Ballpark
Puzzle #38 · 27 October 2026
The five questions from that day's Ballpark, each with its answer, the fact behind it and a link to the source. Rather play it first? It is in the archive.
1. How many savanna elephants did the Great Elephant Census, published in 2016, estimate across 18 African countries?
352,271 elephants
352,271, in the first continent-wide standardized survey of Africa's savanna elephants. Botswana alone held 37% of them. Source
Image: Charles J. Sharp · CC BY-SA 4.0, cropped
2. How long is the world's longest dead-straight stretch of railway, on Australia's Nullarbor Plain?
478 kilometers
478 km (297 miles) without a single curve, on the Trans-Australian line completed in 1917. 'Nullarbor' means 'no trees'. Source
Image: Rosslyn Young · CC BY-SA 4.0, cropped
3. How many rounds did the longest boxing match on record last (New Orleans, 1893)?
110 rounds
110 rounds over 7 h 19 min, from 9:15 p.m. to 4:34 a.m. Andy Bowen v Jack Burke was declared a no contest, later changed to a draw. Source
4. How tall was Robert Wadlow, the tallest person ever recorded?
272 cm
272 cm (8 ft 11.1 in), measured in June 1940, weeks before he died aged 22. His shoes were 47 cm long. Source
5. How many years does Halley's Comet take to orbit the Sun, on average?
76 years
About 76 years. It was last seen from Earth in 1986 and is due back in 2061. Source
Image: NASA/W. Liller · Public domain