World of Speed cards were released in 1981 by W.D. & H.O., Wills Imperial Tobacco, Ltd. The 36-card illustrated series showcases land, air, and sea speed records of the 20th century. Each card measures approximately 1.73 x 2.75 inches (44 x 70 mm). One card was included with each pack of Embassy cigarettes from Wills.

At a height of 363 feet (110.6 m), the Saturn V rocket was the largest and most powerful space launch vehicle of the 20th century. The Saturn V was used from 1967 to 1973 to launch the Apollo moon landing missions and the Skylab space station. The three-stage rocket was designed and built under the direction of Wernher von Braun at the Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. The third stage J-2 engine could reach speeds around 25,000 mph (40,234 kph).

The Space Shuttle Columbia (OV-102) was the first of five Space Shuttle orbiters to fly in space. Columbia was first launched on April 12, 1981 (STS-1). The orbiter could reach speeds over 17,000 mph (27,358 kph).

STS-107 was the 28th flight of Columbia. On February 1, 2003, Space Shuttle Columbia broke apart during reentry, killing all seven astronauts on board. Thermal tiles on the left wing were damaged by a piece of insulating foam during lift-off. The crew of STS-107 was comprised of Commander Rick Husband, Pilot William C. McCool, Michael P. Anderson, Kalpana Chawla, David M. Brown, Laurel Clark, and Ilan Ramon.