SortStack #1014 — 2029-03-19

By size · Order from shortest to longest.

1. A mustard seed 2 mm

   Despite being tiny, mustard plants can grow taller than a person, a contrast noted in ancient parables.

2. A grain of rice 7 mm

   Rice feeds more than half the planet, and a single plant can yield thousands of these grains.

3. A roasted coffee bean 8.5 mm

   A coffee 'bean' is actually the seed of a cherry-like fruit that grows on shrubs near the equator.

4. The English Channel (narrowest crossing) 33.8 km

   The first person to swim it, in 1875, took nearly 22 hours and slathered himself in porpoise grease for warmth.

5. A marathon course 42.2 km

   The odd distance was fixed in 1908 so the London race could start at Windsor Castle and finish before the royal box.

6. The Mississippi River (length) 3.7K km

   A raindrop falling at its source takes about 90 days to drift all the way down to the Gulf of Mexico.

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