Gentle Giant: Zeus the great Dane (here with owner Kevin
Doorlag and his son Nick) was afraid of the measuring tape. Photograph:
Jonathon Gruenke/AP
The lankiest canine in recorded history was Zeus, a great dane that
measured 1.12 metres (44in) tall until his death last year. The lofty
mutt was owned by the Doorlag family from Michigan and his
record-breaking career began when Kevin Doorlag was watching TV: “We saw
[previous title-holder] Giant George on Oprah Winfrey and I
was like, ‘Man, Zeus has got to be right up there.’ We tried to measure
him but he’s such a baby, he was scared of the tape measure.” Zeus was
indeed a gentle giant and a part-time pet therapy dog. When he stood on
his hind legs, he was 2.2m (7ft 4in) tall, more than a third of the
height of an average giraffe.
Rings of glory: Tony Glover with his ample allium. Photograph: Rex Shutterstock
“The world is just a great big onion,” sang Marvin Gaye and Tammi
Terrell. It’s a lyric that rings especially true in Leicestershire,
where champion gardener Tony Glover’s eye-watering 8.5kg (18lb 12oz)
beast could make an entire kitchen cry. It took more than a year to
grow, measures 81cm (32in) around and would be enough to make 250 onion
bhajis. Glover, 50, has been cultivating veg since his teens and really,
ahem, knows his onions: “I give them a nitrogen-rich food and have to
make sure the humidity is just right. I’ve also got grow-lights fitted
to the greenhouse to simulate the sun when the days get shorter.” That’s
shallot of effort.
Old doing-timers: (left-right, top row: Dennis Hancox,
Michael Duffy, James Allam and Donald O’Flynn, (bottom row) Sheriff Oki,
Tony Rees, James Watson and Angus Weaver. Photograph: Serious Organised
Crime Agency/PA Archive/Press Association
In 2009, a group of eight British criminals with an average age of
57, the oldest member being 83, pleaded guilty to counterfeiting
charges. The Serious Organised Crime Agency said the gang ran their
money-printing operation like a legitimate business, working from sites
in London and Glasgow. Each could produce a batch of notes worth £800 in
an hour. Police recovered a stash of £5m in counterfeit currency: £4.4m
worth of fake euros and £600,000 in bogus £20 notes. They worked from
scans of genuine notes, used a £9,000 foiling machine for inserting
metal strips, and produced what the Bank of England acknowledged were
among the most realistic notes ever seized. A screen drama waiting to be
told.
Never needs to worry about drips: Nick Stoeberl. Photograph: James Ellerker/Guinness World Records
Nick “The Lick” Stoeberl
from California has a tongue measuring 10.10cm (nearly 4in) from tip to
lip. The 24-year-old is an artist who paints with his tongue by
wrapping it in clingfilm, dipping it in acrylic paint, then licking the
canvas. “I think one of the most useful things my tongue offers is that I
have no need for a napkin,” he says. “If I get food on my face, I just
lick it off. The only downside is that I have to spend longer brushing
my tongue in the morning.” He has a challenger, though: Michigan
teenager Adrianne “Long Tongue” Lewis can lick her eyeballs and claims hers is even longer. This is currently unverified.
Read ‘em and weep: Paula Radcliffe after her record-breaking 2003 run. Photograph: Ian Walton/Getty Images
She might be an asthmatic with an awkward gait and unorthodox nodding
style, but Cheshire’s mighty Paula Jane Radcliffe MBE is one of our
last remaining athletics record-holders. The three-time London Marathon
winner shattered the record during the 2003 race
with a time of 2 hours 15 minutes and 25 seconds - more than 3 minutes
below anyone else in history. Race director Dave Bedford, a former
10,000m world champion himself, called it “the greatest distance running
performance I’ve seen in my lifetime; it ranks in my mind alongside the
impact of Bob Beamon’s long jump in 1968”. Radcliffe’s mark has stood
for 12 years and she continues to hold the three fastest women’s
marathon times ever.
Drop and give me how many?: Carlton Williams’s world
record press-up attempt. Photograph: Body Club Fitness Centre/Margaret
River/Facebook
One of the most recent records set, August saw super-fit 50-year-old
Welsh builder Carlton Williams complete an incredible 2,220 press-ups in
an hour, smashing his own previous record of 1,874, and achieved
despite injuring his shoulder midway through. Williams said he did it to
“prove for once and for all that the Welsh people are physically,
socially and spiritually superior”. He’s got a long way to go, though,
before he beats the most press-ups completed in 24 hours: 46,001, a
record accomplished by Massachusetts teacher Charles Servizio that has
remained unbeaten for 22 years.
We’re gonna need a bigger door: Robert Wadlow at the age
of 19. Photograph: New York Daily News Archive/NY Daily News via Getty
Images
What’s the weather like up there? Etc. The tallest man in medical
history died 75 years ago but experts believe he’ll never be beaten.
When Robert Pershing Wadlow from Illinois was measured shortly before
his death in 1940, he was found to be 2.72m (8ft 11in) tall. Wadlow was
buried in a coffin measuring 3ft x 11ft. He weighed 35st on his 21st
birthday, his shoe size was 37AA (47cm/18.5in long), his handspan was
more than 32cm (12in) and he consumed up to 8000 calories daily. By the
age of nine, he was able to carry his 6ft father up the stairs of the
family home. There are only 10 confirmed cases in history of humans
reaching 8ft or more. The current world’s tallest is Turkish farmer
Sultan Kösen at 8ft 3in.
What a lady … Jeanne Calment in 1995. Photograph: Sipa Press/Rex Shutterstock
Jeanne Calment, once described by President Jacques Chirac as “a
grandmother to the French people”, lived to the grand old age of 122
years 164 days. Born in 1875, she witnessed the construction of the
Eiffel Tower and once sold some coloured pencils to Vincent van Gogh,
describing him as “dirty, badly dressed and disagreeable”. Calment led
an active life, taking up fencing at 85 and still cycling at 100. At the
age of 114, she played herself in the film Vincent & Me (990) -
becoming the oldest actress to appear in a motion picture. She said her
keys to long life were olive oil, port and chocolate. Asked on her 120th
birthday what she expected of the future, she replied: ”A very short
one.” She finally died in 1997.
How many could you manage? Photograph: Gaertner/Alamy
The record is 45
and was achieved by Italian fitness trainer Silvio Sabba. That might
not knock your socks off, but its appearance in our list is due to Sabba
being a serial world record holder. He currently holds 70 titles,
including most clothes pegs on your face in one minute (51), most
Ferrero Rocher chocolates stacked in a tower (12), most AA batteries
held in one hand (48), most sugar cubes balanced on the chin (17), most
CDs balanced on the finger (255) and fastest time to shell a boiled egg
(2.66 secs). Sabba even has a tattoo saying “Guinness World Records” on
his right forearm.
Long time gone … Victor Manuel Gerena’s wanted poster. Photograph: FBI
In the 65 years since the FBI first published its list of 10 most
wanted fugitives, 94% of them have been located. The criminal who’s been
on the list longer than anyone is Victor Manuel Gerena, added in 1984
and still at large 31 years later. He’s wanted in connection to the Los
Macheteros (“The Machete Wielders”) Puerto Rican terror group and the
armed robbery of a Wells Fargo armoured car facility in Connecticut.
Working there as a security guard, Gerena tied up two co-workers, put
$7.1m in the boot of his car and fled. He’s widely believed to be in
Cuba and there’s a $1m reward for information leading to his arrest.
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The
Moulin Rouge dancers of Paris set the record this year for ‘most high
kicks by a single chorus line’. They sought to break the old record, a
measly 450 kicks. These ladies set the bar at 720 kicks. That equaled
out to 30 women preforming 24 high kicks each.
People do the darnedest things … especially while making Guinness World Records. Check out some of the wackiest, craziest, and downright scary things people have done to break a record.
2. The Oldest Wing Walker
When
Thomas Lackey was born in 1920, he probably never dreamed he’d break a
world record. On Nov. 18, 2010, Lackey sealed his legacy and became the
‘oldest wing walker’ at age 90.
3. The Most Nationalities in a Sauna
This
is some hot stuff! Maximare in Hamm, Germany set out to claim the title
for ‘most nationalities in a sauna’. Cramming in friends from 91
different nations, they beat the old record of 76.
4. Eye-Popping the Furthest
Claudio
Paulo Pinto had no problem popping the record for ‘eye-popping the
furthest’. Pinto can pop his eyeballs 7 millimeters (0.3 inches) out of
their sockets. Pinto says he’s been doing this since he was nine years
old and ‘it doesn’t hurt a bit.’
5. The Most Dogs in Costumed Attire
Nothing
is cuter than dogs donning costumes! The 2010 record for ‘most dogs in
costumed attire’ was set this year when 426 costume-clad pups attended
Dogtoberfest in Dunedin, Florida.
6. Buried Alive
Czech
Republic’s fakir Zdenek Zahradka (Little Garden in English!) waves to
his supporters while emerging from a wooden coffin. He survived 10 days
buried underground without food and water. Connected to the outside
world only by a ventilation pipe, he beat out the latest record for
being buried alive which was set at 4 days.
7. The Largest Samba Dance
No
party is complete without this traditional Brazilian dance! The largest
samba dance involved 800 people organized by the Samba school, Mocidade
Independente de Padre Miguel (Brazil), whose students danced for more
than five minutes on in celebration of Guinness World Records Day 2010.
8. The World’s Most Pierced Woman
Elaine
Davidson from Brazil, holds the record for the ‘world’s most pierced
woman.’ Davidson claims to have upwards of 1,900 piercings.
9. The Most Highly Insured Hair
Troy
Polamalu, Pittsburgh Steelers safety, is no stranger to all things
related to his hair. Polamalu stole the title for ‘most highly insured
hair’ in November. Polamalu, is in his second year as as a spokesperson
for Head and Shoulders shampoo, who has insured his hair for $1 million
dollars with Lloyd’s of London. 10. The Longest Dog Ears
Meet Harvey, a 3-year-old Bloodhound, who wins the competition for ‘longest dog ears’. Harvey’s ear span reaches 14 inches long.
11. The Biggest Bagel Ever
Bruegger’s
Bagels of upstate New York baked this 868 pound giant. It was presented
at the New York State Fair in an attempt to crush the record for
‘biggest bagel ever.’
12. The World’s Largest Shoe in Turkey
What
is 5.5 meters in length, 2.25 meters in width, 1.83 meters in height
and can fit 30 people inside? That’s right … the world’s largest shoe in
Turkey. 13.The Largest Human Rainbow
Some 31,000 students and faculty in the Philippines joined together to form the largest human rainbow. Spread the love!
14. The Oldest Living Male Conjoined Twins
These
Siamese twin brothers, Ron (l.) and Don (r.) Galvon hold the record for
‘oldest living male conjoined twins.’ They’re from Ohio. 15. Lowest Limbo Dancer
Meet
Shemika Charles, the Guinness World Record holder for the Lowest Limbo
Dancer. Quite an accomplishment and in a red leotard no less!
16. The Most Tattooed Woman in the World
Julia
Gnuse is officially the most tattooed woman in the world, with 95% of
her body decorated in ink. She started getting tattoos 20 years ago,
when she was 35 years old to cover up a genetic disorder.
17. The World’s Smallest Cow
A
minuscule cow, Swallow, has been named the world’s smallest by Guinness
World Records. Guinness says the sheep-sized bovine from the West
Yorkshire region of northern England measures roughly 33 inches from
hind to foot. All of her 9 calves have outgrown her – the youngest
standing next to her on the left.
18. The Tallest and the Tiniest Dogs in the World
One
is the size of a bagel. The other weighs more than Eli Manning. The
tallest and tiniest dogs in the world sized each other up in Central
Park on Sept. 15 after making it into the book of Guinness World
Records.
Boo Boo, a long-haired female Chihuahua, is just 4 inches
tall and weighs only 2 pounds. She went paw-to-paw with Giant George, a
43-inch-tall Great Dane who tips the scales at 245 pounds.
19. The 400-Square-Foot Key Card Hotel
Here
Berg unveils his 400-square-foot Key Card Hotel – made with more than
200,000 Holiday Inn key cards – at the South Street Seaport. The
incredible Key Card Hotel features a guest bedroom, bathroom and lobby
with life-sized furniture made out of key cards. Berg takes a break on
the key card bed. The 34-year-old professional cardstacker has also
broken the world record for World’s Tallest House of Freestanding
Playing Cards in 1992, and has been commissioned to break his own record
a number of times since then.
20. The Largest Gathering of Santa’s Elves in One Place
Well
folks, they finally did it! ABC Family set a new Guinness World Record
for the largest gathering of Santa’s Elves in one place – 607 to be
exact – on Dec. 7 at The Pond at Bryant Park.
21. The Largest 43 Snails on Face
An
11-year-old boy got slimed on his birthday. Fin Keheler allowed 43
snails to be put on his face for 10 seconds in a gross effort to surpass
the Guinness World Record of 36 set in 2007.
22. The World’s Longest Sausage
On
February 14, in the eastern Croatian town of Vinkovci, a team of cooks
prepared the world’s longest sausage. At 530 meters, it easily bested
the previous record of 392 meters held by a team from Romaina. Check out
other Guinness World Records.
23 The Largest Gathering of People in Their Underpants
A
group of 116 young men and women braved the cold weather wearing
nothing but underwear to help Fair Trade’s ‘Pants to Poverty’ cause.
They also set a brand new Guinness World Record for the largest
gathering of people in their underpants, at St. Pancras International
rail station in London, England on Nov. 13.
24. World’s Biggest Speed Date Attempt
Single
Sydneysiders practice for the World’s biggest speed date attempt on
Bondi Beach on Feb. 14, 2008 in Sydney, Australia. Thousands of
Australian singles attempted to set an official Guinness World Record
for the world’s biggest speed date to be held simultaneously in major
cities around Australia.
25. The World’ s Biggest Barbecue
Cooks
grill beef in a 1,500-meter long broiler during ‘The World’ s Biggest
Barbecue,’ an event in which 12,000 kg of beef was cooked on April 13,
2008.
26. The Most People in a Chorus Line
About
1,700 members of the Red Hat Society members lined a Las Vegas Strip
sidewalk to attempt the Guinness World Record for most people in a
chorus line on Jan. 26, 2008 in Las Vegas, Nev.
27. The World’s Largest Bouquet
Sri
Chinmoy, a meditation teacher, accepted the world’s largest bouquet for
his 73rd birthday present from Ashrita Furman in 2004.
28. The World’s Longest Legs
Svetlana Pankratova struts her legs in a limo in Times Square – she has the world’s longest legs at 52 inches.
29. The World’s Largest Coconut Orchestra
Cast members of ‘Spamalot’ helped organize the ‘World’s Largest Coconut Orchestra.’
30. The Fastest Ice Cream Scooper
Mitch
Cohen, from Flushing, Queens, became the fastest ice cream scooper in
Guinness World Record history when he scooped 18 scoops in 18 cones in
one minute flat.
31. The Largest Kazoo Ensemble
The
Ladies Of Skyy, the famous ’80s ‘old school’ R&B group created the
largest Kazoo band in the middle of Harlem in New York City. They signed
up over 3,000 Kazoo players on 125th St. to break the Guinness World
Record for the largest kazoo ensemble.
32. The World’s Largest Tow Truck Parade
New
York towing industry attempted to break the record for world’s largest
tow truck parade; more than 400 tow trucks assembled at Shea Stadium and
rode to Floyd Bennett Field at Gateway National Park, spelling out New
York.
33. The Largest Carol Service
Hundreds
of people gather on the steps of the James A. Farley Post Office on
Eighth Ave. in New York to attempt to break the record for the largest
carol service.
34. The Largest Snowball Fight
Brooklynite
Jonathan Rosen tried to gather enough people in Prospect Park in order
to break the Guinness World Record for the largest snowball fight. 35. The Most Surfers on One Wave
Surfers
line up in an attempt to break the record for the most surfers on one
wave at Muizenberg in Cape Town, a year later, surfers attempt to break
the record again in Brazil..
36. 24-Hour Guinness World Tattoo Record
Celebrity
tattoo artist Kat Von D, l., and Beatrice Zaragoza attempt a 24-hour
Guinness World Tattoo Record at their L.A. Ink tattoo parlon in West
Hollywood, Calif. in 2007.
37. Most People Brushing Their Teeth Simultaneously
About
10,800 students brushed their teeth for about three minutes in an
attempt to break a Guinness world record of ‘most people brushing their
teeth simultaneously’ in Manila, Philippines.
38. Longest Period of Instant Messaging on a Computer Keyboard
Norman
Perez, 24, of Burbank, Calif., sat at his computer for four days in an
effort to set the first Guinness World Record for longest period of
instant messaging on a computer keyboard. Perez typed for 96 consecutive
hours and was allowed a five-minute break for every hour spent typing
according to rules specified by Guinness World Records.
39. The World’s Shortest Man
A
teen from Nepal has reached new heights – as the world’s shortest man.
Khagendra Thapa Magar, who turned 18 on Oct. 15, has finally been
granted that coveted title by Guinness World Records. 40. The Youngest Person to Ever Climb Mount Everest
Jordan
Romero, a 13-year-old boy from California, is officially the youngest
person to ever climb Mount Everest,in a group with his father and three
Sherpa guides. The previous youngest climber was Temba Tsheri of Nepal,
who was 16 years old when he reached the mountain’s peak.
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