12 Amazing Accomplishments And Works Of Art Done in Record Time

Ah, the wonders of the modern world... and, for that matter, of the pre-modern one. From the Oregon Trail computer game to the Colosseum, from George Frideric Handel to Freddie Mercury, there are countless examples of people achieving amazing feats in a remarkably short amount of time, in everything from video games to songs to literal skyscrapers. Today, we're going to cover some of those countless examples - 12 of them, to be exact.

This list is kind of a testament to the power of creativity and inspiration, and also the power of the universe to totally surprise you when it comes to making estimates of any kind for a remotely elaborate project. Plus it's pretty much a reminder that absolutely extraordinary, earth-shattering things can be accomplished in a flash. So sit back, relax, and take a look at these twelve amazing stories of lightning-fast success in pretty much every field under the sun.

12 A Crazy Little Thing Called Inspiration.

GRACKED CRAZY LITTLE THING CALLED LOVE Freddie Mercury came up with Crazy Little Thing Called Love, a song honoring Elvis Presley, while he was taking a bath. Не wrote it in just 10 minutes total. — NME / Rolling Stone

11 Handel: A Man of Speed.

GRACKED GEORGE FRIDERIC HANDEL'S MESSIAH George Frideric Handel wrote the entire score of Messiah in just 24 days. It was an oratorio - a pretty long and elaborate work kind of like opera (but without staging). Later, people said this kind of speed was due to God inspiring him. — The Tabernacle Choir / Smithsonian Mag

10 In Utero: Two Weeks, Done.

GRACKED IN UTERO Nirvana recorded their third studio album, In Utero, in only two weeks at a studio in the woods. Their sound engineer on that album said If a record takes more than a week to make, somebody's f*ing up. — Rolling Stone / Loudwire

9 "Rocky" success: Three and a half days.

CRACKED ROCKY Sylvester Stallone wrote the whole script for the Oscar-winning Rocky in just three and a half days. Не finished the movie in only 28 days. — History / Argus Leader

8 Record smashed: 11 hours, 52 minutes.

GRACKED DESCENDING ACONCAGUA One Karl Egloff smashed the record for climbing and descending Aconcagua, the highest peak in the Western Hemisphere, by almost an hour. Не completed the journey in 11 hours and 52 minutes. — Outside Online

7 A masterpiece in ten years.

GRACKED THE COLOSSEUM Finished in 80 A.D., the Roman Colosseum was a huge and--for the time - complicated amphitheater. It was built in only 10 years, which is pretty amazing considering the construction methods they had back then. — History / Live Science

6 Donnie Darko - four weeks, a full movie.

GRACKED DONNIE DARKO Directed by Richard Kelly, the movie was filmed in a seriously short amount of time - just over four weeks. Coincidentally, that matches the 28-day countdown in the movie, but that's all it is --a coincidence. — No Film School

5 Architecture in a flash.

CRACKED BRASÍLIA The capital of Brazil with over 2.5 million people, was created in an incredibly short five years. It was designed with an artistic plan by Lúcio Costa, and features stunning buildings by Oscar Niemeyer. — Architectural Digest

4 Quick and efficient.

GRACKED MEMENTO Christopher Nolan made Memento in only 25 days of filming, and Carrie-Anne Moss' parts were done in a mere 8 days. Considering how amazingly complex the movie is, that feels like he was using some kind of cheat code. — AFI

3 Six days of rock 'n' roll magic.

GRACKED THE DOORS' SELF-TITLED ALBUM The Doors' self-titled first album was finished in a flash - only six days in the studio at Sunset Sound Recorders in LA. It's one of the fastest pieces of rock music ever made. — This is Dig

2 Educational video game classic: 65 million copies sold.

GRACKED THE OREGON TRAIL The Oregon Trait Introduction Options Quit Travel the Trail Three teachers created the Oregon Trail computer game in 1971, and it was coded in all of 10 days. It's become one of the most popular educational video games ever, selling over 65 million copies so far. — Fast Company / CNet

1 Cheap and fast.

CRACKED THE EMPIRE STATE BUILDING The Empire State Building was constructed in record time, taking only 1 year and 45 days to complete, and under budget at $24.7 million instead of the estimated $43 million. — ScienceDirect / ILNY

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