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Fascinating Facts and Figures

  • This is the first cross to be carried around the world on foot and the longest walking journey in the history of the world.
  • First made and carried the cross in 1968, Hollywood, Ca.
  • Years carrying the cross. 1968-2023 this is 56th years.
  • Length – 12 feet. Cross cut in two. Bolt together to be 12 foot. Had to do this to fit airline regulations.
  • Width – 6 feet
  • Thickness – 4″ x 4″
  • Weight – 45 pounds. Earlier crosses weighed more, first one 110 pd. Had to reduce to fit airline weight limits.
  • Tire – 12″ inflatable
  • Average tire life – 2,000 miles
  • Miles carried cross on foot (Actual) Over 43,340 miles (69,748 Km.)
  • Cross taken by boat – Estimated 20,000 miles
  • Air miles cross flown – Estimated 2,330,000
  • Miles cross carried on automobile(s) – Estimated 435,000 miles
  • Number of continents cross carried – Seven (North America, Europe, Africa, Asia, South America, Australia and Antarctica)
  • Average shoe life – 500 miles until getting a resole.
  • Longest walk in a day – 72 miles in 24 hours (with help); 47 miles (alone)
  • Longest walk (time wise) – Africa west to east; Mexico to Colombia (almost two years each)
  • Number of different countries, island groups and territories cross carried -324
  • Times arrested or in jail – 24
  • Most apt country to be arrested in – USA
  • Most apt city to be arrested in – Hollywood, CA
  • Most beautiful countries – Norway, Switzerland, Greenland, Antarctica
  • Most peaceful places – American Samoa and Manus Island (both in the Pacific), Maldives
  • Most modern city – Perth, Australia and Hiroshima, Japan
  • Worst traffic – Lagos, Nigeria; Istanbul, Turkey; India and Bangkok, Thailand
  • Most angry toward the cross – Amsterdam, Holland and Tetouan, Morocco
  • Greatest welcome to the cross – Papua New Guinea, Poland, Spain, India, Lithuania, Kiribati, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, Guatemala & West Africa
  • Friendliest Armies – Israel and the Palestinian Liberation Army
  • Coldest city (reception) to the cross – New York, USA; Montreal, Canada and Sydney, Australia
  • Hardest road to walk – Pan-American Highway. Mexico City to Panama
  • Toughest jungle to walk – The Darien Jungle, Panama to Columbia
  • Best road to walk – Holland
  • Worst auto accident – Turkey, Guam
  • Worst poverty – Chad; Mozambique, Djibouti, Ethiopia, India and Bangladesh
  • Worst war – Lebanon and Mozambique
  • Murder Capital of the World in 2010– Juarez, Mexico
  • Most beautiful views – Mount Kilimanjaro, Kenya/Tanzania; Mount Cameroon, Africa; Mount of Olives facing Jerusalem; Sea of Galilee, looking toward Mount Hermon; Mount Sinai; Norwegian Coastline; Antigua; Guatemala; a Swiss valley with lake and mountains beyond Tierra del Fuego (Chile); Penguins nesting in Antarctica; Icebergs in Greenland, and Bronzal Pass in the Hindu Kush – Pakistan-Afghanistan.
  • Most beautiful City – The city of Jerusalem
  • Smallest country (in size) cross carried – The Vatican City in Rome and Sovereign Knights of Malta
  • First step with cross – Hollywood, California early 1968
  • A few historical places and moments with the cross – Washington, D.C. 1970, 1980; Olympic Stadium, Berlin, Germany; the Coliseum in Rome; The Pantheon in Athens, Greece; the pyramids of Egypt; Cebu City in the Philippines at Magellan’s Cross; carrying the cross across the Panama and Suez Canals; the cross at the top of the world’s biggest pyramid in Cholula, Mexico; October 31, 1987 Hollywood, CA completed the distance around the world at the equator 24,901.55 miles; China Wall and Red Square, Moscow; Cross above the walls of Babylon; North Korea; Completed every nation and major island group June 13, 2008 Zanzibar in Indian Ocean; Cross carried back to Hollywood to Grauman’s Chinese Theatre for the premiere of the movie “The Cross”; Lifting the cross up at second base at Yankee Stadium, New York in front of 40,000 people. Crossed 40,000 miles on foot at Whitehorse, Canada, June 25, 2012. Carried the cross into Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum and spoke April, 2016. Jan.1,2021 started the 54th year carrying the cross in Douglas County, Colorado.
  • Highest mountain climbed with the cross – Mount Fuji, Japan (12,388 ft) Bronzal Pass, Pakistan-Afghanistan border (18,200 ft – 5,547 M.)
  • Deepest into the earth cross carried – Carlsbad New Mexico (850 feet)
  • Lowest point below sea level cross carried – Dead Sea (1,200 feet)
  • Worst cold weather – Golan Heights, Syria-Israel; Rome to Assisi, Italy; Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada; Antarctica and Baltic Republics
  • Hottest temperature – Jordan Valley; Chad; Yemen, Iraq & Djibouti (135 degrees plus)
  • Coldest temperature – 20 degrees below in Nova Scotia, Canada
  • World’s largest tree cross-carried to – 3,000 year old tree in Mexico (163′ high, 163′ around)
  • Worst food – Squid in ink in Spain, monkey leg in Africa, Rat Soup in Belize and Pork Soup for breakfast in USSR
  • Best food – Freshwater shrimp in El Salvador and fresh salmon in Finland
  • Longest fast – 40 days Washington D.C. 1970
  • Worst dog – Israeli Army dog in the Sinai Desert
  • Worst mosquitoes – The Amazon River and Greenland
  • Worst fast food – McDonald’s, Yellowknife, N.W. Territories, while we ate, manager ran out front, grabbed my cross & rushed to the garbage container to throw it away as trash! July 3, 2012. No happy meal if you brought your cross 🙂
  • Best beds – St. James Club, London England; Livingstonia Beach Hotel, Malawi
  • Friendliest airline to the cross – Swiss Air
  • Highest cross has ever been – 60,000′ on Concorde
  • Fastest the cross has ever flown – Mach II (1240 mph – twice the speed of sound on Concorde) 5 different flights
  • Longest time cross lost – one month (Alitalia Airlines)
  • Cross stolen – Christmas Day 1979, Assisi, Italy
  • Cross wheel stolen – Bordeaux, France
  • Cross overboard ship – Philippines
  • Cross in Space– A small cross cut from my cross was launched into space August 2, 2008 from the Marshall Islands reaching 134 miles (217km). May 22 – June 26, 2012 another cross from the cross orbited the earth by SpaceX.
  • Cross broken – Joplin, Missouri; Nigeria; Guam, Turkey, London
  • Worst storm at sea – Philippines and Papua New Guinea and The Drake Passage to Antarctica
  • Best road pets – El Salvador del Mundo (parrot), Central America; Basco (rabbit), Spain; Belfast (dog), Northern Ireland; Loretta (parrot) South Africa – USA; HRH Windsor (dog) U.S.
  • Biggest animal scares – Green Mamba snake in Ghana; baboon attack in Kenya; elephant chase in Tanzania; crocodile attack in Zimbabwe
  • Number of people prayed for, blessed or saved at the Cross – Many Millions but only God knows
  • Worst jail – Concord, New Hampshire, West Hollywood
  • My Wife– Denise has been with the cross and me in 294 nations, island groups and territories
  • A few memorable scares – Firing squad in Nicaragua: stoning and beating in Morocco; Civil Guardia attack in Spain; LAPD choking, Hollywood, California; pistol attack, Orlando, Florida; “to burn the cross,” Birdseye, Indiana; man broke the cross, Nigeria; War in Lebanon crossing minefield, Belfast, Northern Ireland bomb blast.
  • Worst bed – The “Pig Hilton” (a pigpen in Columbia); a single narrow board at a blown up bus stop in the Golan Heights, Syria- Israel border area, a hotel somewhere in China with dripping water
  • Biggest crowd preached to – Half a million, Atlanta Rock Festival, 1970; Washington for Jesus Rally, half a million-1980, Carried the cross into Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum and spoke April, 2016 to 65,000.
    Wars – Carried the cross in 54 countries at war
  • Steps Walked – About 86 Million:
  • Total weight carried: Over 19 Billion Pounds.
  • 2023 still carrying the cross at age 82. Glory.
  • The cross has been turned away from being left overnight at more than half the churches requested, but has never been turned away from spending the night at a bar or nightclub in 56 years around the world.