SortStack #1600 — 2030-10-26
By duration · Order from shortest to longest.
- The elevator ride up the Burj Khalifa's observation deck 1 min
The lifts climb at around 10 metres per second. Your ears pop on the way to the 124th floor — the building is so tall it has distinct climate zones.
- A standard university lecture 50 min
Attention research suggests student focus starts lapsing after 10-15 minutes — which is roughly when most lecturers are just warming up.
- An evening at Wagner's opera 'Götterdämmerung', intervals included 5.5 h
It's only the finale: the full Ring cycle spans four operas over about 15 hours of music, and devotees attend all four nights in a row.
- The Battle of Leipzig, Napoleon's 'Battle of the Nations' 4 days
With around 600,000 soldiers from over a dozen nations, the 1813 clash was Europe's largest battle until the First World War.
- The Islamic holy month of Ramadan 29.5 days
Because it follows the lunar calendar, Ramadan drifts about 11 days earlier each year — cycling through every season over 33 years.
- The Ottoman Empire 622.7 years
Founded before the printing press, it ended after the airplane — the empire spanned 623 years and three continents at its height.