Reach for the record book
If you thought a global pandemic would stifle the ingenuity of would-be world record setters, think again.
The latest edition of the Guinness World Records is about to be released and it’s packed with as many weird and wonderful achievements as ever.
“This year’s book has been compiled in the most extraordinary of circumstances,” says editor-inchief Craig Glenday.
“Halfway through writing it, the world was turned upside down by COVID-19, but despite lockdowns and quarantines, it’s not stopped people from breaking records at home or on social media.
“So you can expect the usual mix of awesome achievements, incredible human bodies and the latest from the worlds of science, sport, gaming, music and movies.”
Here are some of the coolest and craziest records you will find in the new edition of Guinness World Records.
TALLEST LIVING GIRAFFE
Forest the giraffe — who lives at Australia Zoo in Queensland – has been confirmed as the world’s tallest giraffe, standing at 5.7m. Measuring Forest was a tall order for zoo staff who had to create a specially marked measuring pole and rig it close to a hay dispenser in the giraffe house, coaxing the 12year-old to stand up nice and straight with the promise of food. Adult males, called bulls, typically measure between 4.6m and 5.5m, with Forest standing about 20cm above the rest. His record height was confirmed on December 4 last year.
LONGEST FINGERNAILS
The longest fingernails on a pair of hands measure a combined 576.4cm. They belong to American Ayanna Williams, who set the record on February 7, 2017 in Houston, Texas.
LARGEST COLLECTION OF CONVERSE SHOES
The record for the largest collection of Converse shoes belongs to American Joshua Mueller, who owned 1546 different pairs of the classic sneakers. He set his record on March 8, 2012 in Lakewood, Washington.
LARGEST COLLECTION OF SPIDER-MAN MEMORABILIA
Another American, Tristan Mathews, has the record for the largest collection of Spider-Man memorabilia at 3089 pieces. That is some Spider-Man fan! The record was set on April 27 last year in Burbank, California.
MOST BALLOONS BLOWN UP
Hunter Ewen sure must have been full of hot air when he inflated 910 balloons on September 4, 2015 in the US state of Colorado. He set the record for the most balloons blown up by an individual in one hour.
FARTHEST DISTANCE WALKING BAREFOOT ON LEGO
Anyone who has ever trod on a single mislaid piece of Lego can only imagine the pain felt by Salacnib “Sonny” Molina as he walked barefoot over the toy bricks for 3869.84m. His record was set on November 14 last year in the US state of Illinois.
OLDEST PERSON
Japanese woman Kane Tanaka celebrated her 117th birthday on January 2. On February 12 in Fukuoka she was verified as the oldest living person at 117 years and 41 days.
MOST DANCE MOVES BY A BIRD
Snowball the sulphur-crested cockatoo holds this record, with 14 dance moves. Snowball’s owner Irena Schulz, from
Bird Lovers Only rescue centre in the US state of South Carolina, has been entertaining online audiences with the cocky’s co-ordinated dance routines for more than a decade. Researchers analysed six of
Snowball’s videos from September 2008, when he was 12, and identified 14 distinct dance moves when Queen’s Another One Bites the Dust and Cyndi Lauper’s Girls Just Wanna Have Fun were playing. Snowball’s moves included head banging, head shaking and foot lifting.
HIGHEST GROSSING ANIMATED MOVIE SERIES
The four Despicable Me movies brought in a whopping $3,713,742,291 at the worldwide box office as of January.
* Guinness World Records 2021 will be in bookstores from September 8 and is available for pre-order now.