The vast majority of the world records are pretty standard – the world’s tallest man (8ft 3 in), the world’s smallest man (21.5 inches tall), the world’s oldest living person (115 years old), or the world’s oldest twin sisters (103 years old) – are all interesting and fun facts to know. But there are a number of records that are totally weird, like the largest number of people inside a soap bubble (seriously). These wacky categories are typically created and submitted to the Guinness Book of World Records. More often than not, they end up making it into the official book itself.
Traditionally, people have been fascinated by the outlandish. Freak shows, fairs and circuses have always taken advantage of this to attract crowds. Over the years, the people’s taste for the outlandish has grown sharper, driving eccentric individuals to attempt some odd, bizarre and strange feats to satisfy public demand. Here are the top ten craziest world records according to Guinness, based on me:
10. Heaviest Weight Balanced On Head
Trying to see how much weight you can balance on your head without getting crushed to death may not be your idea of a good time, but John Evans of England has made a name of himself setting balancing act records for books, beer kegs, a car, and even people. He is best known for his famous balancing car stunts. Evans has broken his own record for balancing an entire car on his head many times over. His current record is balancing a 352 pound (160 kg) Mini for 33 seconds. In 1997, he managed to balance 416.7 pounds of bricks for 10 seconds. His freak ability is attributable to his strong, thick neck, which is 24 inches in circumference. It’s no wonder that Evans has offered 1,000 GBP to anyone who can top his amazing record.
9. Largest Airplane Eaten
Michel Lotito is without a doubt one of the biggest legends in the realm of crazy records and abilities. This French entertainer could chew up all types of indigestible materials, including steel, glass bottles, television, razor blades, light bulbs, and lots of other not-so-nutritious items. He performed his most famous act in 1990s, when he spent 2 years eating an entire Cessna 150. He would use a sledgehammer, bolt cutter and acetylene torch to break it up and then consume the parts. However, he did bite the glass parts directly off the plane. After chewing them and swallowing them, Lotito passed all the metal and glass parts through his system in the normal way. His abnormally thick stomach lining was key to his extraordinary abilities.
8. Most Lighted Fireworks Strapped To the Body
Todd DeFazio, or “the village idiot”, is one of those individuals who enjoy setting breaking records. His dream is to set and/or break more records than anyone else, which has seen him become the holder of one of the weirdest world records. On 6 July 2010, DeFazio taped a total of 15 bottled rockets and roman candles around his legs, chest and bare head, and then had someone light them all at once. While these fireworks were fairly low-powered, they had enough power to cause 2nd and 3rd degree burns or even blow off a finger. But he didn’t suffer any burns or lose any appendages.
7. Most T-Shirts Worn At Once
You might not believe it, but there is a record for this category too, and it has been broken several times over the years. The current record holder is Sanath Bandara of Colombo, Sri Lanka. On 22 December 2011, he wore 257 T-shirts all at once.
6. Most Live Rattlesnakes Held In Mouth
Jackie Bibby, USA, holds the record for the largest number of live, rattlesnakes held in mouth at once, having held 11 full-grown rattlesnakes by their tails without any assistance for approximately 10 seconds. Even though they are generally not aggressive, rattlesnakes have a venomous bite which can be lethal. It is, therefore, not hard to understand why Bibby’s stunt is a little crazy.
5. Highest Dive into Shallow Pool
This record is held by Darren Taylor, a US shallow diver, popularly known as Professor Splash. On 17 March 2011, he swan-dived 36ft (11m) into a paddling pool containing just 12 inches (30.5) of water. This was his 13th Guinness certified record. He works as a professional stunt diver, and has boasts of over 25 years of professional high-diving experience.
4. The World’s Fastest Toilet
This record was set by Colin Furze, a multi-talented stuntman, plumber, and inventor. Predictably, he also holds several other world records, for areas such as the World’s longest motorbike and World’s largest bonfire. The World’s fastest toilet, which is probably his crowning achievement, boasts of 140cc engine and speeds of up to 55 miles per hour. Its other cool features include a newspaper holder and a “flush” button, allowing the toilet to be flushed while on the move.
3. Typing To One Million
This is not an easy task. But Les Stewart from Mudjimba, Australia, managed to type all numbers from 1 to 1 million in words. The most amazing part of it was that he was classed as invalid and, therefore, could not work. Steward would type with one finger an average 3 pages a day. He began this seemingly odious task in 1982 and finished in 1998, spending 7 manual typewriters, 1000 ink ribbons, 19,890 pages and many hours.
2. Strongest Kick to the Groin
Believe it or not, there is a world record for this category. It’s held by Kirby Roy, a combat ki expert. Combat ki involves conditioning the body to resist or feel no pain by kicking it repetitively to make it thick and hard. Having endured thousands of full-force kicks, Roy’s groin area and pelvis have grown thicker and harder compared to a normal pelvis. The nerve fibers in his testicles have become pulverized and damaged, preventing them from registering pain to his brain. His groin withstood a 1,100 pounds kick, which lifted him off the floor, during a test on “Sports Science” television program.
1. Most Piercings in One Sitting
One of the most unusual but painful world record is the most body piercings in one session. Many people have withstood extreme pain trying to set or break this record. The record is currently held by Chris Elliot who managed a mind-boggling 3,900 needles in 7 hours and 46 minutes at a piercing session in July 2011. This attempt came hot on the heels of the previous record of 3,100 piercings in 6 hours and 15 minutes set on 29th May 2010, and it’s just a matter of time before it’s broken again.
