50 interesting facts about Earth (Part 3)
50 interesting facts about Earth From extreme climates to peculiar creatures, here are some top facts about Earth. 21. PEOPLE HAVE CLIMBED EVEREST WITHOUT OXYGEN. On May 8, 1978, climbers Reinhold Messner and Peter Habeler became the first to summit Everest without the aid of oxygen , according to the journal Respiratory Physiology and Neurobiology (opens in new tab) . Messner described his feelings upon reaching the top like this: "I am nothing more than a single narrow gasping lung, floating over the mists and summits." 22. MID-OCEAN RIDGE IS THE LONGEST MOUNTAIN CHAIN To find the world's longest mountain range you'd have to look down, way down. It is called the mid-ocean ridge , and the underwater chain of volcanoes spans some 40,389 miles (65,000 km), according to NOAA (opens in new tab) . It rises an average of 18,000 feet (5.5 kilometers) above the bottom of the sea. As lava erupts from the seafloo...