Ballpark

Puzzle #40 · 29 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 web pages had the Internet Archive's Wayback Machine saved when it celebrated a milestone in October 2025?

1T web pages

One trillion web pages. The Wayback Machine has been saving copies of the internet's history since 1996. Source

Image: Svobodat · CC BY-SA 3.0, cropped

2. How wide is the Milky Way galaxy?

100,000 light-years

About 100,000 light-years across, holding somewhere between 100 and 400 billion stars. Source

Image: ESO/S. Brunier · CC BY 4.0, cropped

3. How fast does NASA's Parker Solar Probe travel at its closest approach to the Sun?

430,000 mph

About 430,000 mph (700,000 km/h). NASA says that is fast enough to get from Philadelphia to Washington, D.C., in one second. Source

Image: NASA/Bill Ingalls · Public domain

4. How fast can a peregrine falcon dive, according to Guinness World Records' estimate?

320 km/h

About 320 km/h (200 mph) in a hunting dive called a stoop. One trained falcon, Frightful, was reportedly clocked at 389 km/h in 1999. Source

Image: Andy Reago & Chrissy McClarren · CC BY 2.0, cropped

5. How many performances did The Phantom of the Opera give on Broadway, the longest run in its history?

13,981 performances

13,981 performances, not counting previews. Broadway shows usually play eight times a week. Source

Image: SeichanGant · CC BY-SA 4.0, cropped