The first time we ever heard the term ‘Speedster’ was in reference to a comic book character. Yeah, you know the one, whose signature trademarks are red spandex and a golden thunderbolt across his chest but in essence, aside from ‘fastest cars’ or bikes, or anything similar there are a lot of ways to be fast, at many different things. 

We decided to check out a few VERY fast things and what we found was very interesting indeed. They say fact can be stranger than fiction and in reality, there are quite a number of real-life speedsters out there. Here, we take a look at some of the fastest things on the planet, both alive and inanimate.

THE ANIMALS KINGDOM

The fastest living things on the planet, all courtesy of wonderful Mother Nature. 

LAND

The Cheetah

Although it’s practically general knowledge to know that a Cheetah can sprint super-fast, most people don’t know the actual numbers that this agile cat can really do. Let’s just say, if you spot one, no pun intended, just remember to keep as far away as possible because these felines are capable of reaching (recorded) speeds of between 68 (110kph) and 75mph (120kph). Our best advice for seeing a Cheetah in person outside of captivity is through the lens of a good pair of binoculars.  

AIR

The Peregrine Falcon

The most suited speedster of the sky has to be a falcon right? The Peregrine Falcon also unofficially referred to as the Duck Hawk is a bird of prey that is capable of achieving diving speeds of up to 240mph (390kph). When it comes to speed, altitude, and a swift descent the first logical question is ‘how does it breath?’ Well, it can do this because it has a one-way airflow into its lungs. Talk about efficiency!

SEA

The Black Marlin

Unlike the more-popular Cheetah, you’d be forgiving for not knowing what exactly a Black Marlin is. This marine animal white it’s long snout resembles a swordfish and is able to clock top speeds of up to 80mph (130kph). That’s faster than the majority of us commute in our vehicles and no, it may sound like Merlin and it might seem like magic but it’s not, it’s pure performance and evolution at its best. 

INSECTS

The South Californian Mite

Speed is relative and by that we mean, the speed of the subject is relative to its body length. Size and how fast something can move changes when you factor in these dimensions. To date, the fastest organism on Earth is the South Californian Mite which has a top speed of 322 body lengths per second. To put it simply, if any person could run at 322bl/s they’d be able to run a mind-boggling 1300mph (2092kph).

MAN-MADE

Mother Nature is indeed spectacular but man has devised some pretty fast machines also and here we get to marvel at them in all their glory. 

ON THE ROAD

The Bugatti Chiron Super Sport 300+

From a branding perspective, it’s clever since the top speed is technically in the name, but the Chiron did a little more than 300mph clocking in a staggering 304mph (490kph). Aside from the super-strong styling gel you’d need to maintain a dapper hairstyle at these speeds, you’d also need to take out a second mortgage just for the fuel. 

LAND-SPEED

The Thrust SSC

Powered by two jet engines and driven in Nevada by Andy Green from the United Kingdom back in 1997 the Thrust SSC was the first car to break the sound barrier setting a record speed of 763mph (1228kph). Although no new land-speed records have officially been set yet the Bloodhound Land Speed Record (BLSR) team recently unveiled what they’ve dubbed “the world’s fastest straight-line car” which literally has a jet engine so powerful it’s said to be capable of reaching speeds over 500mph (805kph). For now, they’re still running preliminary tests with a focus on slowing down and stopping because of course, when you’re going at supersonic speeds you’ll need a plan to come back to a complete stop – safely. The BLSR team will attempt a new land-speed record in early 2020 – good luck!

IN THE SKY

The Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird

Strangely enough, it is not on, but off the ground where man seems to make up the most speed breakthroughs and what’s better than a military jet with a dope name like Blackbird? The Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird is a long-range, high-altitude, Mach 3+ strategic reconnaissance aircraft and the true king of the sky capable of reaching vomit-inducing loss-of-consciousness speeds of 2190mph (3530kph). 

BY RAIL

The JR-Maglev

To clarify, yes, it’s a train, but not in the conventional sense because technically, the Japanese manufactured JR-Maglev doesn’t run along tracks but rather hovers 4 inches (10cm) of the tracks. It’s propelled by electrically charged magnets and is able to reach a top speed of 375mph (600kph). This particular (luxury) mode of transportation is not just fast, but also extremely comfortable. 

——————————————————————–

More FASTness

Here are some speeds that’ll completely boggle your mind!

Fastest Man 

Usain Bolt

Known the world-over as the fastest man alive, Usain Bolt is also the fastest human being in recorded history. He is able to reach speeds of over 27mph (43kph).

Fastest Woman

Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce

This title isn’t so clean cut. Technically Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce has been crowned the fastest woman in the worldnumerous timeswhile the women’s 100m world record of 10.49 seconds was set by American Florence Griffith-Joyner in 1988 – which remains unbroken. 

Fastest Tank

The S2000 Scorpion Peacekeeper

Here’s another marvelous machine developed by Repaircraft PLC in the United Kingdom. In 2002 the Scorpion Peacekeeper tank achieved speeds of 51mph (82kph) which is pretty impressive considering the sheer size and presence of a miltary-grade tank! 

Fastest Quad Ride

Terry Wilmeth 

Back in 2008 at the Madras Airport in Madras, Oregon, Terry Wilmeth managed to reach a top speed of 196mph (316kph) on a quad bike. We’re not sure it that’s cool or absolutely insane because quads are notorious for flipping over. Either way, it’s an awesome record that’s unlikely to be beat anytime soon. 

Fastest Water-speed

Ken Warby

A few decades back in 1978 in Australia, Ken Warby set the official water-speed record in a jet-powered hydroplane when he managed to achieve a top speed of 318mph (511kph) or 276 knots.

Fastest Police Cruiser (USA)

The Ford Police Interceptor Utility 

Nobody ever wants to get on the wrong side of the law and it’s never a good idea to run – especially from the police. So don’t, EVER! But if you happen to come across the new Ford Police Interceptor Utility then be sure you’re in the presence of criminal-catching greatness. It’s regarded as the fastest police pursuit vehicle in the United States with its twin-turbocharged 3.0-liter V6 that delivers top performance, according to the Michigan State Police benchmark tests. The Interceptor is a fitting name and it’s quicker and faster around a track than any of the competitor’s sedans.

Fastest in the Universe

Light

Light is so fast the concept alone astonishes the mind. It is without a doubt the fastest known thing in the universe moving at a speed of 186,282mps (299,792kps). That’s right, per second. If it was even humanly possible to achieve such speeds you’d be able to circle the circumference of the earth 7 times over in just one second. Light is the absolute fastest, hats off and hands down! 

————————————————————————-

Speedsters of a Different Kind

Like we said earlier, speed is relative and sometimes it’s not always fast in the sense of an object moving through space and time. Here are some more cool, and totally fast speedsters!

Fastest Rapper

Twista

You may have thought that auctioneers speak pretty fast, or that mumble rap could make the cut, but well-known American rap artist Twista takes the title of fastest rapper spitting an astonishing 280 words per minute. 

Fastest Rollercoaster

Formula Rossa

If you love thrills and theme parks then this is right up your alley. The Formula Rossa located at Ferrari World in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates is the world’s fastest rollercoaster with a top speed of 150mph (240kph). If you ever get the chance to ride the monster rollercoaster be sure to pack an extra pair of undies! 

Fast Foodie

Peter Czerwinski

There is practically a record for anything these days and Guinness World Records include several speed eating titles many of which are held by Canadian competitive eater and YouTube personality, Peter Czerwinski. Peter, better known by his stage name Furious Pete, currently holds fourteen Guinness World Records in eating.

Fastest Internet in the World

Taiwan

Ever wondered, like with most things, who’s internet is the best? Well, the results might surprise you and currently, that honor goes to Taiwan with an average internet speed of 85 MB/s. 

Fastest with a Gun

Jerry Charles Miculek Jr. 

Consider yourself a quick draw? Well, don’t try it with the greatest shooter of all time, Jerry Charles Miculek Jr. The American professional speed and competition shooter is known for his many world records, television appearances, and internet videos. One of his most amazing moments was when he emptied a five-shot revolver in 0.57 seconds into a group the size of a playing card. 

Fastest-built Home

The 2-Hour House

In 2005, a team of volunteers in Tyler, Texas set a world record when they builta 2249ft2 (209m2) house in under three hours — the “2-Hour House.” The official time set was closer to 3 hours at 2 hours, 52 minutes and 29 seconds. Guess they weren’t keen to round up. Still, a house in under three hours in an excellent result. 

Fastest Tennis Serve

Samuel Groth

Back in 2012 during an ATP Challenger event in South Korea an Australian tennis player named Samuel Groth served a super-fast ace recorded at 163mph (263kph). 

Fastest Missle

The Tomahawk 

Here’s an interesting one. Who knew that the Tomhawk was so fast. It clocks an awesome 550mph (890kph) which works out to about 480kn. Impressive!