…

South Africa: Film: …and filmmaker Gibson Kente directed How Long (Must We Suffer…)? (1976), the first major South African film made by a Black artist. A Dry White Season (1989), based on a novel by Brink, used a largely American cast to bring the harsh reality of apartheid to an international audience. Other…

Helen Tamiris: Her best-known concert piece, How Long Brethren (1937), depicted the despair of unemployed Southern blacks and was danced to Lawrence Gellert’s “Negro Songs of Protest” sung by an African American chorus.

Alligators can live for about 50 years in the wild and even longer in captivity, often surpassing the 70-year mark. Their extended life span in captivity is supported by regular feeding and controlled environments such as zoos, where there are no predators. For instance, Muja, an American alligator

Ticks are parasitic, blood-feeding arachnids with more than 800 species worldwide. They are remarkably resilient creatures, renowned for their ability to survive long periods without a blood meal. The exact duration depends on the species and life stage (larva, nymph, or adult), but some ticks can

Whales can hold their breath for varying durations depending on the species, with some capable of staying submerged for more than an hour. Sperm whales (Physeter macrocephalus) are among the most impressive breath-holders in the whale world. These deep-diving giants can remain underwater for about

Dinosaurs roamed the Earth for an impressive span of about 165 to 180 million years. They first appeared about 245 million years ago during the beginning of the Middle Triassic Epoch. This was a time when the continents were joined together in a supercontinent known as Pangea. As the continents

The influenza pandemic of 1918–19, also called the Spanish flu, lasted between one and two years. Companion, Spanish Flu, 1918, pandemic, influenza, three waves The pandemic occurred in three waves, though not simultaneously around the globe. In the Northern Hemisphere, the first wave originated in

The Mughals established their rule in India after Babur defeated Delhi’s Sultan Ibrahim Lodi at the First Battle of Panipat in April 1526, thus founding the dynasty. Babur, who reigned from 1526–30, was descended from the Turkic conqueror Timur (Tamerlane) on his father’s side and from Chagatai,

Chicken eggs typically take about 21 days to hatch. This is the time it takes for a fertilized egg to develop into a chick ready to emerge. The process begins with the hen laying the egg, and if conditions are optimal, the embryo inside will start to develop. Temperature and humidity need to be

Elephants have varied lifespans depending on whether they live in the wild or in captivity. The lifespan of wild elephants can be up to 60 or 70 years. In the wild the availability of food and water, the presence of predators, and human activities such as poaching and habitat destruction play

There are a number of species of social bees with colonies dependent on a queen. The most ubiquitous and well known of these is the western honeybee (Apis mellifera), from which most commercial honey is harvested. A western honeybee queen can live up to five years—a remarkable lifespan given that

Tigers typically live for 10–15 years in the wild but longer in captivity, sometimes reaching 20 years or more. The life expectancy of wild tigers is primarily determined by the availability of prey, the quality of their habitat, and threats such as poaching and human encroachment. Factors such as

Tortoises are renowned for their impressive life spans, as some species live for more than 60 years. This longevity is a result of adaptations such as a slow metabolism and protective shells, which help them avoid predators and conserve energy. Captivity can significantly extend a tortoise’s life

A patent typically lasts 20 years from the filing date of the application. This standard duration is common around the world, providing inventors with time to benefit from their creations before they enter the public domain. The two-decade term aims to balance inventors’ rights with the broader

The Jewish holiday of Hanukkah is celebrated for eight days or—more importantly—eight nights. Days in the Jewish calendar begin and end at sundown, and the holiday’s main ritual of lighting the menorah occurs over the course of eight nights. Hanukkah begins on the evening of Kislev 25 on the Jewish

The process of food digestion typically takes between 24 and 72 hours. The precise length of time is determined primarily by the type of food consumed and individual digestive health. Digestion begins in the mouth, where food is chewed and mixed with saliva. Saliva contains enzymes that initiate

Conventional plastics are not biodegradable and often take hundreds of years to break down. Plastics are primarily made from synthetic polymers derived from petroleum, which are designed to resist natural decay processes and thus persist in the environment for extended periods. Unlike organic

Rigor mortis sets in about two to six hours after death, starting in the smaller muscles of the body, such as those in the hands and face. The process of muscle stiffening, which is the primary characteristic of rigor mortis, occurs because following the cessation of breathing, oxygen is no longer

In theory commercial passenger aircraft, which have a cruising speed of 575–600 mph (925–965 km/h), could fly nonstop around the world in about 42 hours. In practice, nonstop flights around the world are rare and challenging because of the need for specialized aircraft that can carry enough fuel

The time taken to reach the Moon varies depending on propulsion technology, a spacecraft’s trajectory, and the distance of the Moon from Earth at a given point in time. With current propulsion technology a crewed mission is estimated to take around 3 days to land on the Moon. The Apollo 8 mission,

The Amazon is undeniably one of the world’s greatest rivers. It is the largest river by volume, and its basin is home to the Amazon Rainforest, the world’s richest and most-varied biological reservoir. The Amazon might also be the world’s longest river—depending on whom you ask. Most scientists

Anne Frank and her family hid from the Gestapo from July 6, 1942, when they entered a clandestine section of her father’s business in Amsterdam, until August 4, 1944, when their hiding place was discovered. In total Frank spent 761 days concealed in tight quarters with her family and four other

Odysseus was gone from his kingdom of Ithaca for a total of 20 years. The first 10 years of his absence were spent fighting in the Trojan War. This legendary conflict, chronicled by Homer in the Iliad, was sparked by the seduction of the Spartan queen Helen by the Trojan prince Paris and saw

The most recent major ice age, known as the Great Ice Age or Pleistocene Epoch, spanned approximately 2.6 million to 11,700 years ago. Extensive ice sheets and glaciers formed and retreated in a series of glacial and interglacial cycles during this epoch, shaping much of the Earth’s surface as we

The Oregon Trail was one of the main routes for emigrants heading to the West of the United States during the 19th century. It represented a formidable journey, stretching approximately 2,000 miles (3,200 km) from Independence, Missouri, to Oregon City, near present-day Portland, Oregon. The trail

The voyage of the Mayflower lasted 66 days. The square-rigged sailing ship embarked from Plymouth, England, on September 16, 1620, and made landfall on Cape Cod at what is now Provincetown, Massachusetts, on November 21, 1620. The Mayflower initially left England on August 15 in the company of the

The term “Dark Ages” has previously been used to describe the period in European history spanning from the fall of the Western Roman Empire about 476 ce to approximately 1000 ce. Today this period is rarely called the Dark Ages by historians because of the value judgment it implies. Though

Selma March: How Long, Not Long: Selma to Montgomery: …become known as his “How Long, Not Long” speech, which culminated in his recitation of “The Battle Hymn of the Republic”:

Asia is the world’s largest and most populous continent. The number of countries in Asia varies depending on how geographic boundaries and political status are defined. Some states—including Turkey, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Armenia—straddle the conventional boundary between Europe and

The United Nations includes 193 member countries and 2 recognized independent nations (Vatican City and Palestine). See a list of countries here, or visit our country portal here. Companion, countries, world countries, united nations, Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopaedia

This infographic provides a list of the electoral college votes per state (including the District of Columbia), from most to least. The data are listed below. Spotlight, infographic, electoral college, United States, U.S. presidency, U.S. presidential election, votes,

Spiders typically have eight eyes, although some species may have fewer. The number and arrangement of eyes can be a distinguishing feature among different spider families. For example, the jumping spiders of family Salticidae have incredible eyesight and can perceive the full spectrum of color and

An octopus has three hearts, facilitating efficient nutrient and oxygen delivery throughout its eight-armed body. It has two branchial hearts, which are specifically tasked with pumping blood through the gills, where the blood is supplied with oxygen. These complement the main systemic heart, which

Caterpillars are the larval form of moths, butterflies, and skippers. Like all insects, they have three pairs of true, jointed legs, which are attached to the three thoracic segments of their cylindrical bodies. Most species also have several pairs of fleshy prolegs on their abdominal segments.

Jennifer Johnston: Johnston’s third novel, How Many Miles to Babylon? (1974), concerns the complex and tragic friendship of two young men who are sentenced to death during World War I. Shadows on Our Skin (1977) and The Railway Station Man (1984) focus on violence in Northern Ireland, and The Old…

You may have seen headlines such as “NASA confirms Earth now has two moons until 2083.” First, to be nitpicky, NASA hasn’t confirmed anything. It’s shut down, like the rest of the U.S. federal government. Second, and more importantly, we need to define what a “moon” is. A moon is a natural

There does not appear to be a consensus on the number of men who signed the U.S. Constitution—or, more broadly, were delegates to the Constitutional Convention of 1787—and who were also enslavers. According to the Gilder Lehrman Institute for American History, “about 25” delegates enslaved people,

Today lobotomy is a horror story. Less than a century ago it was a revolutionary “fix” for misunderstood mental health problems. The first lobotomies were performed in the late 1880s by Swiss physician Gottlieb Burkhardt, a supervisor of an asylum looking for ways to subdue overactive patients.

Ed Gein is one of the most notorious criminals in U.S. history. Known as “the Butcher of Plainfield,” he murdered two women—Bernice Worden and Mary Hogan—and robbed graves to use the body parts of women to make household items and clothing. Some also suspect Gein killed his brother, who died in

John Wayne Gacy killed at least 33 boys and young men. In the late 1970s authorities discovered 29 bodies buried on his property outside Chicago, the majority of which were found in the crawl space of his home. Four other bodies were located along the nearby Des Plaines River. Gacy was convicted of

It is uncertain how many people Ted Bundy killed. He confessed to 30 murders, though the number is thought to be much higher. Some have speculated that he killed as many as 100 women. Bundy was ultimately convicted of three homicides. Bundy claimed to have committed his first murder as a young

On April 14–15, 1912, the Titanic sank. While the exact number of people killed is unknown, it is generally believed that of the ship’s approximately 2,200 passengers and crew members, some 1,500 perished. The lack of certainty over the death toll is due to several reasons. Original passenger and

Even if you weren’t alive for the first Moon landing on July 20, 1969, you’ve probably seen footage of it, when astronaut Neil Armstrong famously declared, “That’s one small step for [a] man, one giant leap for mankind,” and Buzz Aldrin helped him plant an American flag on the lunar surface. And