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IT is the largest sports stadium in the world with 90,000 seats. If placed in a single row the seats would cover 54 km. The roof covers an area of 11 acres or which four are moveable and it weighs a staggering 7000 tonnes. The construction of the new Wembley Stadium, the high-tech home of English football, is an engineering marvel of the modern world. The most striking visible feature of the stadium is the 133-metre tall steel arch, which ensures that there are no pillars in the new stadium, which could obstruct the views of fans. At 315 metres it is the longest single roof structure in the world and is visible right across London. In Engineering Connections: Wembley Stadium on Thursday at 10 P.M. on the National Geographic Channel, host Richard Hammond reveals how the architects and engineers, under pressure to maintain Wembley’s iconic status as a world-class sporting and music venue, relied on the most amazing things to construct the arch. This absorbing show reveals how the engineers were inspired by — of all the things — a rock climbing knot, the world’s first glider, a high-powered medieval crossbow, stealth aircraft technology and Archimedes’ buoyancy theory that was enunciated over two thousand years ago. Notorious assassins Though the world’s history is riddled with assassinations there are those that shake it. Among the top 10 killings of the 20th century were those of Lord Louis Mountbatten and Pope John Paul II. Infamous Assassinations on Monday at 10 P.M. on the History Channel try to find out the reasons behind the cold-bloodied murders of the former Viceroy and first Governor-General of India and a cousin of the Queen. Lord Mountbatten was a World War II naval hero, allied Commander in South East Asia and one of the architects of D- Day. On August 27, 1979, he was assassinated by a bomb planted on his boat by the IRA (Irish Republican Army) whilst he was on a holiday with his family in County Sligo, Ireland. Two years later another killing sent shock waves around the world. Pope John Paul II was assassinated on May 13, 1981, in front of a crowd of 20,000 people in St Peter’s Square in the Vatican City. A young Turkish gunman shot the Polish Pope, possibly at the behest of the Russians, who were concerned at the inspiration he was providing to Poland and the Solidarity Movement. The show discusses the motives behind these killings, which not just shocked the world but also had long-term repercussions for the security of important people. — NF
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