Most Amazing Elevators Ever Built

The many wonders of technology just keep on evolving with newer sleeker designs. From simple pulley lifts we now have lifts that cover skyscrapers in less than a minute. Read further for 10 of the most insane lifts ever built by man!

Hammetschwand Elevator (Switzerland)
Europe's highest exterior elevator, The Hammetschwand Lift is located in Switzerland and overlooks the serene Lake Lucerne. Built and opened by the Schindler Group the life carries passengers 153 meters upto the summit of the Hammetschwand in less than a minute.

Taipei 101 (Taiwan)
The world's fastest elevator travelling at a speed of 16.3 m/s belongs to the Taipei 101, formerly known as the Taipei World Financial Center. Taipei 101's elevators sweep visitors from the fifth floor to the 89th-floor observatory in only 37 seconds.[24] Each elevator features an aerodynamic body, fullpressurization, state-of-the art emergency braking systems, and the world's first triple-stage anti-overshooting system.

Louvre Elevator (France)
If you thought glass elevators were cool, then check out this one, which boasts a slide-out walkway. This hydraulic elevator at the louvre in paris is one of only a few in the world. Looking like something from a sci-fi film, the open lift quietly and smoothly rises from the floor at the press of a button

Bailong Elevator (China)
One of the craziest glass elevators in the world, the Bailong Elevator is built off a cliff dropping 1,070 feet. The construction built onto the side of a huge cliff in the Wulingyuan area of Zhangjiajie, began in 1999 and was opened to the public in 2002. The environmental effects of the elevator have been a subject of debate and controversy, as the Wulingyan area was designated a World Heritage Site in 2002.

Santa Justa Lift (Portugal)
Built in the historical city of Lisbon, Portugal, the Santa Justa Lift connects the lower streets of the Baixa with the higher Largo do Carmo. A tourist attraction, the lift is the only remaining vertical one. Others, including Elevador da Glória and Elevador da Lavra, are funiculars, and the other Lift constructed around the period, the Elevator of São Julião has since been demolished.

Space Needle (Seattle, Washington):

Built for the 1962 World's Fair during which time the elevators to the towers rotating upper level serviced nearly 20,000 people a day. The upper level currently features an observation deck, a gift shop, and the famous rotating SkyCity restaurant. The elevators travel at 4.5 m/s and te whole trip takes 41 seconds, with tourists often waiting in hour long lines to ascend to the top of the tower.

The Gateway Arch (Missouri):
Designed by Finnish-American architect Eero Saarinen and German-American structural engineer Hannskarl Bandel in 1947, the Gateway arch stands a whoping 630 feet high. Near the top of the arch, passengers exit the tram compartment and climb a slight grade to enter the arched observation area. There are 32 windows (16 per side), each measuring 7 by 27 inches (180 mm × 690 mm) and allowing views across the Mississippi River and southern Illinois. The arch has become the iconic image of St. Louis, appearing in many parts of city culture.

Lacerda Elevator (Brazil):
The elevator itself is one of the popular landmarks in Salvador de Bahia, Brazil. The people of the city and tourists alike take the elevator to get up to the mountain. You can enjoy one of the best ice creams in the city at a small shop within the station, once you are on top. This is where the common historical landmarks begin in the city as well after you get on the mountain. During Carnival there are concerts that are held in the square and there is also a carnival route through the area as well. I would highly recommend that you go to Carnival in Salvador as its the Brazil’s Carnival and you get to be with mostly Brazilians rather than tourists.

Eiffel Tower (France)
One of most beautiful structure to grace the face of the planet, The Eiffel Tower is part of this list but not for its symbol, instead for its elevator. The original elevators to the first and second floors were provided by two companies. Both companies had to overcome many technical obstacles as neither company (or indeed any company) had experience with installing lifts climbing to such heights with large loads.

Luxor Inclinator Elevator (Nevada):
In Las Vegas, Nevada, at the Luxor Hotel, is the Inclinator. The shape of this casino is a pyramid. Therefore, the elevator travels up the side of the pyramid at a 39 degree angle. Although people refer to this "inclined elevator" as an inclinator, this is incorrect.

Professor and student conversation: God and Faith

Professor : You are a Christian, aren’t you, son ?

Student : Yes, sir.

Professor: So, you believe in GOD ?

Student : Absolutely, sir.

Professor : Is GOD good ?

Student : Sure.

Professor: Is GOD all powerful ?

Student : Yes.

Professor: My brother died of cancer even though he prayed to GOD to heal him. Most of us would attempt to help others who are ill. But GOD didn’t. How is this GOD good then? Hmm?

(Student was silent.)

Professor: You can’t answer, can you ? Let’s start again, young fella. Is GOD good?

Student : Yes.

Professor: Is satan good ?

Student : No.

Professor: Where does satan come from ?

Student : From … GOD …

Professor: That’s right. Tell me son, is there evil in this world?

Student : Yes.

Professor: Evil is everywhere, isn’t it ? And GOD did make everything. Correct?

Student : Yes.

Professor: So who created evil ?

(Student did not answer.)

Professor: Is there sickness? Immorality? Hatred? Ugliness? All these terrible things exist in the world, don’t they?

Student : Yes, sir.

Professor: So, who created them ?

(Student had no answer.)

Professor: Science says you have 5 Senses you use to identify and observe the world around you. Tell me, son, have you ever seen GOD?

Student : No, sir.

Professor: Tell us if you have ever heard your GOD?

Student : No , sir.

Professor: Have you ever felt your GOD, tasted your GOD, smelt your GOD? Have you ever had any sensory perception of GOD for that matter?

Student : No, sir. I’m afraid I haven’t.

Professor: Yet you still believe in Him?

Student : Yes.

Professor : According to Empirical, Testable, Demonstrable Protocol, Science says your GOD doesn’t exist. What do you say to that, son?

Student : Nothing. I only have my faith.

Professor: Yes, faith. And that is the problem Science has.

Student : Professor, is there such a thing as heat?

Professor: Yes.

Student : And is there such a thing as cold?

Professor: Yes.

Student : No, sir. There isn’t.

(The lecture theater became very quiet with this turn of events.)

Student : Sir, you can have lots of heat, even more heat, superheat, mega heat, white heat, a little heat or no heat. But we don’t have anything called cold. We can hit 458 degrees below zero which is no heat, but we can’t go any further after that. There is no such thing as cold. Cold is only a word we use to describe the absence of heat. We cannot measure cold. Heat is energy. Cold is not the opposite of heat, sir, just the absence of it.

(There was pin-drop silence in the lecture theater.)

Student : What about darkness, Professor? Is there such a thing as darkness?

Professor: Yes. What is night if there isn’t darkness?

Student : You’re wrong again, sir. Darkness is the absence of something. You can have low light, normal light, bright light, flashing light. But if you have no light constantly, you have nothing and its called darkness, isn’t it? In reality, darkness isn’t. If it is, well you would be able to make darkness darker, wouldn’t you?

Professor: So what is the point you are making, young man ?

Student : Sir, my point is your philosophical premise is flawed.

Professor: Flawed ? Can you explain how?

Student : Sir, you are working on the premise of duality. You argue there is life and then there is death, a good GOD and a bad GOD. You are viewing the concept of GOD as something finite, something we can measure. Sir, Science can’t even explain a thought. It uses electricity and magnetism, but has never seen, much less fully understood either one. To view death as the opposite of life is to be ignorant of the fact that death cannot exist as a substantive thing.

Death is not the opposite of life: just the absence of it. Now tell me, Professor, do you teach your students that they evolved from a monkey?

Professor: If you are referring to the natural evolutionary process, yes, of course, I do.

Student : Have you ever observed evolution with your own eyes, sir?

(The Professor shook his head with a smile, beginning to realize where the argument was going.)

Student : Since no one has ever observed the process of evolution at work and cannot even prove that this process is an on-going endeavor. Are you not teaching your opinion, sir? Are you not a scientist but a preacher?

(The class was in uproar.)

Student : Is there anyone in the class who has ever seen the Professor’s brain?

(The class broke out into laughter. )

Student : Is there anyone here who has ever heard the Professor’s brain, felt it, touched or smelt it? No one appears to have done so. So, according to the established Rules of Empirical, Stable, Demonstrable Protocol, Science says that you have no brain, sir. With all due respect, sir, how do we then trust your lectures, sir?

(The room was silent. The Professor stared at the student, his face unfathomable.)

Professor: I guess you’ll have to take them on faith, son.

Student : That is it sir … Exactly ! The link between man & GOD is FAITH. That is all that keeps things alive and moving.

P.S.

I believe you have enjoyed the conversation. And if so, you’ll probably want your friends / colleagues to enjoy the same, won’t you?

Forward this to increase their knowledge … or FAITH.

By the way, that student was Albert Einstein

Bryan Berg - The World's Best Card Stacker

It's the best time for you to meet the best man in constructing entire buildings and castles with playing cards as his main material without the use of any glue and tape, and without even folding or bending the cards.  Bryan Berg has an extraordinary ability to stack playing cards making and imitating tall and large buildings which are famous around the globe.  Hence, he has been holding the Guinness World record for the Tallest House of Freestanding Playing Cards since 1992. To recognize his work, Guinness World Records also created a new category in 2004 and that is the World's Largest House of Freestanding Playing Cards.

 Berg continues to break his own world records with his intricate and sensational designs.  Based in Iowa, he cut his first stack of cards at the tender age of 8. Bryan holds a Professional Degree in Architecture and a Design Achievement Award from Iowa State University and a Masters in Design Studies from Harvard.

He proved to the world his extraordinary skill of art. In fact, he duplicated many of the well-known landmarks worldwide such as New York skyline and Cinderella's castle. For over 30 years, Berg has been perfecting his art.

His largest work till date is a card recreation of the Venetian Macau Resort-Hotel. With this, he broke his own world record by using 4,000 decks or an amazing 219,000 individual cards, placed on top of each other over a period of 44 days.

However he also understands that what goes up must eventually come down. As what he said, “I also enjoy knocking the structures down because I consider the demolition of each project part of the creative process.” 

Unbelievable Beards and Mustaches -Fantastic!

One of the manly qualities is having a beard and mustache. In ancient Greece, beards were regarded as a symbol for virility. In ancient India, beards were taken as a symbol for wisdom and dignity. 

We are showing you a collection of fantastic beards and mustaches... Enjoy and be amazed!

For sure, it took time for them to make those beards and mustaches grow. It is fantastic, isn't it?

Very Long Banana - Amazing

Woooow! What a banana!

Very long right ...!

World's Longest Official Place Name

Below are the pictures of the world's longest official place name: