Fact-A-Day from Harry K. – January 6, 2009

Fact-A-Day from Harry K. In the spirit of C.A.N.I. (Continuous And Never-ending Improvement), here are this week’s new facts—one for each day of your coming week. Pass them on to others to keep the spirit alive or invite your friends and family to visit our blog where they can also view previous entries.

The Great Wall of China was built more than 2,000 years ago and is the longest man-made structure ever built. Total length of the wall is approximately 4,160 miles.
The Wall averages 25-feet tall; it’s 15- to 30-feet thick at the base (wide enough for 10 people to walk side by side). Only an estimated 30% of the Great Wall is still intact.
If the Great Wall began in Florida and ran due north, it’s so long that it would end at the North Pole.
The Great Wall of China would cost $260 billion if it were to be built at today’s prices—about half the cost of all annual construction in the U.S.
There are enough bricks in the Great Wall to build a wall five-feet high and three-feet thick around the Earth at the equator.
The Great Wall of China was built by more than a million people who happened to be peasants, prisoners and soldiers, and thousands of them died in the process. About 70% of China’s population at the time worked on the first 3,000-mile section of the Wall.
The Great Wall is not just a wall. Other defensive works such as forts, passes and beacon towers were built along the Wall to house auxiliary soldiers, store grain and weapons, and transmit military information.

Harry K. Jones is a motivational speaker and consultant for AchieveMax®, Inc., a company of motivational speakers who provide custom-designed seminars, keynote presentations, and consulting services.