SortStack #1231 — 2029-10-22

By size · Order from shortest to longest.

1. A single poppy seed 1.3 mm

   It takes roughly 3,000 poppy seeds to make a single gram, which is why they scatter so easily off a bagel.

2. A tennis ball 6.7 cm

   Tennis balls are pressurised with gas and slowly go flat, which is why fresh cans hiss when opened.

3. A ten-pin bowling pin 38 cm

   Pins are coated in tough plastic and weigh just enough to scatter dramatically yet stand back up reliably.

4. The Brooklyn Bridge (total length) 1.8 km

   When it opened in 1883, a stampede fearing collapse killed twelve people; a circus later marched elephants across to prove its strength.

5. The Kiel Canal, Germany 98 km

   The world's busiest artificial waterway, it lets ships skip the long, stormy voyage around Denmark.

6. The River Thames (length) 346 km

   It was once so polluted that 1858's 'Great Stink' forced Parliament to finally build London's sewers.

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