October 07, 2024
During the Cold War, scientists from the U.S.S.R. and the U.S. competed to be the first to dig to Earth’s mantle. The U.S. scientists made it only about a tenth of a mile down before Congress cut their funding. Over the course of 20 years, the U.S.S.R. team dug a 9-inch-wide hole 7.5 miles down but was forced to stop as the incredible heat melted its drill bits. This is still the current record for the deepest hole on Earth.
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