THE LIEBIAN BUILDING WATERFALL

The Liebian Building is a 397-foot tall multi-purpose skyscraper located in Guiyang, southern China. Rushing down the exterior of the building is a 350-foot tall artificial waterfall powered by four pumps. The waterfall costs $118 an hour to run, and as such, is only used on special occasions.

THE FASTEST MOVING OBJECTS IN SPORTS – NUMBER 4 – SQUASH BALL

Top 10 fastest moving objects in sports. Stay tuned as the countdown to number 1 continues.

Although squash is played with a hollow rubber ball, the best in the sport can hit it at astounding speeds. In the video below, Australian Cameron Pilley is seen breaking his own world record by hitting two serves that were recorded at 176 miles per hour.

THE FASTEST MOVING OBJECTS IN SPORTS – NUMBER 5 – TENNIS BALL

Top 10 fastest moving objects in sports. Stay tuned as the countdown to number 1 continues.

American John Isner has the top speed recorded by the ATP, registering a 157 mph serve bullet during the 2016 Davis Cup. (Australian Sam Groh a 163 mph serve at the 2012 Busan Open, but it was not officially recognized by the ATP because of the inconsistences of the radar guns at that level of a tournament). (The speed of 253 in the video is km/h).

COST OF IPHONE XS - SELECT WORLD CITIES

COST OF IPHONE XS, 2019 (US$)
Brazil	2,050
Turkey	1,880
India	1,635
Russia	1,586
Egypt	1,537
Italy	1,514
UK	1,483
Spain	1,480
France	1,479
Mexico	1,477
Germany	1,469
China	1,423
Malaysia	1,378
Saudi	1,333
Australia	1,317
US	1,251
Nigeria	1,178

THE TOP 10 FASTEST MOVING OBJECTS IN SPORTS – NUMBER 6: SOCCER BALL

Top 10 fastest moving objects in sports. Stay tuned as the countdown to number 1 continues.

Only recently has the speed of shots in soccer been tracked. The fastest shot recorded in competition, according to several sources, was a 131-mph rocket from Ronny Heberson in 2006.

THE TOP 10 FASTEST MOVING OBJECTS IN SPORTS – NUMBER 7: HOCKEY PUCK

Top 10 fastest moving objects in sports. Stay tuned as the countdown to number 1 continues.

In the 2012 KHL All-Star Skills Competition Alexander Rauzantsev set a world record for the fastest hockey shot by reaching 114.1 miles per hour. The NHL record is held by Zdeno Chara, who recorded a 108.8 mile-per-hour shot at the 2012 NHL All-Star Skills Competition.

SOUTHWEST VIRIGINA IS CLOSER TO 9 OTHER STATE CAPITALS THAN IT IS TO RICHMOND

Every state, other than Alaska and Hawaii, has at least some part of their territory that is closer to some other state’s capital. In most instances, a state may have locations that are closer to one or two other state’s capitals than its own.

Twelve states have places that are closer to four other state capitals. Four states – New York, North Carolina, Texas and Virginia – all have places that are closer to six other capitals.

Only three states hit the closer-to-seven-other-state-capitals mark. There’s a tiny part of western North Carolina, along the Tennessee-Georgia line, a little piece of southwest New York along the Pennsylvania line, and of course, Southwest Virginia.

Only Southwest Virginia has places that are closer to not only 8, but also 9 other state capitals.

The city of Norton, most of Wise County, about half of Scott County, and most of Lee County are all closer to 8 other state capitals, a mark no other state can match.

Then there is the city of Ewing in Lee County. Ewing is closer to 9 other state capital cities than it is to its own.

Mileage from Ewing, Virginia to Capital Cities
Richmond, VA	350
Frankfort, KY	129
Charleston, WV	164
Nashville, TN	177
Atlanta, GA	201
Columbia, SC	233
Columbus, OH	234
Indianapolis, IN	257
Raleigh, NC	286
Montgomery, AL	329

THE TOP 10 FASTEST MOVING OBJECTS IN SPORTS – NUMBER 8: BASEBALL

Top 10 fastest moving objects in sports. Stay tuned as the countdown to number 1 continues.

The fastest pitch belongs to reliever Aroldis Chapman, who hit 105.1 miles per hour as a rookie with the Cincinnati Reds in 2010. (In 2010 a Nolan Ryan fastball was recorded at 100.9 miles per hour. At the time, speed was measured when the ball was ten feet from the plate. If the pitch had been measured at the now-standard 50 feet from the plate, the speed extrapolates to an incredible 108.1 miles per hour).

TOP 10 LARGEST SCHOOL DISTRICTS AND PER PUPIL SPENDING

WRIGLEY FIELD CENTER-FIELD FLAGS

At Wrigley Field, the color-coded flags of each team flown above the center-field scoreboard are arranged daily to reflect National League division standings in win-loss order. Until divisional play began in 1969, the team standings flags were arranged with top four NL teams on the left-field side, the bottom four on the right. Now three poles are used to inform fans of the current order of the league’s three-divisions.

THE TOP 10 FASTEST MOVING OBJECTS IN SPORTS – NUMBER 9: CRICKET BALL

Top 10 fastest moving objects in sports. Stay tuned as the countdown to number 1 continues.

The fastest recorded bowl of a cricket ball came from Pakistan’s Shoaib Akhtar during a World Cup match in February 2003 when his bowl reached 101 miles per hour.

TROLL A PLATFORM - TALLEST AND HEAVIEST STRUCTURE EVER MOVED

The Troll A platform is an offshore natural gas platform in the Troll gas field off the west coast of Norway The Troll A platform is the tallest and heaviest structure ever moved by mankind. It has a height of 1,549 feet and weighs 683,600 tons. The platform stands on the sea floor 994 feet below the surface of the sea and has an elevator that takes over 9 minutes to travel from the platform above the waves to the sea floor. In 1996, the Troll A platform was towed over 120 miles from the northern part of western Norway to the Troll field, 50 miles west of Bergen. The tow took seven days.

THE TOP 10 FASTEST MOVING OBJECTS IN SPORTS – NUMBER 10: TABLE TENNIS BALL

Top 10 fastest moving objects in sports beginning with number 10 will be posted over the next two weeks. Stay tuned as the countdown to number 1 continues.

In June 2016, a 38-year old Polish fireman named Lukasz Budner registered 72 miles per hour during a planned world record attempt. The Guinness World Records requirements included that the hit had to occur during a game, so Budner was prepared to hit hard immediately after the serve.

COUNTIES THAT ARE PERFECT SQUARES

COUNTIES THAT ARE PERFECT SQUARES*
COUNTY	STATE	MILES
Newton County	Mississippi	24 x 24
Trumbull County	Ohio	25 x 25
Walworth County	Wisconsin	24 x 24

*Your humble blogger is aware that you cannot have a perfect square on a curved surface (earth), but I think you get the point.

NEWTON COUNTY, MSSSISSIPPI

TRUMBULL COUNTY, OHIO

WALWORTH COUNTY, WISCONSIN

LONGEST AIRPORT CONCOURSE IN NORTH AMERICA

At 1 mile in length, Concourse A in the Edward H. McNamara Terminal at Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport, is the second longest concourse in the world. (The longest terminal in the world is in Terminal 1 of Japan’s Kansai International Airport). In addition to moving walkways spaced along its length, Concourse A has a people mover named the Express Tram. It transports passengers between each end of Concourse A in just over three minutes.

Concourse A in the Edward H. McNamara Terminal at Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport (Note Express Tram in the upper right hand corner of the picture)

WORLD'S LARGEST TRUCKSTOP

Iowa 80, located along Interstate 80 at exit 284 in Walcott, Iowa, is the world's largest Truckstop. Set on a 220-acre plot of land, it is four times larger than the average Truckstop. Iowa 80 receives 5,000 visitors daily, and features a 67,000 square foot main building, parking for 900 trucks, and 15 diesel fuel pumps. Four-hundred fifty employees staff the megaplex.

Aerial view of Iowa 80 - World's Largest Truckstop

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY

Number of Children for Women Aged 15 and Over
0	43%
1	17%
2	22%
3 or more	18%

Age at Birth for First Time Mothers Aged 15 and Over (2014)
Under Age 20	22%
20-24	37%
25-29	24%
30-34	12%
35-39	4%
Age 40 and Over	1%

Source: Census Bureau

ONLY TOWN IN U.S. TO HAVE A YEAR-ROUND USPS WATER DELIVERY SERVICE

Magnolia Springs, Alabama is the only town in the United States to have a year-round U.S. Postal Service water delivery route. The 31-mile route started in 1915 and now services about 180 homes. Mailboxes are located on the docks, and the delivery person drives a 15-foot Alumacraft boat that rarely comes to a complete stop.

U.S. Postal Service carrier Mark Lipscomb places letters in a mailbox along the Magnolia River in Alabama

FIRST "SCENTED" BILLBOARD

The first "scented billboard", an outdoor sign emitting the odors of black pepper and charcoal to suggest a grilled steak, was erected on NC 150 near Mooresville, North Carolina by the Bloom grocery chain. The sign depicted a giant cube of beef being pierced by a large fork that extended to the ground. The scents were emitted between 7–10 am and 4–7 pm from May 28, 2010 through June 18, 2010.

MLB - RENNIE STENNETT - ONLY PLAYER TO GET 7 HITS IN A 9-INNING GAME

Rennie Stennett, playing for the Pittsburgh Pirates, is the only player in the 20th century to have seven hits at seven at bats in a nine-inning game. Stennett’s seven-hit game occurred on September 16, 1975, as Pittsburgh routed the Chicago Cubs 22-0. Stennett’s first hit came off starter Rick Reuschel and his seventh was off Rick’s brother Paul. Pittsburgh’s 22-0 victory also set a major league record for the largest winning score in a shutout game in the modern era. (That record was matched by the Cleveland Indians in 2004).

WORLD'S FIRST TWO-SIDED BUILDING

The Phoenix Mutual Life Insurance Building, located on Constitution Plaza in Hartford, Connecticut is the world's first two-sided building. It is known locally as the “Boat Building”. It was completed in 1963 and is home to The Phoenix Companies.

Phoenix Mutual Life Insurance Company in Hartford, Connecticut

NEW RIVER GORGE BRIDGE - LONGEST SINGLE SPAN BRIDGE IN THE WESTERN HEMISPHERE

At 1,700 feet in length, the New River Gorge Bridge is the longest* single span arch bridge in the Western Hemisphere. The bridge carries traffic on U.S. Route 19 over the New River near Fayetteville, West Virginia. The New River Gorge Bridge opened on October 22, 1977 and carries U.S. Route 19 traffic across the New River near Fayetteville, West Virginia. It is crossed by an average of 16,200 motor vehicles per day. It is the fourth longest single span arch bridge in the world and the third highest bridge in the United States. *The length of an arch bridge refers to the length of their main span. If one bridge has a longer span than another it does not necessarily mean that the bridge is longer from shore to shore or from abutment to abutment.

New River Gorge Bridge in West Virginia

500TH POST

This is your humble blogger’s 500^th post. Here are some stats that I am sure you will find interesting.

PAGEVIEWS BY COUNTRY
COUNTRY	PAGEVIEWS
United States	1,421
Germany	587
Russia	72
Unknown Region	17
Ukraine	16
France	15
Indonesia	6
Italy	5
Guyana	2
India	2

"THE MOTHERLAND CALLS" - TALLEST STATUE OF A WOMAN IN THE WORLD

The Motherland Calls is the compositional center of the monument-ensemble "Heroes of the Battle of Stalingrad" on Mamayev Kurgan in Volgograd, Russia. It was designed by sculptor Yevgeny Vuchetich and structural engineer Nikolai Nikitin. It is the tallest statue in Europe and the tallest statue (excluding pedestal) of a woman in the world. When the memorial was dedicated in 1967 it was the tallest statue in the world, measuring 279 feet from the tip of its sword to the top of the plinth. The plinth measures another 6.6 feet, and is installed on a concrete foundation with a depth of 52 feet. The figure measures 171 feet, and the sword 108 feet. The monument weighs over 8,000 tons. The sword itself weighs 14 tons. The rigidity of the frame is supported by 99 metal cables constantly in tension.

THE MOTHERLAND CALLS 

TOP THREE STATES BY SHARE OF FOREIGN-BORN; 1850-2016

Top Three States by Share of Foreign-Born; 1850-2016 (In Percent)
Year	Foreign-Born	State Rank
		1		2		3
2016	13.5	California	27.2	New York	23.0	New Jersey	22.5
2010	12.9	California	27.2	New York	22.2	New Jersey	21.0
2000	11.1	California	26.2	New York	20.4	Hawaii	17.5
1990	7.9	California	21.7	New York	15.9	Hawaii	14.7
1980	6.2	California	15.1	Hawaii	14.2	New York	13.6
1970	4.7	New York	11.6	Hawaii	9.8	New Jersey	8.9
1960	5.4	New York	13.6	Massachusetts	11.2	Connecticut	10.9
1950	6.9	New York	17.4	Massachusetts	15.4	Connecticut	14.8
1940	8.8	New York	21.6	Massachusetts	19.9	Rhode Island	19.5
1930	11.6	New York	25.9	Massachusetts	25.1	Rhode Island	25.0
1920	13.2	Rhode Island	29.0	Massachusetts	28.3	Connecticut	27.4
1910	14.7	Rhode Island	33.0	Massachusetts	31.5	New York	30.2
1900	13.6	North Dakota	35.4	Rhode Island	31.4	Massachusetts	30.2
1890	14.8	North Dakota	44.6	Minnesota	35.9	Montana	32.6
1880	13.3	Nevada	41.2	Arizona	39.7	Dakota	38.3
1870	14.4	Arizona	60.1	Idaho	52.6	Nevada	44.2
1860	13.2	California	38.6	Dakota	36.7	Wisconsin	35.7
1850	9.7	Wisconsin	36.2	Minnesota	32.5	California	23.5