2. In the 100-m dash at the 1996 Olympics, Canadian track-and-field athlete Donovan Bailey reached a top speed of 43.6 km/h (27.1 mph).

3. Avalanches can reach speeds exceeding 160 km/h (100 mph).

4. Right-hander Roger "Rocket" Clemens regularly throws pitches faster than 145 km/h (90 mph).

5. Jackrabbits are one of the fastest land animals and can travel almost as fast as an antelope for short distances, reaching speeds of 72 km/h (45 mph). They can also jump 4.5 to 6 m (some 15 to 20 ft) in a single jump.

6. Blue jet lightning bursts erupt from the center of thunderstorms at speeds of up to 6,000 km/h (3,300 mph).

7. The cheetah is the fastest ground animal on earth, able to attain speeds up to about 113 km/h (70 mph).

8. Magnetic levitation trains have reached speeds of 517 km/h (321 mph) in Japan.

9. Pronghorns are the fastest animals in North America. The top-recorded speed of a pronghorn is 86.5 km/h (53.8 mph).

10. The speed of sound depends on a number of things, like temperature, altitude, and the molecules it moves through. At 20 degrees C (68 degrees F), in dry air, the speed of sound is 344 m/sec (1,129 ft/sec), or 1,238 km/hr (770 mph).

11. Wind speeds in tornados range from 120 km/h (75 mph) to almost 500 km/h (300 mph).

12. Chuck Yeager became the first person to break the sound barrier on October 14, 1947. In the experimental Bell X-1 aircraft, he reached a speed of 1,065 km/h (662 mph), faster than the speed of sound at his altitude.

13. A speeding bullet: A 20-mm shell moves about 500 m/sec (1,600ft/sec). This translates to 1,800 km/hour (1,100 miles/hour).

There we have it: of the items on this list, only blue jet lightning bursts and rockets sending objects into deep space are faster than a speeding bullet.

Velocity is another way of saying speed. Learn more about velocity in Encarta Encyclopedia.

Also on MSN
Find it. Fast.
Like sports cars?