Guinness World Records: 10 Weird World Records

Guinness World Records
10 bizarre world records to smile, marvel or shake your head

Iconic image from a goat yoga class.

© Colin Dewar / Shutterstock

What do goat yoga, dog hair and lots of cheese have in common? They are just a few examples of how unusual world records can be.

The world records that are about to come are actually not creative fantasies. They are the reality of those who set them up. Because in the big wide world there are an unbelievable number of people and therefore also an unbelievable number of things in which they are the best. We plunged into the large archive of world records and picked out a few gems. Here are things that make you smile, marvel or shake your head.

1. Most cups in one hand

Villa San Giovanni, Italy: In January 2021, Rocco Mercurio holds 25 cups in one hand. Unusual world records are a real hobby for the Italian. Among other things, he holds the title for filling the most ice cream cones in one minute (22), most simultaneously turned coins (7) and most poker chips on one finger – namely 200 chips! We would really like to know how long he has been training for these records.

2. Most rubber duckies

USA: Since 2011, Charlotte Lee officially holds the record for the largest collection of rubber ducks. At the time of writing, there were 5,361 different rubber ducks. She has been collecting the cute toys since 1996 and has her own duck room for her darlings, where they can be seen in glass showcases. It remains to be seen whether one room will still be enough.

3. The biggest ball of dog hair

In April 2012 in Austin, Texas, organizers create the heaviest ball made of dog hair. 8,126 brushed dogs make the 91 kilogram ball possible. Veterinarians were present at the record from the USA to monitor the spectacle under animal welfare law. The organizer of the event was the organization “Texas Hearing and Service Dogs”.

4. Most cheeses on a pizza

Germany, 2018: 288.6 g cheese – 2.6 g per type. How many cheese variations does that make on the Italian classic? I agree! 111 pieces. The reason for the small amounts was that the dough was only a few centimeters larger than an ordinary pizza. Among other things, Leicestershire Red, Emmental, Comté or Mozzarella were found on the delicious pizza variant. According to tasters, each bite tasted different. Unfortunately, the record didn’t last long. In 2021 France won the title. Three people in Lyon set the new world record with 834 types of cheese on a pizza.

5. Most people who take arm baths

Anyone who is not familiar with the Kneipp culture in parts of Germany will probably not be able to relate to this record at first. For the participants of the festival week in Bad Wörishofen, the name says it all. In 2011, on the occasion of the 190th birthday of Pastor Sebastian Kneipp, 1,135 people took an arm bath at the same time. For this purpose, arm baths were set up at 1,050 meters, in which schoolchildren, children and adults immersed themselves for 15 seconds. Sebastian Kneipp is considered the German forefather of healing methods with water. In 1848 he fell ill with pulmonary tuberculosis, but healed himself by immersing himself in the Danube. The reason for the method, which was quite new at the time, is said to have been the book “Lessons of strength and squeezing fresh water into the bodies of the people, especially the sick when using it internally and externally” by Johann Siegmund Hahn. Since then, Kneipp therapy in cold water has been a common method in spa stays throughout Germany.

6. The oldest DJ

During the day she is the boss of a restaurant – at night she is a DJ. Sumiko Iwamuro didn’t take a DJ course until he was 77. Since 2018 she has been considered the oldest DJ in the world. At that time she was 83 years old. The music she spins as DJ Sumirock in Tokyo is popular with young people in the popular Shinjuku district. At the beginning of 2022, a portrait of the now 85-year-old DJ Sumirock will appear in the Netflix series “Asia at Midnight”.

7. The fastest half marathon as a gingerbread woman

As you might notice, it’s not about the fastest half marathon, but about the fastest run in the right costume. In 2017, Cat Dascendis ran in London for three hours, 46 minutes and 55 seconds disguised as a gingerbread character. And she is not the only one who chooses an unusual outfit for a world record: Among other things, there is still the fastest half marathon in flip flops or in handcuffs.

8. The Biggest Goat Yoga Class

501 participants and 115 goats: That’s what it takes to set the world record at a festival in Thonotosassa, Florida. The 2019 charity campaign was the starting signal for the GOAT (“Global Offensive Against Trafficking”) project, with the aim of raising money to fight human trafficking and generating awareness of the issue. It was organized by the Grady Goat Foundation. By the way, the largest dog yoga class only had 270 participants.

9. Most air drummers

Instead of air guitarists, there were air drummers at the event in California – i.e. drummers, only without an instrument. In 2012, 2,297 people performed three special air drum maneuvers led by air drum expert Ari Gold. The participants played together to the song “Back in Black” by AC/DC. A cover band provided the right sound.

10. The longest fingernails

Lee Redmond from the USA holds the record for the longest natural fingernails. From 1979 to 2009 she let her fingernails grow, cared for them and brought them to a total length of 8.65 meters by 2008. In 2009 she lost her nails in a car accident. Redmond told Guinness World Records that losing her nails was the most dramatic moment of her life. But without her, getting things done has become a lot easier. “The weight is very different. My hands seem to fly since it’s gone,” she said in an interview. Odilon Ozore, also from the USA, has held the record for the longest artificial nails since 2018. For the record he created ten 1.21 meter long fingernails.

What is actually possible? – World records are…

  1. Measurable So it’s about the fastest/ longest/ heaviest/ highest/ most.
  2. breakable – some world records stand at the top for a very long time before they are broken, others make it easier for participants and still others will probably never be broken, but could well be trumped with the right opponent.
  3. Can be standardized – WORLD records must be able to be imitated without restriction by people around the world.
  4. Verifiable – No empty claims should be thrown around. “The woman who never slept,” for example, could not be verified from birth to the present time unless she has been under constant observation ever since.
  5. A variable – the record is about only one thing for which the record is set.
  6. Universal – it’s not just about the location. The proposal should also not be too specific or regional.

Sources used: badwoerishofen.de, guinnessworldrecords.de, Instagram/guinnessworldrecords

Bridget

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