Record Breaker Gallery

Amy Johnson, British aviator, about to set out for Cape Town, 1932. Artists: Unknown, James Mollison

Amy Johnson, British aviator, about to set out for Cape Town, 1932. Johnson (1903-1941) saying goodbye to her husband, fellow pilot James Mollison, before starting off. She created a new record for a solo flight from London to Cape Town, completing the trip in 4 days, 6 hours and 54 minutes, beating her husband's record by 10 hours, 28 minutes. In 1930 Johnson became the first woman to fly solo from Britain to Australia in her DH60 Moth aeroplane Jason and in 1933 she flew non-stop across the Atlantic in a De Havilland biplane with Mollison. Johnson joined the Air Transport Auxilary as a pilot in World War II, during which she was lost after baling out over the Thames estuary. (Colorised black and white print)

© The Print Collector

Eden Project construction

Eden Project construction. Cranes and the geodesic framework for the Eden Project domes, in Cornwall, England. The domes were built from 1997-2001, and the hexagonal struts now support plastic membranes that allow the domes to function as greenhouses, the world's largest. The main dome is 240 metres long, 110 metres wide, and 50 metres high. Inside the domes is the scaffolding needed to erect the domes. Over 46, 000 scaffolding poles were used in what was another world record. The domes contain different plant biomes (humid tropics and warm temperate) and a huge variety of plants. It was designed by the architectural firm of Nicholas Grimshaw and Partners

© CARLOS DOMINGUEZ/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY