It took 15,000 workers seven years and cost billions. Part of the structure is a set of huge pistons that can be opened and closed to release the pressure built up by trains rushing along at 100 mph (160 kph). There is also some 300 miles (482 km) of cold-water piping running in the tunnel to ease the heat caused by air friction.
On the British side, the chalk that was dug out was left at Shakespeare Cliff near Folkestone. As a result, more than 90 acres (360,000 m2) were reclaimed from the sea.
2. THE GREAT WALL OF CHINA
At 4,000 miles (6,400 km), it is staggering for its sheer size and the effort required to build it. The Great Wall still stands today, though it is obviously not a modern creation. It was begun more than two thousand years ago during the Qin Dynasty. Qin Shi Huang was not a man of small imagination. When he died, he was buried with more than six thousand life-size terracotta warriors and horses.
The Great Wall was designed to keep Mongol invaders out of China, though it failed to stop Genghis Khan. It has a system of watchtowers and forts to protect inner China. Sadly, some sections have collapsed or been destroyed.
It is a myth that the Great Wall of China can be seen from the Moon. Many man-made objects can be seen from space at low orbit, like cities, rail lines, even airport runways. From the Moon, however, the Earth looks as if we’ve never existed.
3. THE CN TOWER IN TORONTO, CANADA
The strange thing is that the CN Tower isn’t better known. It is the tallest free-standing man-made structure on earth.1 To be absolutely fair, its main function is as a television and radio mast and towers just don’t catch the imagination in the same way that giant office buildings do. Still, it is 1,815 ft (553.21 m) tall and is a fraction over an inch off perfectly true. It was designed to withstand winds of more than two hundred miles an hour.
4. THE ITAIPÚ DAM
This colossal dam stands on the Paraná River on the border of Brazil and Paraguay. To build it, workers removed 50 million tons of earth and stone. The dam itself is as high as a 65-story building. It used enough concrete for fifteen Channel Tunnels and enough iron and steel to build 380 Eiffel Towers. By anyone’s standards, that is extraordinary.
The hydroelectric power station run by the dam is itself half a mile long. It contains eighteen electric generators, with 160 tons of water a second passing through each one. 72% of Paraguay’s total energy consumption comes from this one dam.
5. THE PANAMA CANAL
One of the reasons the Panama Canal makes it to this list is because it joins two vast oceans and splits two continents. It is 50 miles (80 km) long. Before it was built, a ship traveling from New York to San Francisco would have been forced to go all the way around South America. The canal took almost 8,000 miles (12,800 km) off that journey.
It was originally a French project under Ferdinand de Lesseps. Although he was well respected in France, it took all of his charisma and energy to raise the vast capital needed to begin the enterprise. When work did begin, his men had to contend with parasites, spiders, snakes, torrential downpours, and flash floods. Far worse was the threat of disease. Yellow fever, dysentery, typhoid, cholera, smallpox, and malaria were all common. In those conditions, up to 20,000 workers died. In 1889, De Lesseps’ company went bankrupt and the investors lost their money.
In 1902, the American government agreed to take on the Panama Canal and at the same time supported the independence of Panama from Colombia. The American president, Theodore Roosevelt, told his engineers to “make the dirt fly.” The Americans rebuilt the site and set to work. By 1910, there were 40,000 workers on the canal and Roosevelt had brought in the army. It was completed in 1914.
The principles are similar to any British canal, but each lock gate of the Panama Canal weighs 750 tons. 14,000 ships go through the canal each year.
6. THE AKASHI-KAIKYO BRIDGE IN JAPAN, ALSO KNOWN AS THE PEARL BRIDGE
The longest suspension bridge in the world. It is miles shorter than the longest actual bridge—the Lake Pontchartrain Causeway is over 23 miles (38 km) long—but there is something particularly awe-inspiring about enormous suspension bridges. This one is 6,532 ft (1,991 m) long. It took ten years to build and cost around $3.5 billion. It is 2,329 ft (710 m) longer than the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco.
After a tunnel, a wall, a tower, a dam, a canal and a bridge, most of the truly impressive human building projects have been covered. The last choice may not be physically enormous, but it represents the next stage and the future.
7. THE SPACE SHUTTLE
The Space Shuttle may be the most complicated machine ever built. It is the world’s first real spacecraft and though the current shuttles are approaching the end of their useful lives, they were the first step from single-use rockets to the dreams of science fiction. The first one was actually called Enterprise after the Star Trek ship, though it was only a test plane and never went into space. It is currently in the Smithsonian Museum. Five others followed: Columbia, Challenger, Discovery, Atlantis and Endeavour. Columbia first went into space in 1981, beginning a new era of space flight. The program was temporarily suspended in 1986 when Challenger exploded shortly after liftoff, killing the seven-person crew.
On re-entry, shuttle skin temperature goes up to 1650°C (3000°F). It is the fastest vehicle mankind has ever designed, traveling at speeds of up to 18,000 mph (29,000 kph).
It is used as an all-purpose craft, capable of launching and repairing satellites and docking with the International Space Station in orbit.
Onward and Upward
Books Every Boy Should Read
THE DANGER HERE is that you’ll try to read books that are too hard for your age. The choices are from those books we enjoyed, but this is a list that all men should have read when they were boys. The first ones are the easiest—though not necessarily the best. Every title has been loved by millions. Like a reference to Jack and the Beanstalk, you should know Huckleberry Finn, Sherlock Holmes, and all the other characters who make up the world of imagination. The list comes with suggested reading ages—but these are only rough minimums. Reading ability is more important than age.
Roald Dahl’s books. From five up, these can be read to children. The Twits is fantastic. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, George’s Marvellous Medicine, The BFG, and James and the Giant Peach are all worth reading. For older readers, his short stories are nothing short of brilliant.
The Winnie-the-Pooh books by A. A. Milne. Beautifully written, amusing stories.
Willard Price—a series of adventure books, with titles such as Underwater Adventure, Arctic Adventure, and so on. The two main characters, Hal and Roger, are role models for all boys growing up today. Suitable for ages eight and above.
All the Famous Five books by Enid Blyton. Also, her Secret Seven series. These are classic adventure and crime stories for those aged eight and above, up to the early teens.
Fungus the Bogeyman by Raymond Briggs. One of the strangest books in this list, but oddly compelling. For all ages, but probably ten and above.
Grimm’s Fairy Tales; Hans Christian Andersen; Greek and Roman legends. There are many collections out there, but these stories have survived because they are good.
The Belgariad by David Eddings. Fantasy series of five books, every one a gem. Eleven and above.
Rogue Male by Geoffrey Household. An extraordinary story of survival against the odds. Suitable for eleven and over.
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C. S. Lewis. The second of the Narnia series. Superb fantasy stories for confident readers of twelve and above.
Charlotte’s Web, by E. B. White. A powerful story of a pig and a spider! Eight years old and up.
Kim by Rudyard Kipling—a classic adventure. Also, the Just So Stories and The Jungle Book. For confident readers, but well worth the time.
The Thirty-Nine Steps by John Buchan. This is almost the definition of a boy’s adventure story, involving spies and wild dashes across the Scottish countryside. Also look for Mr. Standf
ast by the same author.
The James Bond books by Ian Fleming. For early teen readers and above. These stories are quite dark in places—far grittier than the films.
The Harry Potter books by J. K. Rowling. Modern classics.
S. E. Hinton—The Outsiders, Tex, and Rumble Fish. These are classic stories about the misadventures of growing up. For confident readers of twelve and above.
Mark Twain—The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. For confident readers of twelve and above
Isaac Asimov—science fiction. He wrote hundreds of brilliant short stories, available in collections. Confident readers of twelve and above.
Terry Pratchett’s Discworld books. They are all fantastic, funny, and interesting. Start with Sourcery. Twelve and above.
Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card. Fantastic story of a young boy in a military academy. Confident readers of twelve and above.
Midshipman’s Hope by David Feintuch. A space fantasy with a marvelous main character. There are seven in the full series.
The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams. Funny and clever—the old “five books to a trilogy” ploy. Twelve and up.
David Gemmell’s books, such as Waylander—the master of heroic fantasy for fourteen and up. Read one and you’ll read them all.
Magician by Raymond E. Feist. One of the best fantasy novels ever written—and a whole series of first-class sequels to follow.
The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien. The masterwork trilogy. For confident teen readers.
The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster. A classic adventure fantasy story. Can be read at many levels from eight to adult.
The Flashman books by George MacDonald Fraser. For confident readers, but a great dip into history and adventure. Fourteen and above.
Animal Farm and 1984 by George Orwell. Novels to wake the brain. For confident readers of fourteen and over.
Brave New World by Aldous Huxley. Like Orwell’s 1984, a famous story of a future we should fear.
Lord of the Flies by William Golding. Superb—but only for accomplished readers of fourteen and above.
H. G. Wells’s The Time Machine, The Island of Dr. Moreau, The Invisible Man—books from one of the best literary minds of the nineteenth century. Fourteen and above.
The Sherlock Holmes adventures by Arthur Conan Doyle. The original classic detective mysteries. Loads of short crime stories and longer novels, like The Hound of the Baskervilles. Accomplished readers only. Fifteen and above.
Gulliver’s Travels by Jonathan Swift. One that can be read on more than one level. It gave us the lands of Lilliput and Brobdingnag.
Three Men in a Boat by Jerome K. Jerome. The funniest book ever written, but only for accomplished readers of fourteen or fifteen and above.
Stephen King. The Bachman Books is a good starting point. His novels are quite adult in subject and can be very frightening. Accomplished readers only—fifteen and above.
Standard and Metric Measurements
* * *
LINEAR MEASURES
1 mile = 8 furlongs = 1,760 yards = 5,280 feet = 1.609 kilometers (km)
1 furlong = 10 chains = 220 yards = 201 meters (m)
1 chain = cricket pitch = 22 yards = 66 feet = 20 meters
1 yard (yd) = 3 feet = 0.9144 meters
1 foot (ft) = 12 inches = 0.3048 meters
1 inch (in) = 25.4 millimeters (mm)
SQUARE MEASURES
1 square mile = 640 acres = 259 hectares
1 acre = 10 square chains = 4,840 square yards = 0.405 hectares
1 rood = ¼ acre = 1,210 square yards = 1,011 square meters
1 square yard (sq yd) = 9 square feet = 0.836 square meters
1 square foot (sq ft) = 144 square inches = 9.29 square decimeters
1 square inch (sq in) = 6.45 square centimeters
CUBIC MEASURES
1 cubic yard = 27 cubic feet = 0.765 cubic meters
1 cubic foot = 1,728 cubic inches = 0.028 cubic meters
1 cubic inch = 16.4 cubic centimeters
CAPACITY MEASURE
1 bushel = four pecks = 64 pints = 8 gallons = 30.28 liters
1 peck = 2 gallons = 16 pints = 7.568 liters
1 gallon (gal) = 4 quarts = 8 pints = 3.785 liters
1 quart (qt) = 2 pints = .946 liters
1 pint (pt) = 16 fluid ounces = 4 gills = 0.473 liters
1 gill = 4 fluid ounces = 0.118 liters
1 fluid ounce (fl oz) = 1.8 cubic inches = 0.029 liters
WEIGHT
1 ton = 20 hundredweight = 2240 pounds = 1.016 metric tons
1 hundredweight (cwt) = four quarters= 112 pounds = 50.80 kilograms (kg)
1 quarter = 2 stones = 28 pounds = 12.70 kilograms
1 stone = 14 pounds = 6.35 kilograms
1 pound (lb) = 16 ounces = 7,000 grains = 0.45 kilograms
1 ounce (oz) = 16 drams = 28.35 grams (g)
1 dram (dr) = 27.3 grains = 1.772 grams
1 grain (gr) = 0.065 grams
* * *
* * *
INTERESTING NOTE
The reason British currency is called a “pound” actually has to do with the weight of silver pennies. Alfred the Great set a “pennyweight” as 24 “grains” in the ninth century. 240 silver pennies comes to a pound (lb) in Troy weight. That is why the currency is still called “pound sterling”—“sterling silver” is silver of very high purity.
U.S. Standard measurements were once known as British Imperial measurements. Our system is fractionally different from the traditional British measurements—their hundredweight is 112 lbs, for example. It is slightly ironic that while we send men and women into space using pounds and inches, Britain has adopted the measurements of the French Revolution. Metric has the benefit of being easy to calculate, with everything based around the number 10. Our measurement system is based around the number 12 and also the human body: a yard is a man’s pace, a foot is the length of a forearm (or a foot), a rough acre is a square of seventy paces by seventy. Having more than one system alive in the world is useful to remind us that they are artificial—that the world is man-made.
* * *
Dangerous Book for Boys Badges
Congratulations on getting to the end of the book! If you think you have gained significant knowledge from The Dangerous Book for Boys, then why not reward yourself? You can go to the website: dangerousbookforboys.com and print out these badges.
CARPENTRY AND WOODWORKING
DIRECTION AND NAVIGATION
HUNTING AND FISHING
NATURE EXPLORING
SCIENCE AND EXPERIMENTS
ASTRONOMY AND THE SOLAR SYSTEM
Illustrations
Note: The pagination of this digital edition does not match the print edition.
4.Seven Wonders of the Ancient World: Wills Cigarette Cards © Imperial Tobacco Limited
19.Ammonite fossils (© NHPA/Kevin Schafer)
20.Trilobite fossils (© NHPA/Kevin Schafer)
Sea Urchin fossil (Colin Keates © Dorling Kindersley)
46.Brook Trout Courtesy U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service
Northern Pike Courtesy U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service
Smallmouth Bass Courtesy U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service
Walleye Courtesy U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service
47.Minnow © Collins Gem Fish
54.Thermopylae map (The Great Persian War by G.B. Grundy, pub. John Murray, 1901)
55.Map of the Battle of Cannae © The Times History of War, 2000
56.Bust of Julius Caesar (Museo Nationale, Naples/Scala, Florence)
58.Bayeux Tapestry, Bayeux, France (Roger-Viollet/Rex Features)
59.Map of Crécy © The Age of Chivalry by Arthur Bryant
69.Signal Flags courtesy of U.S. Navy
75.Robert Scott (© Popperfoto.com)
77.Captain L.E.G. Oates (Mary Evans Picture Library)
83.Meadow grasshopper © Complete British Insects by Michael Chinery
Cricket © Complete British Insects by Michael Chinery
84.Earwig © Complete British Insects by Michael Chinery
Mayfly © Complete British Insects by Michael Chinery
Damselfly © Complete British Insects by Michael Chinery
Dragonfly © Complete British Insects by Michael Chinery
85.Pond Skater © Complete British Insects by Michael Chinery
Water boatman © Complete British Insects by Michael Chinery
Six-spot burnet © Complete British Insects by Michael Chinery
86.Dor Beetle © Complete British Insects by Michael Chinery
Glowworms © Complete British Insects by Michael Chinery
Ladybugs © Complete British Insects by Michael Chinery
Stag Beetle © Complete British Insects by Michael Chinery
Bumble Bee © Complete British Insects by Michael Chinery
87.Common Wasp © Complete British Insects by Michael Chinery
Hornet © Complete British Insects by Michael Chinery
Ants © Complete British Insects by Michael Chinery
Bluebottle © Complete British Insects by Michael Chinery
Horsefly © Complete British Insects by Michael Chinery
88.Midge (© NHPA/Stephen Dalton)
House spider (© NHPA/Mark Bowler)
Garden spider (© NHPA/Stephen Dalton)
All images from Collins Complete British Insects by Michael Chinery (© Michael Chinery 2005) reprinted by permission of HarperCollins Publishers.
The Dangerous Book for Boys Page 29
