While you and your buddies were hacking away at the backyard seeing who could dig their way to China, the US and Soviet Union were playing the same game -- but in total seriousness. Just as the two countries were competing with one another in the space race, both were vying to be the first to travel in the other direction -- straight into the center of the Earth.Of course nobody made it that far, but the Russian effort wasn't too shabby. They managed to drill down seven miles into the planet's crust -- a task that took more than 15 years to complete.
Unfortunately the mission didn't yield much in terms of geological study, but 40,226 ft is still pretty impressive no matter how you slice it.
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