Leon Eikmeier
Chefredakteur
Leon Eikmeier ist Gründer von Quiztimate und MetaOne. Er schreibt über kontraintuitive Fakten, Wissen und die Psychologie des Lernens.
Artikel von Leon Eikmeier
How Deep Is Lake Baikal Really? Nearly Five Eiffel Towers
Lake Baikal is about 1,640 m (5,380 ft) deep, nearly five Eiffel Towers stacked up. Its floor sits below sea level, and it holds roughly 20% of the planet's liquid fresh surface water.
How Far Away Is Space? Closer Than You Think
Space begins just 100 km above sea level by the most common definition. That is closer than you think, and there is no fixed border at all.
How Long Is a Day on Venus? Longer Than Its Year
Venus needs about 243 Earth days to spin once, but only about 225 to orbit the Sun. The Sun even rises in the west there. Here's how that works.
How Big Is the Mona Lisa, Really?
Most people expect a huge painting. The real Mona Lisa is barely bigger than a poster. Real dimensions, the 1911 heist, and more surprising facts.
How Long Is the Longest Film in the World?
Most people guess four to eight hours. The longest film in the world runs 857 hours, or 35 days straight. Here is what it shows and which movies come close.
How Fast Was Usain Bolt Really?
100 meters in 9.58 seconds works out to 23.35 mph. The math is right. The answer is still wrong. Between meter 60 and 80, Usain Bolt hit 27.79 mph. That is speeding in most neighborhoods.
How Far Is Africa from Europe?
At the narrowest point, only about 14 kilometers (9 miles) separate Africa and Europe. From Tarifa in Spain you can see Morocco with the naked eye. And two Spanish cities sit on African soil.
How Many People Have Ever Lived on Earth?
About 117 billion people have ever been born. Only around 7 percent of them are alive right now. The myth that the living outnumber the dead is busted. The numbers behind this will surprise you.
How Fast Does the Earth Spin, Really?
At the equator you are spinning at about 1,674 km/h, faster than the speed of sound. At the North Pole you barely move at all. Here is why you never feel it, and why a day is not actually 24 hours long.
How Many Ants Are There on Earth?
Researchers ran the numbers in 2022: around 20 quadrillion ants live on Earth. That's 2.5 million per person. Together they outweigh every wild bird and mammal on the planet.
How Deep Is the Deepest Hole in the World?
The deepest hole in the world goes down 12,262 meters. Drilled in Russia, stopped at 180 °C. Deeper than the Mariana Trench, yet only 0.2 percent of the way to Earth's center.
How Many Stars Can You See With the Naked Eye?
Most people guess millions. The real answer is about 2,500. Across the entire sky there are only 9,096 stars bright enough for human eyes to catch.
How Fast Does Bamboo Actually Grow?
Bamboo can grow up to 91 centimeters in a single day. No other plant on Earth is faster. And bamboo is not even a tree.
How Old Is the Oldest Tortoise in the World?
Jonathan the giant tortoise is 194 years old, the oldest known land animal alive. He hatched around 1832, before photographs or telephones existed. Here is how a tortoise reaches nearly 200.
The Shortest War in History Lasted Just 38 Minutes
On August 27, 1896, the shortest war in history began and ended: Britain against Zanzibar, over in about 38 minutes. Here is how it happened and why the exact length is still debated.
How Long Is the Great Wall of China Really?
Officially, the Great Wall of China is 21,196 km long. That is more than the distance from the North Pole to the South Pole. Yet you can't see it from space. Here is what's behind the number.
Which Country Has the Longest Coastline in the World?
Most people guess Russia or Australia. Wrong: Canada has the longest coastline in the world, around 202,080 km, beating the next four countries combined.
Which Planet Is the Hottest in the Solar System?
Almost everyone guesses Mercury because it sits closest to the Sun. But the hottest planet in the solar system is Venus, at roughly 464°C. The reason is a greenhouse effect that completely ran away.
Which Country Has the Most Time Zones?
Not Russia, not the US: France has the most time zones with 12. China, almost as wide as the US, runs on a single one.
Which Country Has the Most Pyramids?
Most people guess Egypt. But Sudan has roughly 230 Nubian pyramids, nearly double Egypt's count. Here's where they stand.
Which Is the Largest Desert in the World? Plot Twist
The largest desert in the world isn't in Africa and has no sand. It's Antarctica. We explain the plot twist and the real top 5 deserts by size.
What Is the Fastest Train in the World? The Numbers Will Surprise You
The fastest train in the world clocked 375 mph. On a test track in Japan. In daily service the top train runs much slower. Here are the real numbers.
How Long Did the Roman Empire Really Last?
How long did the Roman Empire last? School says 500 years. That's wrong. With Byzantium, it ran 1,480 years. With the Republic, almost 2,000. Here's the math.
How Hot Is the Sun Really? The Answer Has a Plot Twist
How hot is the sun? The surface is 9,932 °F. The core is 27 million. But the real plot twist sits in the sun's outer atmosphere.
How Old Is the Oldest Tree in the World?
The oldest tree in the world is over 4,800 years old and was already alive before the Egyptian pyramids were built. Meet Methuselah, Pando, and the saddest tree story of the 20th century.
How Far Is the Moon From Earth? Farther Than You'd Guess
How far is the Moon from Earth? About 384,400 km (238,855 mi) on average. Plot twist: all 8 planets in our solar system fit in that gap, side by side.
How Old Is the Earth Really? The Numbers Will Surprise You
How old is the Earth really? Spoiler: 4.54 billion years. We show you how scientists read that age from tiny crystals and why humans missed nearly all of it.
How Many Languages Are There in the World? Way More Than You Think
How many languages in the world? Around 7,100. Almost half are dying. And one tiny country speaks more languages than all of Europe combined.
How Deep Is the Ocean Really? Deeper Than Mount Everest Is Tall
How deep is the ocean really? At its deepest point, around 10,935 meters. Deep enough to swallow Mount Everest with 2 km of water still on top.
How Big Is Russia Really? Numbers That Will Surprise You
Russia is huge. But how big exactly? Spoiler: the contiguous US fits inside it more than twice, and flying west to east takes about 9 hours.
How Long Is the Longest River in the World Really?
The longest river in the world is up for debate. Nile or Amazon? Spoiler: both would stretch from coast to coast across the US. Here are the real numbers.
How Much Does a Cloud Really Weigh?
A fluffy fair-weather cloud weighs around 500 tons, about as much as 100 elephants. A thunderstorm cloud can carry millions. Here is how that works and why it stays up.
Which country has the most islands in the world?
Sweden has 267,570 islands, more than Indonesia and the Philippines combined. We reveal the real island ranking and why Nordic countries with cold Baltic shores top the list.
Which Mountain Is Really the Tallest in the World?
Everyone says Mount Everest. Spoiler: depending on how you measure, Mauna Kea is taller and Chimborazo reaches farther into space. Three mountains, three records.
Artworks Worth Billions: What Makes Art So Valuable?
Da Vinci's Salvator Mundi sold for $450 million. Why are paintings worth so much? We explain the mechanics behind the art market.
Sports Myths Fact-Checked: What You Think You Know Is Wrong
Is swimming after eating dangerous? Does jogging ruin your knees? We fact-check 8 stubborn sports myths with real science.
Music Records That Will Surprise You
5 billion streams, 4 million fans on a beach, a song that lasts 639 years. The craziest numbers in music history and why they still amaze us.
The Oldest Cities in the World: Where Civilization Began
Jericho has been continuously inhabited for 11,000 years. Damascus may be older. We trace the origins of urban life across the ancient world.
The Tallest Structures in Human History
From the Great Pyramid to the Burj Khalifa, humanity has always built upward. The record for world's tallest structure has changed hands more than you'd think.
How Old Is the Internet Really? A Brief History of the Web
The internet is older than you think — and the World Wide Web is younger. We untangle the real timeline behind humanity's most transformative technology.
Animal Superlatives: 15 Records That Redefine the Limits of Life
The mantis shrimp sees 16 color channels. The blue whale's heart is the size of a small car. Nature has been setting records for 4 billion years.
The Capital City Trap: 8 Countries Where You'd Guess Wrong
Canberra, Ottawa, Abuja, Brasília: these capitals trip people up in every quiz. 8 countries where the capital is not the largest city, with the full story.
Why We Systematically Misjudge Numbers
We overestimate small risks and underestimate large numbers. Psychology explains why our number sense is broken, and how to fix it.
12 Counter-Intuitive Geography Facts That Will Blow Your Mind
Reno is west of Los Angeles, and Portugal is further west than the UK. Geography is full of surprises that defy our mental maps.