In­ter­est­ing facts facts

Ross Ice Shelf. The Ross Ice Shelf is the largest ice shelf of Antarctica and covers an area of about 520,000 km2, nearly the size of France. The nearly vertical ice front to the open sea is more than 600 kilometres long, and between 15 and 50 metres high above the water surface. Ninety percent of the floating ice, however, is below the water surface.

Mario Andretti has taken part in many different racing categories, including dragster races. In 1969 he won Indianapolis 500, Daytona 500 and 12 hours of Sebring. The 1978 season belonged to Mario Andretti where he became F1 World Champion.

Austrian. Franz Joseph Haydn (1732 Rohrau - 1809 Vienna) was an Austrian composer of the Classical era and one of the three "Viennese classics" (the oldest). His younger brother, Johann Michael, was also a highly regarded composer, active mainly in Salzburg.

British Olympic Planners. The marathon may have ancient roots, but the foot race’s official length of 26.2 miles wasn’t established until the 20th century. As the story goes, Queen Alexandra requested that the race start on the lawn of Windsor Castle (so the littlest royals could watch from the window of their nursery) and finish in front of the royal box at the Olympic stadium—a distance that happened to be 26.2 miles (26 miles and 385 yards). The random boost in mileage ending up sticking, and in 1921 the length for a marathon was formally standardized at 26.2 miles (42.195 kilometers).

The American pilot Amelia Earhart crashed. The 425,300-km2 (164,200-mi2) marine reserve contains eight coral atolls including Nikumaroro. Nikumaroro has been the focus of considerable speculation and exploration as a location where pilot Amelia Earhart might have crashed in July 1937 during her ill-fated final flight, attempting to circumnavigate the globe. Fascination with her life, career, and disappearance continues to this day.