> Just wanted to remind everybody that the orignal concept of racing around
> the world was dreamed up by Jules Verne in 1872 when he published "Le
> tour du monde en quatre-vingts jours" ("Around the World in 80 Days").
>
> The novel was actually published as a weekly serial in the newspaper and
> many people thought it was a real event. People made bets on whether or
> not Phillias Fogg would making it around the world within the time limit.
>
> One of my favourite books and well worth the read, if you can find a good
> translation (too many translations are aimed at children, which is too
> bad). Anyway, this is how the Amazing Race might have looked if it it had
> ran over 130 years ago.
>
> Since the novel was published, others have actually tried to do this for
> real (following from wikipedia):
>
> * 1889 - Nellie Bly undertook to travel around the world in 80 days for
> her newspaper, the New York World. She managed to do the journey within
> 72 days.
>
> * 1903 - James Willis Sayre, a Seattle theatre critic and arts promoter,
> set the world record for circling the earth using public transportation
> exclusively, completing his trip in 54 days, 9 hours, and 42 minutes.
>
> * 1908 - Harry Bensley, on a wager, set out to circumnavigate the world
> on foot wearing an iron mask.
>
> * 1988 - Monty Python alumnus Michael Palin took a similar challenge
> without using aircraft as a part of a television travelogue, called
> Michael Palin: Around the World in 80 Days.
>
> * 1993 - Present - The Jules Verne Trophy is held by the boat that sails
> around the world without stopping, and with no outside assistance in the
> shortest time.