TheFW » World Records

The World's Shortest Escalator

Tom Blunt — Sun, 06 Jan 2013 16:30:37 +0000

Here’s one tourist attraction that won’t leave you breathless! Located in Tokyo, Japan, the escalator lowers you a mere 32.8 inches. This modest distinction has earned it a Guinness World Record for ‘World’s Shortest Escalator,’ a category which we can only imagine must be quite competitive. This video’s creator rode the escalator a total of [...]

Meet Dina Manfredini, The New World's Oldest Person

Jeremy Taylor — Thu, 06 Dec 2012 20:14:46 +0000

On Tuesday, Bessie Cooper of Georgia died at the age of 116. She was the world’s oldest person, and her passing opened the door for somebody else to grab that distinction. Enter Dina Manfredini of Johnston, Iowa. At 115 years and 245 days old, she was born before anybody else who’s walking around on planet earth. (Possible [...]

'Gangnam Style' Tops Justin Bieber for Most Viewed YouTube Video Ever

Jeremy Taylor — Mon, 26 Nov 2012 19:11:02 +0000

Back in August, the Psy song ‘Gangnam Style‘ took the world and the internet by storm, right at a time we were finally getting sick of that ‘Call Me Maybe‘ tune. While the hype around the K-pop smash hit is finally starting to die down, ‘Gangam Style’ was able to reach an impressive milestone last [...]

Original 'Calvin and Hobbes' Artwork Sells for Record-Breaking Amount

Donald Deane — Tue, 20 Nov 2012 15:55:55 +0000

We've been mourning the sad loss of 'Calvin and Hobbes' ever since cartoonist Bill Watterson stopped producing the beloved comic strip in 1995. But apparently the strip hasn't gone completely forgotten, since a piece of original 'Calvin and Hobbes' artwork recently broke a record at auction by selling for hundreds of thousands of dollars.

96-Year-Old Farmer Sets Record for World's Oldest Dad

Donald Deane — Thu, 18 Oct 2012 18:20:47 +0000

A farmer in India recently became the world's oldest dad at 96-years-old. But what's even more impressive is that he broke a record set by himself two years prior. How the heck does this guy keep going?

Amber 'DJ AJ' Jacobs Is World's Youngest DJ

Amanda Ferris — Tue, 16 Oct 2012 21:45:43 +0000

The Guinness World Records has named Amber Jacobs (aka DJ AJ) the youngest DJ on the airwaves. At the tender age of six, the precocious Amber is making headlines for sharing the music that she loves on air for listeners to enjoy and is already an internet sensation. For the past six months, Amber has [...]

Watch Felix Baumgartner's Jump From the Edge of Space

Emerald Catron — Mon, 15 Oct 2012 16:10:38 +0000

In case you completely avoided all contact with the internet yesterday, Felix Baumgartner’s jump from 128,100 feet about Earth was a success. The daredevil flew to the edge of space in a helium-fueled weather balloon and then jumped out, breaking the speed of sound on his way down. Not only did he land safely, he [...]

Red Bull to Launch Dude at Earth From Space

Emerald Catron — Tue, 09 Oct 2012 17:23:12 +0000

Okay. We get it, Red Bull -- you're EXTREME. They've certainly proved that point with their historic mission, which should be taking place today if weather holds. A trained pilot will be going a record 120,000 feet above the surface of the earth in a balloon, and then he's going to jump out and fall towards the earth at supersonic speeds.

Woman Sets Record for Smallest Waist

Cameron Simcik — Mon, 08 Oct 2012 18:36:37 +0000

Setting any kind of record must be pretty awesome. Having the lowest voice on the planet or making the largest Frito pie in all of crunchy snack history garners major bragging rights. It seems like everyone these days wants to take a crack at making things bigger, better, or taller, but in the case of Nerina Orton, she’s aiming for small. Really, really small.

Heaviest Pumpkin Ever Nets Man $15,000

Jeremy Taylor — Mon, 01 Oct 2012 17:10:07 +0000

Ron Wallace was able to grow a pumpkin to 2,009 pounds. And now the Greene, RI man is $15,500 richer for it. The gigantic gourd took top weight prize at the Topsfield Fair in Rhode Island, netting Wallace $5,500. Then he got an additional $10,000 for passing the one ton (2,000 pound) mark. On top of [...]

Man With World's Lowest Voice Makes Record Book

Carl Pettit — Fri, 28 Sep 2012 17:10:36 +0000

How low can you go? Tim Storms might be tired of that question, but he’d probably be willing to bet you a large sum of money (if he’s a betting man) that he can sing a heck of a lot lower than you, or anyone you know, can. Tim’s deep register is so low, in fact, that Guinness World Records named his voice as the lowest human voice on the planet.

'Gangnam Style' Sets World Record for Most Liked YouTube Video

Emerald Catron — Fri, 21 Sep 2012 18:43:10 +0000

“The song is characterized by its strongly addictive beats and lyrics, and is thus certain to penetrate the foundations of modern philosophy.” That’s the description of this video on YouTube. And they might be right — Psy’s ‘Gangnam Style’ has just set the Guinness world record for the most liked video on YouTube — 2.2 million [...]

Pittsburg Cartoonist Goes for A-Maze-Ing World Record

Cameron Simcik — Wed, 19 Sep 2012 20:49:59 +0000

Remember when you always tried to solve those kid menu mazes, only to realize your eyes felt like they were permanently crossed afterwards? Well, 40-year-old cartoonist Joe Wos basically does that for fun, and now he’s trying to turn his hobby into world record. The Pittsburgh resident is attempting to set the Guinness World Record [...]

World's Tallest Mohawk Found

Carl Pettit — Thu, 13 Sep 2012 14:59:38 +0000

Can you imagine making use of three cans of hair spray every day? Kazuhiro Watanabe, a funky fashion designer from Japan sure can. To be honest, this guy doesn’t put that much product in his hair every single day, but when Guinness World Records gives him a call, and asks him to get ready for a photo shoot, he’s on the job, reading to show off his spectacular Mohawk.

Michigan Senior Citizen Dubbed World's Best Carnival Game Player

Donald Deane — Wed, 05 Sep 2012 14:33:48 +0000

Have you ever really wanted a carnival prize but couldn't win it no matter how hard you tried? Peter Drakos doesn't have that problem. In fact, the 64 year old Detroit resident may just be the best carnival game player in the world.

World's Largest Cheeseburger Is Actually Pretty Disgusting

Emerald Catron — Tue, 04 Sep 2012 18:10:23 +0000

We’re angry. Angry that somebody would take the time to make a cheeseburger so gigantic that it’s actually kind of disgusting, and not even invite us over to have some of it. Well, Black Bear Casino, you can guess where we WON’T be going for vacation this year. The burger was made by the Minnesota [...]

Man Sets Record for World's Fastest Bass Guitarist

Emerald Catron — Sat, 01 Sep 2012 13:57:31 +0000

Congratulations are due to Jayen Varma for playing the bass guitar faster than anybody else in the world. At 324 beats per minute, he manages to keep going for over an entire minute. An impressive feat that unfortunately does really not sound very good at all. Guidelines set forth by the folks at RecordSetter for [...]

World's Shortest Man Meets World's Shortest Woman

Jeremy Taylor — Thu, 30 Aug 2012 21:49:07 +0000

At 24.7 inches, Jyoti Amge of India is that shortest woman in the world. But she's not the world's shortest adult. That distinction would belong to Chandra Bahadur Dang of Nepal, who stands 21.5 inches. The record keepers at Guinness decided to get the two record holders together, and from the sounds of it everybody had big fun.

Man With the World's Deepest Voice Can Only Be Heard by Elephants

Emerald Catron — Wed, 29 Aug 2012 16:00:39 +0000

Every day you should find something to be grateful for. Today we're grateful that the man with the world's deepest voice uses it mostly for singing 'Amazing Grace' and never uses it for making the brown sound. 'South Park'-ers known what we're talking about. Although the idea that Tim Storms could do that if he wanted to probably adds to the excitement of seeing him in concert.

World's Oldest Person, Besse Cooper, Turns 116 Years Young

Mike Adams — Mon, 27 Aug 2012 20:00:18 +0000

Some might find the 116th birthday marker to be a little daunting. However, if you are healthy and lucky enough to be one of only eight people to celebrate it, we are positive the ride has been one for the books. Just ask Besse Cooper, whose life is now one for the ‘Guinness Book of [...]

Quadruple Amputee Swims Every Intercontinental Strait, Makes History

Emerald Catron — Wed, 22 Aug 2012 20:02:04 +0000

Well, we were feeling pretty proud of ourselves for finally looking up that Couch to 5k thing, but it’s going to take a little more than that to impress Phillippe Croizon. The quadruple amputee has made history by swimming intercontinental straits linking Oceania, Asia, Europe, America and Africa. Croizon lost all of his limbs when [...]

Reddit Sets Guinness World Record for Largest 'Secret Santa'

Lauren Stern — Thu, 16 Aug 2012 19:16:08 +0000

After a year of petitioning to the folks at Guinness, RedditGifts finally accomplished their goal of obtaining a world record. The online gift exchange, which has been providing year round Online Secret Santas since 2009, now holds the title for “The Largest Online Secret Santa Game.” According to redditgifts user Kickme444′s blog post yesterday, 30,250 participants [...]

Ronn Matt Is Our New Cherry Pit-Spitting World Champion!

Nick Romano — Sun, 08 Jul 2012 17:02:23 +0000

If you can believe it, there is such a thing as an International Cherry Pit-Spitting Championship and for the last 20 years the winner has been a member of either the Krause or Lessard families. But not this year. This year belongs to 46-year-old Ronn Matt of Chicago, who was able to spit a cherry pit 69 feet, making him the new world champ.

Joey Chestnut and Sonya Thomas Win Big at Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest

Donald Deane — Thu, 05 Jul 2012 15:35:50 +0000

Joey “Jaws” Chestnut of San Jose, CA, once again reigned supreme at Nathan’s Famous International Hot Dog Eating Contest yesterday, consuming a whopping 68 hot dogs in 10 minutes. Meanwhile, Sonya “The Black Widow” Thomas of Alexandria, VA, won the women’s competition, devouring 45 hot dogs during the time limit. Yum! Who’s hungry? This is [...]

See the World's Biggest Crocodile

Donald Deane — Tue, 03 Jul 2012 17:53:07 +0000

A monster crocodile who goes by the name Lolong has just earned a Guinness World Record for being the largest saltwater croc held in captivity. We wonder if that makes his handlers, who must have the most dangerous job in the world, feel any better. The aptly-named Lolong lives in an ecotourism park on the [...]

Man Breaks Record for Longest Drill Bit Up Nose

Dan Seitz — Sun, 17 Jun 2012 18:00:23 +0000

If you’re squeamish, you definitely do not want to watch this. There is, however, no blood. Just…a man who does not fear injury doing something terrifying. This stunt is a classic “blockhead” routine; people have been inserting things that shouldn’t go up a nose for money for decades. This man, however, takes it to the [...]

10 Mind-Blowing World Champion Eaters

Carl Pettit — Mon, 11 Jun 2012 16:36:06 +0000

Sometimes you go too far, and take one too many extra helpings, letting that third piece of pie do you in. The price you pay could be simply a bulging stomach, which you can alleviate by undoing your belt, or if you’re extremely unlucky, you might be kept up all night with a bad case of heartburn.

Would you believe that there are some people out there who actually court these kinds of digestive disasters?

Texas Dog Fetches Guinness Record for Largest Eyes

Mithun Divakaran — Wed, 30 May 2012 14:51:28 +0000

While most of our pets make us go “awww” with their innocent eyes, this dog on the other hand may freak you out a bit. Meet four-year-old Boston Terrier, Bruschi, who has just been given the Guinness World Record for “dog with the largest eyes” — an eye-popping 1.1 inches in diameter. Named after former [...]

Man Completes Triathlon While Juggling

Jeremy Taylor — Fri, 25 May 2012 20:19:01 +0000

The triathlon is a race for people who are bored with merely running or cycling or swimming. So what does one do if they've become bored with triathlons?

If you're Joe Salter you complete the race -- 1/4 mile swimming, 16.2 miles cycling and four miles jogging -- while juggling. Check out the video evidence of this amazing feat, which snagged Salter a Guinness World Record.

93-Year-Old Tao Porchon-Lynch Named World's Oldest Yoga Teacher

Jeremy Taylor — Thu, 17 May 2012 15:45:43 +0000

It wasn’t that long ago that yoga was only thought to be practiced by Indian mystics. (Or perhaps little green Jedis.) But now it seems like everybody knows how to do the downward dog. In fact, these days, even 93-year-olds are hitting the yoga mat. Meet Tao Porchon-Lynn, the nonagenarian whom the Guinness World Records [...]