This article was originally published on HistoricTalk
The Guinness Book of World Records comes out every year with a brand new set of accomplishments by individuals worldwide. But some people who land in the famous publication don't hold your typical record-breaking title; instead, they choose some extraordinary and bizarre feats. There are no rules on what title one can hold, so Guinness catalogs everything, from the expected to the strange and obscure. It's really the kind of stuff you have to see to believe.
The World's Shortest Living Human
Hypothyroidism is a complicated and wide-ranging condition. It is a blanket term to explain thyroid deficiencies, a serious case of which can be seen below with Mr. Edward Nino Hernandez of Colombia. Hernandez has serious hypothyroidism and only stands around 2 feet and 4 inches tall. He also only weighs about 22 pounds! Still, that hasn't stopped Hernandez from enjoying his life to the fullest and trying to pass some lessons on to those he meets.
If you dive a little deeper, his is a truly inspiring story. In an interview, Hernandez once said, "I want people to meet the real me: tiny in stature but enormous in heart!"
The Loudest Burp Ever Was Louder Than a Symphony Orchestra
When it comes to noise-based records, Guinness needs to send in evaluators with decibel meters to measure exactly where the noise in question topped out. In the case of Paul Hunn, that peak was right about at the same level as an entire symphony. The noise in question was incidentally a burp, and with his 109.9 decibel bit of flatulence, Hunn earned himself a spot in the record book for years to come.
Since setting the record, Hunn has been challenged and beaten. But, he fired right back after that with another record-setting attempt, this time at 119 decibels.
The World's Stretchiest Skin Since 1999
The man you see down below is Gary Turner, who lives with a condition called Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome. This connective tissue disorder makes Turner's joints hypermobile and his skin super stretchy, which is how he holds the record for the world's stretchiest skin. He's actually been able to capitalize on this, developing his condition into a sideshow act. This has allowed him to perform all over the world, and thankfully doesn't interfere with his schedule as a record holder.
Since Turner's form of Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome is so serious, no one has been able to unseat his record since he first set it back in 1999.
Donald Gorske Has Eaten More Than 32,000 Big Macs
It's one thing to be a fan of a restaurant and to eat there pretty often. Eating there every day for nearly fifty years is another thing entirely! But that's what Donald Gorske of Fond de Luc, Wisconsin, has done with his local Mcdonald's franchise. Since he turned sixteen and got his first car, Gorske has been visiting McDonald's every single day to eat at least one, if not two or three Big Mac sandwiches!
Gorske kept all his boxes and receipts to keep count and was certified by Guinness a number of years ago for having eaten the most Big Mac sandwiches of all time.
The Largest Rubber Band Ball Ever Made Weighs Over 9,000 Pounds
Most of us have tried making a rubber band ball at some point. They never get that big, and you always wind up wasting a few rubber bands, but it's a fun little activity to occupy yourself for a while. Well, Joel Waul took a different approach, and he occupied himself for a very, very long time. His rubber band ball was certified as the biggest in the world in 2008 when it weighed over 9,000 pounds!
At the time this picture was taken, the ball measured more than six and a half feet in diameter. Can you imagine how high that thing would bounce?
Elaine Davidson Is the World's Most Pierced Woman
Elaine Davidson has spent a lot of money on jewelry over the years, but at least she got a nice, shiny world record out of it. The Brazillian has more than 400 piercings on her body, with almost 200 on her face alone when she earned her record. Can you imagine how long it must take her to clean all those piercings, though? We're guessing her skin was just made to heal.
Davidson is also a big proponent of tattoos and other body modifications. She has been reexamined by the records committee a number of times and always retains her title as the world's most pierced woman.
The Longest Mustache Took 37 Years to Grow
Meet the one-and-only Ram Singh Chauhan from Jaipur, India. This dedicated man decided to grow out his facial hair for over 37 years, and when evaluators came to check him out, they awarded him the record for the world's longest mustache. It's clear as day that Chauhan is proud of his accomplishment - just look at his smile in the photo below! And we don't blame him because that's one impressive stache.
Chauhan's record of 14 feet of facial hair is still standing today. That means he's been the title-holder for almost 15 years!
Michelle Lesco Ate a Bowl of Pasta in Less Than 30 Seconds
The world of competitive eating is so interesting. Every year we try to make sure we tune into the Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest just to see if Joey Chestnut is going to smash the world record again. But if they start televising this event too, you know we're going to be watching. A few years ago, Michelle Lesco, a professional competitive eater, smashed an entire bowl of pasta in less than 30 seconds.
A bowl in this context was considered 100 grams of pasta with sauce, and Lesco's official time was 26.69 seconds. We warn you, though, don't try this one alone at home, as it's a serious choking risk.
Tony Glover Grew the Largest Onion - It's Over 18 Pounds!
It's no surprise that the Guinness Book of World Records also tracks food records. People are always competing to see who can eat more, who can eat faster, or who can create the biggest food. That's how Tony Glover of England wound up in the renowned book. He grew the world's heaviest onion in 2014 when this monster weighed in at more than 18 pounds and 11 ounces.
Glover was a longtime onion farmer who was constantly striving for that world record. Since setting it in 2014, no one has been able to top his onion's monstrous weight.
Heaviest Object Sword Swallowed
To be honest, this one kind of grosses us out and absolutely fascinates us at the same time. There's a thing in magician circles called sword swallowing, where a performer guides an object down their esophagus into their stomach and then reproduces it for the audience. In 2007, Thomas Blackthorne performed this act with a Dewalt jackhammer, which earned him the record for the heaviest object sword ever swallowed.
By performing this act, Blackthorne not only secured himself an eternal place in the Guinness Book of World Records, but he also secured himself a spot in our book of people never to have dinner with.
The Largest Hula Hoop Ever Spun Measures More Than 17 Feet in Diameter
The hula hoop is a great game when you're younger, and a nice way to feel energized and relieve some stress as you get older, but it's still not as challenging as many other sports. That is until you start spinning bigger and bigger hula hoops, which is what Getti Kehayova did. She wound up working up and up until she had a hoop that was 17 feet in diameter! And yes, she used it.
The hoop actually fractured a few of her ribs during the training process, and she had to wear a special protective vest during her record attempt. Still, after spinning that thing around three times, she earned her place in the record books.
How Much Does She Pay for Manicures?
Nowadays, it seems like everywhere we look, people are competing for the longest nails in the room. It's become trendy to have long, sometimes pointy nails filled with fun designs. But still, none of those nail art lovers come close to the power held by record breakers. One of these proud title holders is Lee Redmond, who began growing her nails in 1979. And in 2008, she was the Guinness World Record holder with nails that were over 28 feet long.
While others have tried and almost succeeded, no woman has been able to grow their nails as long as she did.
The World's Longest Plank Lasted Over Nine Hours
Working out isn't for everyone. It can be fun and feel good, but at the same time, you need to have dedication and a will to commit to your personal fitness. So, everyone goes at their own speed. But no one is going at the same speed as this guy, Mao Weidong, who held a plank for more than eight hours back in 2016! The Chinese policeman held the record for almost five years before being unseated in 2021.
The new record holder is an Australian named Daniel Scali. Scali held his plank for an hour longer than Weidong, tapping out after 9 hours and 1 second.
The Proud Father of the Largest Hairy Family
Congenital Generalized Hypertrichosis is an incredibly rare condition that affects men and women differently but causes hair overgrowth in the human body of both. In men, the hair can cover up to 98% of their skin. But the condition is so rare that there are very few people out there who have it and also have family members with the same condition. Unless, of course, you belong to the Gomez-Aceves family.
Victor Gomez (pictured above), Gabriel Ramos Gomez, Luisa Lilia De Lira Aceves, and Jesus Manuel Fajardo Aceves are all related and are all affected by this condition.
The Heaviest Weight Lifted by a Beard Is 140 Pounds
Isn't picking things up with your hands so last year? We'd much rather lift things with a beard, no? That's at least how Antanas Kontrimas of Lithuania feels. He's the current Guinness World Record holder for heaviest weight lifted with a beard. As you can see in the picture, he's capable of holding an entire human being off the ground with just his beard, and for the record, he held something even heavier!
Kontrimas has been the record holder for close to ten years at this point. And while it's a pretty cool feat, we still have to ask: doesn't that hurt?
Can You Count How Many Fingers And Toes He Has?
Has anyone ever been doing chores around the house, and then they ask you to give them a hand? Hopefully, this guy never has to ask that question because he's already got all the extra fingers for it anyway. The picture below is of Devendra Suthar of India, who was born with polydactylism. This anomalous condition makes it so that an individual has more than ten digits on their hands or feet.
All together, Devendra Suthar has twenty-eight fingers and toes. Fourteen fingers, fourteen toes– and get this– he works as a carpenter! He says the extra fingers don't affect his work; he just has to cut carefully.
Longest Arrow Shot Using Only Feet
Archery is a historical art and one that humans have been using to hunt, fight, and challenge one another for centuries. But, in 2018, Brittany Walsh took that to a new level when she set the Guinness World Record for the longest arrow shot using only the feet. Using her acrobatic skills, she launched an arrow more than 40 feet and is yet to be dethroned. Anyone up for a challenge?
Walsh has been performing as a circus and acrobatics performer for more than a decade now, and she displays her archery skills in some of her shows. Still, not often do you get the chance to set a Guinness World Record, so hats off, Brittany (or should we say socks)!
Meet the World's Most Tattooed Man
How many tattoos are too many tattoos, according to your mother? The next time she brings it up, just remind her that she should be glad you're not Gregory Paul McLaren, better known as Lucky Diamond Rich, the world's most tattooed man, and a pretty shocking figure at that. Rich has spent 1000s of hours on tattooists' tables having his body modified and has also replaced his teeth with veneers.
We can't blame the guy for doing what he wants with his body, but we can't help but wonder how much more canvas can possibly be left.
He Patiently Stuck 3,500 Toothpicks Onto His Beard
It seems like some people want to be Guinness World Record holders so badly that they're even willing to make up records. That's what we're pretty sure happened here with Joel Strasser and the 3,500 toothpicks he stuck into his beard over a 13-hour span in 2018. He earned himself a record, and, regardless of how bizarre his choice of activity was, we have nothing but respect for this dedicated individual.
And honestly, the possibilities are endless (and useful) as to what he can stick on his beard. What if you're walking into a class and forgot your pen? Boom– beard pencil. Or you're at the bar, and they don't have a straw? Boom– beard straw!
Tazio Gavioli Did 36 Pull Ups Using Only His Pinkies
Fitness records are always hard to beat, but during the pandemic, people had more and more time to focus on exercise, and one man decided to set his sights on a pretty miraculous record. Tazio Gavioli of Italy is now the Guinness World Record holder for most consecutive pinky pull-ups after he amassed an impressive 36 reps back in 2020. How many do you think you could do before falling off the bar?
Doing pull-ups, push-ups, or really any exercise without the whole hand puts your body at a severe disadvantage. Power is redistributed unevenly, and the repetition becomes a much harder effort, which makes this record all the much more impressive.
This Record-Breaker Piled 125 Ice Cream Scoops Onto One Cone
It takes a special kind of skill to sell ice cream. You have to be friendly and love sweets, which isn't that hard, but you also have to be good at balancing scoops of ice cream on top of cones, which can be very hard. It can be even harder if you're trying to be like Dimitri Panciera and you want to set a world record for the amount of ice cream you can fit on one cone.
Panciera set the current world record for most scoops in one cone back in 2018, when he piled 125 scoops into a single cone. Do you know who's record it was he was beating, though? His own, of course!
The Longest Kiss Lasted Nearly 59 Hours
Love is a beautiful thing, isn't it? But whenever we see couples making out on the street and getting a little too into it, it's kind of unsettling for us. Still, what's more unsettling is that there's a world record for the world's longest kiss! Almost ten years ago, a couple from Thailand, Ekkachai and Laksana Tiranarat, kissed until 58 hours, 35 minutes, and 58 seconds had gone by, making them the world record holders by an almost eight-hour margin!
If the couple kept kissing for the extra eight hours to ensure no one beat them, it looks like it's paid off. Almost ten years later and the record still stands. And not because no one's tried to beat them - check out tattoo artist Kat Von D trying to break the record in the photo above!
She Walked a Nearly 25-Foot Tightrope in High Heels
We've all seen those people in the park playing with the slackline, and it looks like a lot of fun! But, it also looks dangerous and scary, don't you agree? For a professional tightrope walker, we're sure it's nothing, but still, how many professional tightrope walkers can you name? We only know one, and that's Oxana Seroshtan of Russia. She's famous because she completed the world's longest tightrope walk over the span of a minute.
Even with only sixty seconds on her side, Seroshtan was able to work her way down the tightrope– in high heels, mind you– a whole 24 feet and 7.2 inches.
There's a Record for Most Human Targets Struck by Plungers
Remember what we said earlier about how some people just wind up making up their own records? In the case of Gerhard Doni, the same rule applies. This German record chaser had an inventive idea for a world record attempt involving plungers and human targets and, in 2010, got the committee to come out and certify his record. In less than a minute, Doni tossed and stuck 15 different plungers to human beings, beating his previous record by one!
Make fun of the man all you want, but after all these years, he's still the world's most renowned plunger throwing world record holder.
The World's Loudest Snorer Is Louder Than a Lawn Mower
There are some things we just can't control, like how loud we snore at night. But, speaking of snoring, if you're really, really good at that, maybe you'll want to try to break this world record at some point. Right now, Kåre Walkert of Sweden is the current world record holder for loudest snoring ever recorded. Due to her apnea, during an observation session at Rebro Regional Hospital, Walkert recorded a snore that was 93 decibels loud.
This is one of those cases where someone stumbled backward into their world record. Walkert would've had no idea they were world-caliber at snoring if their boyfriend hadn't suggested calling the officials!
Farthest Distance Traveled by Exercise Ball Surfing Is 312 Feet
Alright, this is definitely one of the more bizarre and random records on this list. The rumors are true: Guinness World Record really has certified someone for traveling the longest distance on swiss balls (otherwise known as the bouncy exercise balls pictured below). And get this: the record has been achieved on three separate occasions as there's tough competition out there to hold this extraordinary title. Australian Nicholas Smith was the first to achieve the feat.
His record was then beat by American Tyler Toney, who traveled 290 feet by surfing on the swiss balls. But Smith took back the title a few months later with a distance of 312.237 feet.
The World's Tallest Living Man Is Over 8 Feet Tall
At some point in every child's life, they probably wish to be just a little bit taller. Unless, of course, their name is Sultan Kösen. The famous individual never had to wish for height; he is 8 feet 2.82 inches tall and currently the world's tallest living human being. He's nowhere near the tallest human of all time, though, who was closer to 8 feet 11 inches tall. Wow!
Kösen's condition is caused by gigantism and acromegaly because of a lifelong tumor in his pituitary gland.
Apparently, You Can Fit 41 People Inside a Toyota Rav4
So, this record is an interesting one. It's a cramming challenge, with the added aspect that at least you get to use a big car. Still, we don't see how they were able to fit 41 people in that midsize Toyota Rav4 back in the day. Even if you fold the seats down, those people had to be smaller than average, right? Or maybe they got coached by a bunch of clowns?
We'd be interested to see how many people you can stuff in a car but still drive safely. Because, with 41 people in that Rav4, we think they might have been overweight capacity.
The World's Largest Pizza Weighed 26,883 Pounds
Who doesn't love a good slice of pizza? Whether you're a New York-style, Chicago-style, or anything out-of-the-box type of pizza person, we should all be able to agree that this Italian superfood, when done right, is a joy to eat. It's also pretty fun to make if you've never tried it, and it's even better if you've got some friends around! If you have enough friends and a big enough oven, maybe you can even try to go for this record.
It's only fitting that it was a group of Italians that set this record. Dovilio Nardi, Andrea Mannocchi, Marco Nardi, Matteo Nardi, and Matteo Giannotte created this pizza with a total surface area of 1,261.65 m2 (13,580.28 ft2) back in 2012.
The Longest Human Tunnel Traveled Through by a Skateboarding Dog
It takes a special person to conceive some of these world records, and to the person who came up with this one, we just want to say thank you. This is without a doubt one of the most useless but most entertaining world records we've ever seen. It's the record for the longest human tunnel traveled through by a skateboarding dog, and it's held by Otto the Skateboarding Bulldog, who cruised through 30 sets of legs in a row back in 2015.
Otto is pretty famous across the internet for his skateboarding hijinks. He actually completed this world record while on vacation in Peru!
The Longest Time Spent Balancing On Four Fingers Is 19 Seconds
Wang Weibao is a Chinese gymnast, acrobat, strongman, and world record holder who you can see in the image down below. Weibao got his claim to fame in 2008 when he successfully hoisted himself up onto his index and middle fingers on each hand and stayed perched there for a whole 19 seconds! Almost fifteen years later, and still, no one has been able to beat Weibao's impressive world record.
A handstand is hard enough as is, but doing it on only four fingers is practically impossible. The fact that his record is less than twenty seconds but still hasn't been beat should show you how hard this is.
He Held His Breath Underwater for 24 Minutes
This record is technically called the longest time holding one's breath voluntarily, but we don't think they needed to add the last part. If it was involuntary, you'd be being drowned, and you would be dead. That's not the type of thing the Guinness Book of World Records is interested in. Anyway, back in 2016, Aleix Segura Vendrell of Spain set a new world record for breath being held underwater at a whopping 24 minutes and 3.45 seconds.
On top of his world record work, Vendrell is also a world champion freediver in multiple different classifications. So, he's pretty comfortable in the water.
The Heaviest Person To Complete A Marathon Weighs 425 Pounds
This is a strange one. The record for the heaviest person to complete a marathon takes an event that is normally based on time over distance and adds in a weight component. The current record holder for this one is Charles Bungert, a 425-pound individual who managed to complete the Los Angeles marathon after only about eight hours back in 2013. He pursued this goal to make his mother proud since she was struggling with cancer at the time.
Before Bungert's attempt, a 400-pound Sumo wrestler managed to finish a marathon in a little over nine hours. But, Bungert's time blew him out of the water.
The World's Tallest Sandcastle Stands at 69.4 Feet Tall
We always loved going to the beach but struggled to make sandcastles. It seems like as soon as you get some progress going, a wave comes in and knocks over your creation, or a big kid runs through and ruins the castle, or it's time for you to go home, and you can't keep working! Thankfully, the people over at Skulptura Projects GmbH didn't have those same issues that we used to.
With twelve sculptors, eight technicians, and a round-the-clock schedule for close to three and a half weeks, this team was able to create this miraculous sandcastle. The creation stands 57 ft 11 in tall.
The First Human To Break The Sound Barrier
Man has broken the sound barrier before, but always with the help of machines. That was, until 2012, when Felix Bumgarner launched himself off a helium balloon in the stratosphere and with the help of gravity, plummeted back to planet earth– breaking the sound barrier in the process. He earned a Guinness World Record for that feat, on top of a few others on the day, including the fastest recorded speed while skydiving and highest skydive.
We remember watching the Red Bull production on TV when Bumgarner made his jump. He just kept falling, and falling, and falling– it seemed like it would never end!
The World's Tallest Lego Tower Is 114 Feet Tall
When we were younger, we liked Legos and thought we were pretty good at building with them. But we were nowhere near this good. This Hungarian project was created in order for the city of Budapest to come together and set a collective record, but also to honor Hungarian inventor Erno Rubik. This tower was built in front of St. Stephen's Basilica in Budapest and stretched 114 feet and 11 inches tall before being topped with a Rubik's cube!
Official lego builders came out to assist with the project and did things like attaching cables to ensure the structure didn't fall down. The mayor of Budapest helped too!