Is this a live list of current world records?
No. We explain selected, dated achievements and historical milestones. Consult the relevant governing body for current record status. A performance date on this website is not a statement that the claim was rechecked today.
What is the difference between a record and a milestone?
A record is a leading result within a defined comparison category. A milestone is a historically significant achievement that need not remain numerically unsurpassed. Apollo 11’s first crewed lunar landing is a milestone; an official sprint record belongs to an ongoing performance category.
Which sources should I check first?
Use official result lists for sport, defined technical databases for structures, mission archives for exploration and original research for scientific findings. Institutional summaries help with context. A source’s authority should match the claim: a project owner knows its design dimensions but is not automatically the best independent judge of every ranking.
Why does wind matter in sprinting and jumping?
A following wind can assist performance. For outdoor 100 metres and long jump record purposes, the permitted following wind is no more than +2.0 metres per second. An assisted result can still count in a competition without belonging in a wind-legal record comparison. See the human-feats guide.
Why do building-height lists disagree?
They may compare architectural height, highest occupied floor or height to tip, or include different types and completion states of structures. A tower, a building and a proposed project should not silently share one category. See the built-records guide for defined examples.
Why can one discovery have several dates?
An observation, publication, public announcement, practical application and award can occur in different years. A clear account names the event attached to each date. LIGO recorded GW150914 in 2015 and announced it in 2016; those dates describe different stages, not a contradiction.
How should I read a claim that someone was first?
Ask first at what, according to which evidence and within which category. “First confirmed ascent” and “first crewed landing” are more precise than an unqualified “first.” Also ask whose supporting work and earlier knowledge the short account might leave out.
Are the photographs evidence of the original events?
No. The close-up photographs are illustrative unless a caption explicitly identifies a historical image. Verification comes from the cited records and research. A photograph of laboratory equipment does not authenticate a scientific result.
How can I suggest a correction?
Use the Corrections page to prepare a message with the page, disputed wording and supporting source. Copy or download the draft and send it by email; the composer does not transmit it. Please distinguish a numerical error from a disagreement about interpretation.
Still weighing a source? Read our evidence standard. A claim should not become more certain merely because it has been repeated often.