Hercules - World’s Largest Big Cat

Hercules is a 900-pound-heavy, 6-feet-tall and 12-feet-long liger who holds the Guinness World Record for the largest cat.

Born from a lion father and tiger mother, Hercules grew into an impressive creature, able to run at speeds of up to 50 mph and eat 100 pounds of food in one sitting. Ligers have been known to be fat and unhealthy cats, but Hercules is an exceptional specimen that got the best from both feline races.

During a recent photo-shoot, Hercules’ caretakers wanted to show his enormous size by placing him against popular English symbols, like an old double-decker bus or a black cab. He was actually able to climb the bus to receive a tasty treat. It might look like the world’s biggest cat is actually in London, but he’s really quite close to home, at Freestyle Music Park in Myrtle Beach, Southern California.

Despite his gigantic size, Hercules is very tame and Dr. Bhagavan, one of the liger’s caretakers, says looking into his eyes is “like looking into God’s own eyes”.

Pictures: BARRY BLAND / BARCROFT MEDIA

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World's Largest Casino - The Venetian Macao

The Venetian Macao is a luxury hotel and casino resort in Macau owned by the Las Vegas Sands corporation. The Venetian is a 40-story, $2.4 billion anchor for the 7 resort hotels which are under construction on the Cotai Strip in Macau. The 10,500,000-square-foot (980,000 m²) Venetian Macao is modeled on its sister casino resort – the The Venetian in Las Vegas – and is the largest single structure hotel building in Asia and the fourth-largest building in the world by area.

The main hotel tower was finished in July 2007 and the resort officially opened on August 28 2007. The resort has 3000 suites, 1,200,000 sq ft (111,000 m²) of convention space, 1,600,000 sq ft (149,000 m²) of retail, 550,000 square feet (51,000 m²) of casino space – largest in the world – with 3400 slot machines and 800 gambling tables and a 15,000 seat arena for entertainment/sports events.

The casino is the largest in the world at 550,000 sq ft (51,000 m²). It is further divided into 4 themed gaming areas namely Golden Fish, Imperial House, Red Dragon and Phoenix. The casino consists of over with 3400 slot machines and 800 gambling tables

The hotel offers a VIP club named Paiza Club that caters to high-rollers and premium guests. The club comes with its own entrance, lobby, reception, team of butlers and guest lifts to the suites. The gaming area of the Paiza Club is divided into individual private gaming rooms each named for notable Asian cities such as Yunnan, Guangzhou, Hong Kong, Singapore and Kuala Lumpur. The guests of the club have exclusive access to the club dining outlet, the Paiza Club Dining & Lounge, which opens 24 hours a day.

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The Fastest Animal on the Planet - Peregrine Falcon

The Peregrine Falcon (Falco peregrinus), also known simply as the Peregrine, and historically as the "Duck Hawk" in North America, is a cosmopolitan bird of prey in the family Falconidae. It is a large, crow-sized falcon, with a blue-gray back, barred white underparts, and a black head and "moustache". It can reach speeds over 320 km/h (200 mph) in a stoop, making it the fastest animal on the planet. As is common with bird-eating raptors, the female is much bigger than the male. Experts recognize 17–19 subspecies, which vary in appearance and range; there is disagreement over whether the distinctive Barbary Falcon is a subspecies or a distinct species.

The Peregrine's breeding range includes land regions from the Arctic tundra to the Tropics. It can be found nearly everywhere on Earth, except extreme polar regions, very high mountains, and most tropical rainforests; the only major ice-free landmass from which it is entirely absent is New Zealand. This makes it the world's most widespread bird of prey. Both the English and scientific names of this species mean "wandering falcon", referring to the migratory habits of many northern populations.

While its diet consists almost exclusively of medium-sized birds, the Peregrine will occasionally hunt small mammals, small reptiles or even insects. It reaches sexual maturity at one year, and mates for life. It nests in a scrape, normally on cliff edges or, in recent times, on tall human-made structures. The Peregrine Falcon became an endangered species in many areas due to the use of pesticides, especially DDT. Since the ban on DDT from the beginning of the 1970s onwards, the populations recovered, supported by large scale protection of nesting places and releases to the wild.

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Top 10 Greatest Selling Albums in Music History

In order to gain a spot on the list of the Top 10 greatest selling albums in history a band needs to be internationally recognized and extremely popular all
over they world. Here are the 10 most financially successful albums in musical history.

10. Saturday Night Fever Soundtrack - Bee Gees

Worldwide Sales - 40 Million Copies +

The Saturday Night Fever soundtrack was released in November of 1977. The

record helped to revive the phenomenon of disco in the U.S. and started a

national trend. It is composed and performed primarily by The Bee Gees and

features numerous hit singles, including Stayin’ Alive, Night Fever, and How

Deep is Your Love. The record went on to win the Grammy Award for Album

of the Year. The Saturday Night Fever soundtrack has become the third

highest selling soundtrack of all time.

9. Backstreet Boys - Millennium

Worldwide Sales - 40 Million Copies +

Millennium is the second studio album by The Backstreet Boys. It was released

on May 18, 1999 and was the group’s first record to be released in both the

U.S. and internationally at the same time. The album holds the U.S. record for

yearly shipments, selling 11 million units in 1999. It spawned four hit singles,

including I Want it That Way, Show Me the Meaning of Being Lonely, and

Larger Than Life. Millennium set records for the most albums sold in its debut

week and also most records sold internationally in one week with 2.2 million.

It was certified platinum in over 45 different countries.

8. Andrew Lloyd Webber - The Phantom of the Opera

Worldwide Sales - 40 Million Copies +

The Phantom of the Opera is a musical by Andrew Lloyd Webber, based on the

French novel Le Fantôme de l'Opéra by Gaston Leroux. The music was

composed by Webber, with lyrics by Charles Hart and additional lyrics by

Richard Stilgoe. The musical focuses on a beautiful soprano, Christine Daaé,

who becomes the obsession of a mysterious and disfigured musical

mastermind, known as The Phantom of the Opera. The show opened in

London's West End in 1986. It is the second longest running musical in

England’s West End and the longest-running Broadway musical. According to

sales numbers The Phantom of the Opera is the most successful entertainment

project in history, amassing an incredible $5 billion dollars worldwide.

7. The Bodyguard Soundtrack - Whitney Houston

Worldwide Sales - 42 Million Copies +

The Bodyguard soundtrack was released on November 17, 1992 and

featured six songs from Whitney Houston, as well as tracks from various

recording artists. Whitney Houston’s cover of I Will Always Love You was an

instant #1 single. Some other artists featured on the record include Kenny G,

Lisa Stransfield, and Joe Cocker. It became the first album to sell more than a

million copies in a single week. It also received the Grammy Award for Album

of the Year.

6. Dirty Dancing Soundtrack

Worldwide Sales - 42 Million Copies +

The Dirty Dancing soundtrack was released on August 21, 1987. The album

had many hit singles including Hungry Eyes by Eric Carmen, Be My Baby by

The Ronettes, and The Time of My Life by Bill Medley and Jennifer Warnes. It

spent 18 weeks on the top of U.S. charts and inspired a follow-up album

entitled More Dirty Dancing. The album still re-enters the Irish charts on

occasion. It has spent over 230 weeks in the Top 30 in Ireland.

5. Eagles - Their Greatest Hits (1971-1975)

Worldwide Sales - 42 Million Copies + 

Their Greatest Hits is the fifth album by the rock band the Eagles. It includes a

compilation of singles and was released February 17, 1976. The years in the

album's title, 1971 to 1975, refer to the existence of the band itself, not the

release dates of the tracks. It includes ten classic hits, including Take it Easy,

Lyin’ Eyes, Already Gone, Desperado, and Peaceful Easy Feeling. The

Eagles music greatly influenced the genre of country-rock and paved the way

for numerous bands in the 1970’s. Their Greatest Hits has sold 29 million

copies in the United States, making it the best-selling album of all time in the

U.S.

4. Pink Floyd - The Dark Side of the Moon

Worldwide Sales - 43 Million Copies +

The Dark Side of the Moon is the 6th studio album by English rock group Pink

Floyd. It was released in March of 1973. The record was an instant success

and spawned the singles, Money and Time. The refracting prism cover art is

one of the most recognizable in rock music history. Pink Floyd used some of

the most advanced recording techniques of the time, including multitrack

recording and tape loops. Analogue synthesizers were also given prominence

in many tracks. Founding member Syd Barrett had left the band in 1968, but is

credited as the author of the entire album's lyrics.

3. Meat Loaf - Bat out of Hell

Worldwide Sales - 43 Million Copies +

Bat out of Hell is the 2nd studio album released by Meat Loaf. It was dropped

on October 21, 1977. The main writer on the records production was Jim

Steinman. It was developed from a musical, Neverland, which was a sci-fi

update of Peter Pan, which Steinman wrote for a workshop performed at the

Kennedy Center Music Theatre Lab in 1977. Response to the album was

slow. Australia and England were the first to gain an enthusiastic response

after some popular music video were releases. Ultimately, the record stayed

on the United Kingdom charts for 474 weeks. It continues to sell around

200,000 units each year. The original release only had seven tracks on it,

including classics Bat out of Hell, All Revved Up with No Place to Go, and Two

out of Three Ain’t Bad.

2. AC/DC - Back in Black

Worldwide Sales - 49 Million Copies +

Back in Black is the 7th studio album by Australian hard rock band AC/DC. It

was released on July 25, 1980. Back in Black was the first AC/DC album

recorded without former lead singer Bon Scott, who had died at the age of 33.

It is the best-selling album ever released by a band and has sold 22 million

units in the U.S. alone. The album includes some of the group’s biggest hits

including Hells Bells, You Shook Me All Night Long, and the title track Back in

Black. According to lead guitarist Angus Young the album's all-black cover was

a sign of mourning for Scott. This record is widely considered the best hard

rock album ever created.

1. Michael Jackson - Thriller

Worldwide Sales - 110 Million Copies +

Thriller was Michael’s sixth studio album and was released on November 30,

1982 by Epic Records. The production budget for the record was $750,000

and Jackson wrote four of the tracks on the album. At its peak, the album was

selling a million copies a week worldwide. Seven of the album's nine songs

were released as singles, and all reached the top 10 on the Billboard Hot 100.

The album won a record-breaking eight Grammy Awards in 1984. With Michael

Jackson’s death this year Thriller has sold millions more copies around the

world.

credited to www.listzblog.com

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World's Largest Dog - Zorba the English Mastiff

If there are any large dogs that are well known in the world, Zorba is probably one of them. Zorba is an English Mastiff from the UK that made the Guinness Book of World Records because of her massive size.

The English Mastiff is a large breed of dog with an excellent reputation from those who know of them. Many people are not familiar with the Mastiff breed, until they read about one of them being in the Guinness Book of World Records. They are a dog of great courage and dignity that walk with a sense of look of grandeur. They are good natured, calm, easygoing with a great sense of humor. Not only do adults love them, but they are wonderful with kids and easy to train if you follow the advice in training manuals such as the free free Matiff Breed Personality, Fitness & Care course.

They do not show a lot of affection openly, but they are very loyal and devoted to the entire family. Unlike some breeds that are "one man dog" that are loyal to one or two members of the family; the Mastiff seems to know who the family members are and are loyal to the whole family. They are protective of the family, especially with strangers. If a stranger comes to their home, often the Mastiff will place itself between his family and the stranger. They stay that way until their master gives some indication is the visitor is a friend or not. With their massive size, (many are over 200 pounds), there aren't very many people that would want to cross the boundary line without them allowing it.

There have been more then just Zorba that have made world records for being the largest or biggest dogs in the world. Zorba, however, still holds the record in the world for being the largest and longest dog ever to be recorded. He is presently not in the Guinness Book of World Records because he is deceased, but no one to this date has topped his size.

Zorba was over 343 pounds, measured 8 feet 3 inches long to his nose to his tail and stood 37 inches at the shoulder. He was recorded in the books as Aicama Zorba in November 1989 at the age of 8 years old. Chris Eraclides of London, England owned him. Even though, Zorba has passed away and he is no longer listed in the Guinness Book, he is still remembered fondly in the canine world. Deceased or not, there are many that still consider Zorba the greatest and largest dog ever, regardless of who is listed in the book.

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Greenland - World's Largest Island

Greenland  is an autonomous country within the Kingdom of Denmark, located between the Arctic and Atlantic Oceans, east of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. Though physiographically a part of the continent of North America, Greenland has been politically associated with Europe (specifically Denmark-Norway) for about a millennium.

In 1979, Denmark granted home rule to Greenland, with a relationship known in Danish as Rigsfællesskabet, and in 2008 Greenland voted to transfer more competencies to the local government. This became effective the following year, with the Danish royal government remaining in charge only of foreign affairs, security and financial policy, and providing a subsidy of DKK 3.4 billion ($633m), or approximately US$11,300 per Greenlander, annually.

Greenland is, by area, the world's largest island that is not a continent. It is the least densely populated country in the world.

The bedrock in the center of Greenland has been pressed below sea level by the weight of the ice sheet. Thus, if the ice suddenly melted, much of central Greenland would be under water.

Geography of Greenland

Greenland, the largest island in the world, is located between the Arctic Ocean and the North Atlantic Ocean, northeast of Canada and northwest of Iceland. Greenland has no land boundaries and 44,087 km of coastline. A sparse population is confined to small settlements along the coast. Greenland possesses the world's second largest ice sheet.

The vegetation is generally sparse, with the only patch of forested land being found in Nanortalik Municipality in the extreme south near Cape Farewell.

The climate is arctic to subarctic with cool summers and cold winters. The terrain is mostly a flat but gradually sloping icecap that covers all land except for a narrow, mountainous, barren, rocky coast. The lowest elevation is sea level and the highest elevation is the summit of Gunnbjørn Fjeld, the highest point in the Arctic at 3,694 meters (12,120 ft). The northernmost point of the Island of Greenland is Cape Morris Jesup, discovered by Admiral Robert Peary in 1909. Natural resources include zinc, lead, iron ore, coal, molybdenum, gold, platinum, uranium, fish, seals, and whales.

Area

Total: 2,175,600 km²
Land: 2,175,600 km² (341,700 km² ice-free, 1,833,900 km² ice-covered) (est.)

Maritime claims:
exclusive fishing zone: 200 nautical miles
territorial sea: 3 nautical miles

Source: 1, 2

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