Questions and Answers about
World Records
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in PopWho’s record was broken by Taylor Swift’s “1989 (Taylor’s Version)” album?
Answer: Taylor Swift’s “1989 (Taylor’s Version)” broke the record for most weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard album chart by a solo artist, surpassing Elvis Presley’s record.
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Which musical broke Broadway records for the longest-running show, haunting audiences for three decades?
Answer: The Phantom of the Opera ended its 35-year Broadway run on April 16, 2023, after 13,973 performances at New York’s Majestic Theatre. It became the longest-running show in Broadway history in 2006, surpassing the previous record-holder, Cats, and has grossed over $1.36 billion since its opening in January 1988. The Phantom of the Opera…
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in NatureWhat’s the world’s largest plant?
Answer: Poseidon’s ribbon weed, or Posidonia australis, found in Shark Bay, off the western end of Australia, is the world’s largest plant. The seagrass – not to be confused with seaweed and algae – spreads at least 180 km (77 square miles), about the size of Cincinnati. A new study published on June 1, 2022,…
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in PlacesWhat’s Europe’s largest street party?
Answer: With more than 1 million people participating, the annual Notting Hill Carnival is Europe’s largest street party. During the Coronavirus pandemic, the carnival, which celebrates Caribbean culture every August, had to be held online and finally returned to the streets of London on Aug. 27, 2022.
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in PlacesWhat’s the thinnest skyscraper in the world?
Answer: Completed in April 2022, and holding 60 apartments, New York City’s Steinway Tower, or 111 West 57th Street, is the world’s skinniest skyscraper. The 84-story residential house on “Billionaires’ Row” is the second-tallest residential tower in NYC, surpassed only by the nearby Central Park Tower and rising 1,428 feet (435 meters). The tower’s upper…
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in ScienceWho is Jessica Watkins?
Answer: Jessica Watkins, 33, is the first Black woman to live and work at the International Space Station. She will join a SpaceX crew-4 mission after April 2022, marking her first flight into space. More answers inside!
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in PlacesWhat is the world’s most expensive city to live in, in 2021?
Answer: Israel’s Tel Aviv has been ranked the world’s most expensive city to live in, according to an Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) report published Nov. 30, 2021. The Israeli seaside city climbed five spots in 2021 to take the title from last year’s joint winners of Paris, Hong Kong, and Zurich. More answers inside!