The World's BIGGEST HOUSE

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Interesting Facts about DIAMONDS

Most diamonds are over three billion years old, two-thirds the age of the Earth. There are a few "youngsters," though, which are only 100 million years old.


Most diamonds were formed more than 100 miles below the surface of the Earth, some from perhaps 400 miles down.

The most recent kimberlite volcano eruption was approximately 53 million years ago - just a few ticks of the geologic clock - but there is no reason to believe there will not be more in the future.


Although diamonds are perceived as a white—actually colorless—gem, they come in a spectrum of colors; colored diamonds are called "fancies."


India was the only known source of diamonds before the sixth century and the predominant source for over 2,000 years, until the mid-eighteenth century.


Romans believed that diamonds had the power to ward off evil and wore them as talismans. They inherited this belief from Indian mythology.


A law in thirteenth-century France decreed that only the king could wear diamonds.


Diamonds were not used as gems in European jewelry until the late 13th century. They were initially used for such purposes as engraving other gems, such as sapphire cameos, and for drilling holes in hardstone beads (such beads drilled by diamonds have been dated to archaeological sites as early as 400 BCE).


The most recent diamond discoveries have been made in North America—in the Northwest Territories of Canada and in Colorado—where explorers found diamond pipes in 1990.


Some diamonds are composed of carbon, that is recycled organic matter, previously incorporated in marine organisms.


"One-hour eyeglasses" have only become possible with the use of diamond tools, which can quickly and accurately shape the lenses.


Because diamonds can withstand extremely high temperatures and corrosive conditions, and because they are transparent to most forms of light and electromagnetic radiation, they are ideal for use as windows in industry and in space probes, including the 1978 Pioneer space probe to the surface of Venus.


Every copper wire in your computer, television, and house has been shaped with a die—the device that squeezes wire to the desired diameter—made from diamond.


Diamond scalpels are particularly effective because their sharp, hard edges never dull, and, because diamond's hydrophobic surface—its resistance to being wetted—ensures that wet tissue does not adhere to the blade.


The largest rough diamond ever found was the Cullinan, 3,106 carats, discovered on January 26, 1905 in the Premier mine of South Africa. It was cut into nine major stones, including the largest gem diamond, the Cullinan 1, or Star of Africa, 550.20 carats. This is mounted in the British Royal Scepter and housed in the Tower of London.


In the 1950s, Gemological Institute of America developed the first internationally accepted diamond grading system. This system provides unbiased opinions of the quality of polished diamonds by applying uniform criteria to their grading.


The GIA Gem Trade Laboratory Diamond Grading Report has become the benchmark for the international gem and jewelry industry, and can be found accompany diamonds worldwide.

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Interesting Facts about SNOW

The largest piece of ice to fall to earth was an ice block 6 meters (20 ft) across that fell in Scotland on 13 August 1849.

The largest hailstone recorded fell on 14 April 1986 in Bangladesh weighing 1kg (2.25lbs). The hailstorm reportedly killed 92 people.

The largest snowflakes in the world fell across Fort Keogh in Montana (USA) on 28 January 1887.

Mt Kilimanjaro in Tanzania is the only permanent snowcap within sight of the equator.

Permanent snow and ice cover about 12% (21 million square km's) of the Earth's land surface. 80% of the world's fresh water is locked up as ice or snow.

A single snowstorm can drop 40 million tons of snow, carrying the energy equivalent to 120 atom bombs.

There is NOT a law of nature that prohibits 2 snowflakes from being identical.

Denver CO received 9.6 inches of snow. October of that year proved to be the coldest and snowiest of record for Denver, with a total snowfall for the month of 31.2 inches.

Light snow falls in Canberra during most years, but it rarely accumulates to more than a few centimeters.

In Australia, snowfalls are common above 1,500m in the Alps during the winter, but there are no permanent snowfields anywhere on the continent.

Denver CO was buried under 21.3 inches of snow, 19.4 inches of which fell in 24 hours. The heavy wet snow snapped trees and wires causing seven million dollars damage.

Parts of Michigan and Wisconsin experienced their first freeze of the autumn. Snow and sleet were reported in the Sheffield and Sutton areas of northeastern Vermont at midday.

The most snow produced in a single snowstorm is 4.8 meters (15.75ft) at Mt Shasta Ski Bowl, California (USA) between 13 and 19 February 1959.

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Interesting Facts about WIND

The windiest place in the world is Port Martin, Antarctica, which has an average wind speed over a year of 64 km/h (40 mph). It experiences gale force 8 winds for over a hundred days a year!

The most violent tornado in recorded history struck on 18 March 1925, killing 689 people, injuring 1980 others, destroying 4 towns, severely damaging 6 others and leaving 11,000 homeless across Missouri, Indiana and Illinois.

The fastest winds on earth are inside a tornado funnel. Winds here have been recorded at 480 km/h (300 mph).

The Australian wind record goes to Mardie in Western Australia, when winds gusted to 259 km/h (162 mph) during Cyclone "Trixie" on 19 February 1975.

This movement of air is what makes the wind blow.

A cold front brought strong and gusty winds to the Great Basin and the Southern Plateau Region, with wind gusts to 44 mph reported at Kingman AZ.

The hurricane which hit Miami FL on the 18th, pounded Pensacola FL with wind gusts to 152 mph. Winds raged in excess of 100 mph for four hours, and above 75 mph for 20 hours.

Wet air is lighter than dry air.

Then cool air moves in and replaces the rising warm air.

Thunderstorms produced high winds in eastern Colorado, with gusts to 63 mph reported at La Junta.

Warm air, which weighs less than cool air, rises.

The strongest wind gust recorded on the surface of the earth is 371km/h (231 mph) at Mount Washington, New Hampshire (USA) on 12 April 1934.

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Interesting Facts about RAIN

Exmouth in Western Australia received some 322mm of rain in the first week of June 2002. 305mm of this total falling in just 24 hours on June 4.

A rainbow was visible for 6 hours (from 9am to 6pm) at Wetherby, Yorkshire (UK) on 14 March 1994. This is rare as most rainbows last for only a few minutes.

The total amount of precipitation to fall to earth in one year is 5,000 million million tones.

The amount of water held in the atmosphere at any time is sufficient to produce about 2.5cm (1 inch) of rain over the surface of the earth.

The most rain to fall in a single 24 hour period is 1,850mm (74 inches) at Cilaos (on the Indian Ocean island of Reunion) between 15 and 16 March 1952.

The Driest place in Australia is Mulka Bore, west of Lake Eyre (SA), with an average annual rainfall of 100mm (4 inches).

The driest place on earth is Wadi Halfa in Sudan, with an annual average rainfall of less than 2.5 mm (less than one-tenth of an inch).

In NSW, the wettest town is Dorrigo with an average of 2,004mm per year.

On average, the wettest town in Australia is Tully (N QLD) with an annual average rainfall of 4,204mm.

In Australia, Bellenden Kerr (NE QLD) received 11,251mm in 1979. With a massive 960mm of this total falling in just 24 hours on January 3/4.

The wettest place in the world (based on the yearly average total) is Mawsynram, India, which receives an average of 11,870mm (474.8 inches) of rain each year.

Low pressure off the Northern Pacific Coast brought rain and gale force winds to the coast of Washington State. Fair weather prevailed across most of the rest of the nation.

The famous "Pumpkin Flood" occurred on the Delaware and Susquehanna Rivers. Harrisburg PA reported a river stage of twenty-two feet. The heavy rains culminated a wet season.

A west coast hurricane moved onshore south of Los Angeles bringing unprecedented rains along the southern coast of California.

The most consistently wet place in Australia is Waratah, (TAS) with an average of 314 'rainy days' per year.

The longest dry spell of record in the U.S. commenced as Bagdad CA went 767 days without rain.

The summit is 1,569m (5,148ft) above sea level and receives over 350 days of rain each year.

The wettest place in the world is Mt Wai-'ale-'ale in Hawaii.

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Interesting Facts about TEMPERATURE

On January 22 1943, the temperature at Spearfish, South Dakota (USA) rose from minus 20°C (minus 4°F) at 7.30am to 7°C (45°F) at 7.32 am (a 27°C rise in just 2 minutes!).

Temperatures dipped below freezing in the north central U.S. Five cities in North Dakota and Nebraska reported record low temperatures for the date, including Bismarck ND with a reading of 17 degrees above zero. Low pressure brought snow and sleet to parts of Upper Michigan.

The temperature at Minneapolis, MN, reached 90 degrees, their latest such reading of record.

Freezing temperatures were reported in the Great Lakes Region and the Ohio Valley. Houghton Lake MI reported a record low of 21 degrees.

The temperature at Sentinel AZ soared to 116 degrees to establish an October record for the nation.

Freezing temperatures were reported in the Northern and Central Appalachians, and the Upper Ohio Valley. The morning low of 27 degrees at Concord NH tied their record for the date. Temperatures soared into the 90s in South Dakota. Pierre SD reported an afternoon high of 98 degrees.

The temperature soared to 104 degrees at San Diego, CA. Southern California was in the midst of a late October heat wave that year. Los Angeles had ten consecutive days with afternoon highs reaching 100 degrees.

The temperature at Honolulu, Hawaii, reached 94 degrees to establish an all-time record at that location.

The temperature at Wichita Falls TX soared to 108 degrees to establish a record for September.

The temperature at Deeth NV soared from a morning low of 12 degrees to a high of 87 degrees, a record daily warm-up for the state.

Twenty-three cities in the south central U.S. reported record low temperatures for the date, including Topeka KS with a reading of 33 degrees, and Binghamton NY with a low of 25 degrees. Showers and thunderstorms in the southeastern U.S. drenched Atlanta GA with 4.87 inches of rain, their sixth highest total of record for any given ay.

In Australia, Marble Bar (WA) recorded maximum temperatures equaling or exceeding 37.8°C (100°F) on 161 consecutive days (between 30 October 1923 and 7 April 1924)

In New York in 1988 the temperature stayed above 32°C for 32 days and the murder rate soared by 75%.

The greatest recorded temperature range in Australia is 57.2°C, measured in White Cliffs (NSW) where the maximum has risen to over 50°C and the minimum has fallen to minus 7°C.

The worlds greatest temperature range at a single location is 105°C, from minus 68°C to 37°C recorded at Verkhoyansk, Siberia.

The temperature at West Yellowstone MT plunged to six degrees below zero, while the temperature at San Francisco CA soared to 94 degrees.

San Diego CA reached an all-time record high of 111 degrees. Los Angeles hit 109 degrees.

The Australian record is 53.1°C (127.6°F) recorded at Cloncurry (QLD) on 16 January 1889.

The highest temperature recorded in the world is 58.0°C (136.4°F) at Al,Azizyah in Libya on 13 September 1922.

Only Perisher Valley and Kiandra have ever fallen below minus 20°C.

The Australian record low is minus 23.0°C recorded at Charlotte Pass (NSW) on 29 June 1994.

The lowest temperature recorded in the world is minus 89.6°C at the Vostok Scientific Station in Antarctica on 21 July 1983.

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Interesting Facts about PLANETS

Uranus' axis is at 97 degrees. which means that it orbits on its side. (Most of the planets spin on an axis nearly perpendicular to the plane of the ecliptic but Uranus' axis is almost parallel to the ecliptic.

The three most recently discovered planets were Uranus in 1781, Neptune in 1846, and Pluto in 1930.

Mercury is the only planet whose orbit is coplanar with its equator. Venus and Uranus are the only planets that rotate opposite to the direction of their orbit.

Jupiter has the shortest day of all the planets. Although it has a circumference of 280,000 miles compared with Earth's 25,000 Jupiter manages to make one turn in 9 hours and 55 minutes.

If you are having problems remembering the planets in their correct order, just remember this sentence "My very educated mother just served us nine pickles," Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, Pluto.

According to scientists, Gold exists on Mars, Mercury, and Venus.


Baby robins eat 14 feet of earthworms every day.

At one time the earth consisted of one land mass and a huge body of water. Geologists today call the land Pangaea (from the Greek words "all land" while the water was called Panthalassa (from the Greek words "all sea"). Between 180 and 200 million years ago, Pangaea split into two parts: Laurasia, which consisted of North America, Europe and Asia; and Gondwanaland, which consisted of Africa, South America, India, Antarctica and Australia.

Astronauts brought back about 800 pounds of lunar rock to Earth. Most of it has not been analyzed.

Approximately 40,000 tons of meteoric dust hits the Earth each year.

According to Hawaiian lore, the earth mother Papa mated with the sky father Wake to give birth to the Hawaiian Islands.

About one-tenth of the earth's surface is permanently covered with ice.

A Red Giant(a kind of exploded star) has a lower density than any vacuum here on earth.

A Blue Earth, Minnesota, law declares that no child under the age of twelve may talk over the telephone unless monitored by a parent.

You would need to travel at 6.95 miles per second to escape the Earth’s gravitational pull. This is equivalent to traveling from New York to Philadelphia in about twenty seconds.

Venus rotates so slowly that in a typical day lasts approximately 244 Earth days (5,856 hours).

If you dig in your backyard, don’t worry about running into the earth’s core. You’d have to dig a hole 4,000 miles (6,437 kilometers) deep!

Some scientists believe that the earth began billions of years ago as a huge ball of swirling dust and gases.

Some parts of the earth receive direct rays from the sun all year and are always warm. Other places receive indirect rays, so the climate is colder.

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Interesting Facts about STARS

There are more stars than all of the grains of sand on earth.

You can see stars from the bottom of a well even in day light.

Stars with really strong gravity cause themselves to become smaller and smaller and eventually turn into black holes.

Stars come in different colors; hot stars give off blue light, and the cooler stars give off red light.

In honor of the original thirteen states, the U.S. $1 bill has the following on the back: 13 steps on the pyramid. The motto above the pyramid has 13 letters (annuity coatis). E pluribus Unum, written on the ribbon in the eagle's beak, has 13 letters. 13 stars appear over the eagle's head. 13 stripes are on the shield. 13 war arrows are in the eagle's left talon.

All of the stars comprising the Milky Way galaxy revolve around the center of the galaxy once every 200 million years or so.

Until the mid sixteenth century, Comets were believed to be not astronomical phenomena, but burning vapors that had arisen from distant swamps and were propelled across the sky by fire and light.

Our galaxy has approximately 250 billion stars and it is estimated by astronomers that there are 100 billion other galaxies in the universe.

A galaxy of typical size, about 100 billion suns produces less energy than a single Quasar.

A Comet's tail always points away from the sun.

A Pulsar is a small star made up of neutrons so densely packed together that if one the size of a silver dollar landed on earth, it would weigh approximately 100 million tons.

The Star Alpha Herculis is twenty five times larger than the circumference described by the earth's revolution around the sun. This means that twenty five diameters of our solar orbit would have to be placed end to end to equal the diameter of this Star.

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