Guinness World Records That Prove Humans Are Weirder Than Ever

Since 1955, Guinness World Records have published their annual collection of new records broken by people from around the world. As time goes on, the records require a bit more imagination to make sure you are the most/best/first at something.

We’re only halfway through 2019, but there have already been a bunch of new records that have been broken. Let’s take a look at some of the newest participants of the Guinness World Records and their recent ‘accomplishments’.

Tallest Sandcastle

Eight technicians from Russia, Hungary, Holland, Latvia, Germany, and Poland all gathered to build this intricate castle. Standing tall in Binz, Germany, the tip of the castle rests 57 feet from the ground and has more than 24,000 pounds of sand.

Overall, the team spent more than three weeks building the model. After two years of planning and preparations, sculptor Thomas van den Dungen can finally take the record home! In total, it has a diameter of 85 feet, which is 26 meters. 

Solving A Rubik’s Cube… Blindfolded.

If you thought solving a Rubik’s Cube was hard enough, then you haven’t met Jack Cai. The local Australian set the record for the fastest time to solve one of the world’s most popular games. The twist? He did it blindfolded.

Amazingly, he managed the incredible feat in just over 16 seconds. According to Guinness, this was done by looking at an unsolved cube for a few seconds before covering eyes and ears with restrictors. Cai beat the previous record by 0.33 seconds.

Most Liked Photo On Instagram

After getting sick and tired of all the attention placed on celebrities, someone set out to outrank Kylie Jenner as the account with the most liked photo on the image-sharing platform. The account, called ‘world_record_egg’ had nothing but a photo of an egg.

The caption read: “Let’s set a world record together and get the most liked post on Instagram. Beating the current world record held by Kylie Jenner (18 million)! We got this!” Today, it has more than 53 million likes!

Largest Ocean Cleanup

According to members of America’s Congress, we only have 12 more years on this planet. So, these 633 scuba-divers gathered in Florida to try and do as much as they can to help alleviate the pressures put onto our oceans.

Together, they achieved the world’s largest ocean cleanup off Deerfield Beach. According to Guinness, it included 9,000 debris items were removed using 3,200 lbs. of fishing equipment. The event was sponsored by Project AWARE, a nonprofit organization.

Longest Feather Boa

To celebrate Pride Month, Madame Tussauds and Ripley’s Believe It Or Not! teamed up to produce the world’s longest feather boa. At 1.2 miles long, ‘Boa Boulevard’ ran across 42nd Street, between 7th and 8th Avenue.

Soon after it made the rounds of Social Media, Guinness World Records quickly announced that it was the longest one ever made. The multi-colored collection of feathers is a beacon of hope and pride for all who need it.

New Oldest-Known Animal

Every year, competition tightens to be the world’s oldest anything. If you’re in your hundreds, it’s likely that contest changes every year. Well, it’s time to meet Jonathan: the world’s oldest-known living creature!

At 187 years old, Jonathan was alive before the invention of modern flight, the completion of the Eiffel Tower, and witnessed the outcomes of both World Wars. According to Guinness, he was born in 1832. At this age, anyone can expect to overtake him at any point – let’s see if he’s still here in 2020.

Deepest Ice Dive Without Oxygen

Earlier this year, New Zealander Anthony Williams earned the Guinness World Record for the deepest dive under the ice as a male. He did this with nothing more than fins and a diving suit to help keep him warm.

Williams traveled to the Frozen lakes in Kirkenes, Norway, and traveled 230,6 feet (70 meters) below the surface of the water. In total, the dive was 2:29 minutes before he rose for oxygen. Of course, it goes without saying: don’t try this at home.

Oldest Living Person

Each year, it becomes more likely that someone else becomes the new oldest living person. Well, 2019 was the year that Kane Tanaka finally earned her crown! On March 9, she became the world’s oldest living person at 116 years and 66 days old.

Tanaka was born in 1903, the same year that the Wright Brothers accomplished their goals of air flight. This means that from now on, there will never be a living person from the 1800s.

Largest Straw Sculpture

In total, there are 168,037 straws in this amazing statue in Vietnam. The installation, which rests in Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam, was designed to raise awareness of the dangers in single-use plastics.

The statue was designed by Canadian artist, Von Wong, and stands 10 feet tall. She didn’t buy a single straw and instead relied on cleanup groups that were dedicated to tidying up our planet. She also stole a few from cafes like Starbucks.

Largest Female Feet

Ok, here’s a weird one even for Guinness and its strange standards! In April, it was confirmed that 45-year-old Julie Felton from the United Kingdom set the world record for largest feet belonging to a female.

According to Guinness World Record, Felton’s shoe size is 15.5 in the US and 49.5 in Europe. She can stand tall with her newfound record as the lady who has the biggest feet in the world. Can you imagine it?

Most Cappuccinos Made In One Hour

This art school graduate earned herself the world record for most cappuccinos poured in one hour. According to Guinness, the local Australian prepared 420 cups in 60 minutes.

Guinness required there to be a few restrictions due to guidelines for the record. For example, the coffee machine had to be commercially available and only have a maximum of four espresso shots prepared at a time. Thankfully, Liza Thomas managed to compete within the boundaries and a record was set!

Largest Traditional Kontak Folk Dance

Here’s where it gets a little more random for those esteemed Guinness World Records! In April 2019, 4,687 women from 130 different Indian villages met up to perform the world’s biggest Konyak folk dance.

The dance was performed simultaneously and entirely synchronized between the thousands of participants. Guinness released an official video of the performance which has garnered almost 33,000 views in three weeks. It was recorded during the Aoleang Festival to help conserve cultural heritage.

Fastest Time To Eat A Burrito

Back to the United Kingdom now, where we will meet Leah Shutkever from Birmingham. There, she competitively ate a Burrito in just 44.2 seconds, making her the fastest person to do so.

Those who have eaten burritos are aware of how dense and heavy they can be. Full of beans, salsa, and cream, the heavy meal can last for hours. Other examples of food-eating contests include Hot Dog eating contests in the USA.

Most Types of Cheese On A Pizza

Here’s a world record for the food lovers out there! Australian chef Johnny Di Francesco designed a pizza with 154 different types of cheese. We can practically smell the heart attack from here.

“The cheeses included the likes of gorgonzola, pecorino, Taleggio, aged cheddar, gouda and of course, many more!” Di Francesco explained. The previous record was a pizza with 111 kinds of cheese, but he felt confident he could beat that after practicing on a pizza with 99 toppings.

Largest Snow Maze

Here in Canada rests the world’s largest snow maze. Residing in St. Adolphe, Manitoba, Canada, the maze is a massive 2,789m2 and was created by A Maze In Corn, Inc. The family-owned company decided to design the maze once the weather dropped.

Once inside, maze goers could explore the fully-fledged maze and all of its possibilities. The good news was that if you get lost, all you had to do was wait for the snow to melt! The previous record was from 2015 and was a measly 1,696m2.

Removing The Most Amount Of Socks From Feet

Meet David Rush, an American who gets his own kind of rush by competing in various Guinness World Records. After previously getting a world record for holding 100 lit candles in his mouth, Rush wanted to try for another, albeit safer, attempt at the grand prize.

In January 2019, Rush earned another record for removing 70 socks from men’s feet in just under one minute. Eager fans of Rush can explore his Youtube channel where he is seen performing the act in Athens, Greece.

Longest Tiramisu

You can always rely on a team of dedicated Italian chefs to break one of the most delicious Guinness World Records out there! This year, 30 pastry chefs and dozens of volunteers gathered in Milan to bake the world’s longest tiramisu. After working hard, the dessert was a massive 897 feet (273 meters)!

After earning the record for the longest tiramisu, the team dedicated it to a local children’s hospital where it was enjoyed by dozens of children.

Most Oversized Horns

This Texas longhorn is the proud owner of an entire world record – he just doesn’t know it! Meet Poncho Via: his massive horns spread to a span of more than 10 feet (3.2 meters). If you’re wondering, those horns are twice as wide as a grand piano!

Technically, Poncho broke two records when he was crowned in May. First, he is the proud owner of the largest horn spread on a living steer. Second, he has the largest horn on any steer living or dead!

Largest Teddy Bear

In April 2019, the world’s largest teddy bear was built in Mexico to the delight of giant children everywhere. Charity organizations gathered from around the country and built the 63-feet structure which weighed more than four tons in weight.

For those who want to know, four tons equals roughly 8,000 lbs. It is unclear what the plan is for the newly built teddy bear, but plans suggest she will stay on display for the next few months at least.

Largest Dim Sum Meal

This one will either make you drool or vomit – depending on your love of mass-produced and consumed food. In February 2019, 764 hungry Australians gathered at the Sydney Lunar Festival to honor the Year of the Pig.

In total, there were more than 3,100 individual pieces of Dim Sum consumed. It might sound like a lot, but it averaged around four pieces per person. Participants could choose from vegetable, chicken, or pork dishes.

Longest Linked Toast

Amazingly, 2,020 people linked arms in Qinghai, China, to set the Guinness World Record for the longest toast while linking arms with other people. The record was achieved by Haidong Municipal People’s Government.

The participants were locals in the area who all stood in the shape of a sunflower. This was to demonstrate the impressive levels of diversity and multiculturalism. After the cheers, the crowd celebrated and sipped their drinks! The event took place on March 10.

Largest Cupcake Tower

It took 42 hours, but a team in India completed the world’s largest cupcake tower. In total, 18,818 cupcakes were baked and prepared into the shape of a tower, making it the world’s largest of its type.

According to Guinness World Record regulations, participants void their attempt if any food is wasted. Therefore, every single cupcake was donated to non-governmental organizations once they accomplished their goal. In total, the tower reached an incredible height of 41 feet and 8 inches.

Largest Alpaca Parade

Here’s another strange world record that was beaten this year. You might not think there’s a market for gathering thousands of alpacas together, but that’s exactly what a group of people did in Peru.

In June 2019, more than 1,047 alpacas gathered together in Juliaca, Puno, for the world’s largest alpaca parade. It was organized to celebrate the 58th anniversary of Feria de Ganadería y Agricultura del Sur – an agricultural organization. In total, there were two species of alpaca at the parade.

We Got Closer To Pi

What better day to edge closer to the end of Pi than on March 14? International Pi Day was used by Google Cloud developer Emma Haruka Iwao to try to get closer to the end of Pi.

Iwao, along with Google, broke the Guinness World Record by calculating a Pi value of pi:31,415,926,535,897. So far, no one has managed to reach the last number of Pi – the ratio of a circle’s circumference to its diameter.

Strongest Super Glue

This particular record wasn’t achieved by a person or group. Instead, Guinness awarded DELO, a manufacturing company, the world record for the strongest super glue ever made. The record was set after the glue successfully lifted a 17-tonne truck in the air for one hour.

In July 2019, the German company set a new record by applying the glue to small aluminum cylinders on a crane. The truck was one meter in the air by glue that was manufactured specifically for the event.

Highest-Grossing Film

After 10 years, a new film finally defeated Avatar as the world’s most profitable film at the box office. In July 2019, Avengers: Endgame made a whopping $2.79 billion at the box office in just under three months.

Director James Cameron held the record for the top two highest-grossing films of all time with Avatar and Titanic. Endgame showed us the last movie in a 22-film series with some of the world’s most popular superheroes. The box office numbers are not adjusted for inflation.

Lowest Note Sung By A Woman

We know it’s 2019, but it shouldn’t be controversial to highlight than men generally have lower voices than women. In 2019, Helen Leahey performed the lowest vocal note by a woman. The Welsh singer sang from a D5 to a D2 note. In total, it was recorded as 72.5 Hertz.

Leahey performed the impressive tune at the Music School Wagner in Koblenz, Germany. The original record was a slightly higher E2, and it was performed in the presence of eight industry professionals.

Fastest Slalom

This guy had the need… the need for a Guinness World Record! Jia Qiang just broke a new record while driving his Chevrolet Camaro RS, achieving the fastest vehicle slalom in just 48 seconds.

In total, he drove and carefully weaved his car between 50 markers that were each placed just more than 15 meters apart. The Chinese driver admits that his parents never used to let him drive when he was growing up – so he snuck out at night! Seems like it worked out for him…

Widest Cable-Stayed Bridge

We’re traveling from China to Egypt now, as we take an adventure onto the Tahya Misr Bridge in Cairo. To deal with rising levels of congestion, engineers decided to build an extra-wide cable bridge – and smashing records in the process.

To earn the record from Guinness, the bridge had to be wider than 65 meters. Today, the Tahya Misr Bridge stands widely and proudly at 67.3 meters wide (220 ft). The city is incredibly proud of its achievement, with smiles almost as wide as their record-breaking bridge!

Fastest Cycle Around The World (Female)

Starting her ride at Berlin’s Brandenburg Gate, Jenny Graham was about to embark on the journey of a lifetime. Over the next 124 days and 11 hours, she would cycle more than 18,000 miles through Europe and all the way through Asia to Oceania and North America.

Graham actually beat the previous record by a whopping 20 days, which is pretty impressive. Not only did she earn a place in this year’s Guinness World Record book, but she’s one of the leading founders of Guinness World Records Day – a day dedicated to encouraging people to break their own records.

First Fortnite Champion

As times change, Guinness has embraced different parts of pop culture. Well, 2019 was no different and the company saw Kyle ‘Bugha’ Giersdorf from the USA become the first world champion at the online game Fortnite.

The 16-year-old took part in a championship game against 99 other hopefuls and walked away with the $3 million prize. The tournament was al the largest e-sports individual tournament prize pool, too! Fortnite is an online game played by tens of millions of teens around the world.

Largest Teenager Feet

It’s the year of the foot, it seems. As well as recording a new size for female feet, Guinness also awarded a young man with the honor of the world’s largest feet for a teenager. Lars Motza from Germany is only 16, and yet he has a whopping size 21 (US) shoe size! That’s 57 in EU size formats.

The size of his foot is just over 35 cm (13.7 inches) and he overtook a British teen who previously held the record. It’s not all bad news the British lad: he still holds the record for largest hands on a teenager.

Most Capital Cities Visited In 24 Hours

Adam Leyton and Chris Fletcher, both from the United Kingdom, visited nine capital cities in only 24 hours. What’s most impressive is that they did this using only planes, trains, and automobiles and on scheduled transport systems.

This means they had to operate on other countries platforms and timelines. Nevertheless, they went from London-Amsterdam via Paris and Brussels, then took a plane to Berlin, then a bus to Prague, then a flight to Bratislava, then a train to Vienna, and finally a train ride to Budapest. Phew!

Largest Collection of Newspapers

This year, Sergio Bodini from Italy became the proud award winner of the largest collection of newspapers with different titles. This means he has newspapers from more than 115 different countries!

Sergio began collecting newspapers when he was a 10-year-old child, way back in 1980. What originally started as a modest class project soon turned into a lifelong obsession with news and current events. Bodini originally wanted to become a journalist but fate took a different path and he is now a chemist.

Best Robot Basketball Player

Every year, the machines are getting better. While many people are scared that robots will take their jobs, there’s one type of person who probably didn’t see the risk coming: basketball players.

This year, CUE3 scored more than 2000 consecutive free-throws over a seven-hour period. The machine, which was designed by Toyota, used machine learning to determine the best shot possible. According to those familiar with the robot, it took more than 20,000 practice shots before the attempt.

Fasted Instagram Account To Gain 1 Million Followers

On April 2, 2019, the new Duke and Duchess of Sussex opened a joint Instagram account. The handle @SussexRoyal gained its first one million followers in just five hours and 45 minutes.

Since its creation, the account shares various updates from the Royals and their new baby, Archie. Today, the account has 9.2 million followers and acts as the official Instagram account for Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. It is followed by @TheRoyalFamily and @BBCNews.

Largest Gathering of People Dressed As Brides

These women were sick always being a bridesmaid and never being a bride. That’s why one woman, along with her 1,346 friends, met up to gather as the world’s largest group dressed as brides.

The 1,347 women were aged between 18-92 and now collectively hold the new world record. According to Guinness, the crowd was made up of single, married, and divorced women. No men were in attendance at the event which took place in Petrer, Spain.

Steepest Road

A small town in Wales, UK, has discovered that it is the home of the world’s steepest street. Inside Harlech lies Ffordd Pen Llech, a long road that reaches a gradient of 1:2.6.

This means that drivers traveling up or down the street go one meter in height for every 2.67 meters traveled across in distance. For obvious reasons, not many people cycle up or down the steep road! You can read more about Harlech’s impressive achievement here.

Most Legos Displayed

This record was set by LEGO Group as they worked to create the largest display of LEGO Star Wars figurines. In total, there were more than 34,000 Stormtrooper figures in the display. It was built by 12 people and took 38 hours!

In recent years, there has been an increasing trend in LEGO as it returns to the mainstream. We’re sure we can expect more Guinness World Records in the future. How about ones with the Marvel Cinematic Universe?

Read More: This Year’s Smurf Gathering Brings Record Numbers