Ever dream of having an entry in the Guinness World Records? Here's how to do it.

Andy Glass, left, and Illusionist Antonio Diaz "El Mago Pop" presented with the Guinness World Record for highest weekly gross for a solo show on Broadway at The Barrymore Theatre on Friday, June 14, 2024, in New York. (Photo by CJ Rivera/Invision/AP)
Andy Glass, left, and Illusionist Antonio Diaz "El Mago Pop" presented with the Guinness World Record for highest weekly gross for a solo show on Broadway at The Barrymore Theatre on Friday, June 14, 2024, in New York. (Photo by CJ Rivera/Invision/AP)
Assamese dancers in traditional attire perform as they attempt Guinness World Record in the largest folk dance performance category in Guwahati, India, Friday, April 14, 2023. Around 11,000 Bihu dancers and musicians performed together to set a new record for Guinness World Record in the largest folk dance performance category today. (AP Photo/Anupam Nath)
Assamese dancers in traditional attire perform as they attempt Guinness World Record in the largest folk dance performance category in Guwahati, India, Friday, April 14, 2023. Around 11,000 Bihu dancers and musicians performed together to set a new record for Guinness World Record in the largest folk dance performance category today. (AP Photo/Anupam Nath)
Seiichi Sano, an 89-year-old Japanese man, rides a wave at Katase Nishihama Beach, Thursday, March 30, 2023, in Fujisawa, south of Tokyo. Sano, who turns 90 later this year, has been recognized by the Guinness World Records as the oldest male to surf. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)
Seiichi Sano, an 89-year-old Japanese man, rides a wave at Katase Nishihama Beach, Thursday, March 30, 2023, in Fujisawa, south of Tokyo. Sano, who turns 90 later this year, has been recognized by the Guinness World Records as the oldest male to surf. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)
Keturah Heman, part of a team of five Nigerians who read aloud nonstop for over 400 hours in an attempt to break the Guinness world record, reads in Lagos, Nigeria, Saturday, Aug 30, 2025. (Alhamdu Monday/JLM Media via AP)
Keturah Heman, part of a team of five Nigerians who read aloud nonstop for over 400 hours in an attempt to break the Guinness world record, reads in Lagos, Nigeria, Saturday, Aug 30, 2025. (Alhamdu Monday/JLM Media via AP)
Married couple Julio Mora Tapia, 110, and Waldramina Quinteros, 104, both retired teachers, pose for a photo at their home in Quito, Ecuador, Friday, Aug. 28, 2020. The couple is recognized by the Guinness World Records as the oldest married couple in the world, because of their combined ages. They have been married for 79 years. (AP Photo/Dolores Ochoa)
Married couple Julio Mora Tapia, 110, and Waldramina Quinteros, 104, both retired teachers, pose for a photo at their home in Quito, Ecuador, Friday, Aug. 28, 2020. The couple is recognized by the Guinness World Records as the oldest married couple in the world, because of their combined ages. They have been married for 79 years. (AP Photo/Dolores Ochoa)
Carbonatix Pre-Player Loader

Audio By Carbonatix

NEW YORK (AP) — Achieving the title of youngest driver to win a Formula One World Championship is really hard. Or having the most ascents of Mount Everest. But what about most soda cans crushed with your feet in a minute?

Guinness World Records is celebrating its 70th anniversary by giving regular folks a way to get into a list of their famous accomplishments — offering some unclaimed potential titles and creating an online quiz to help readers match personality types to possible records.

Do you stay calm and pace yourself? Or are you all about getting it done quickly? Answers to five questions like that online lead to world record options to attempt — like most eggs stacked in one minute or farthest distance bottle flip.

There's also a list of 70 unclaimed titles, like fastest time to make a burrito, longest marathon playing air guitar and most anchovies eaten in a minute. They're sorted by headings: speed, power, precision, passion, patience, one for under-16s and another with a friend or pet, like most items caught by a cat in a minute.

“I am completely of the opinion that we’re all amazing in our own way, it’s just discovering what that thing is and celebrating it,” says Editor-in-Chief Craig Glenday. “I want to see kids in the same book as Usain Bolt.”

It started with a pub dispute

First published in 1955, the annual book — initially conceived to settle pub arguments — has developed into an international phenomenon, selling 155 million copies in more than 40 languages. The publication itself is listed as the world’s bestselling copyrighted book.

It started when Sir Hugh Beaver, then managing director of the Guinness Brewery, was invited to go game bird hunting in Ireland. He and his companions soon began to squabble over which was Europe’s fastest game bird. There was no quick way to solve the dispute.

Beaver dreamed up a pamphlet that could be sold to pubs alongside barrels of Guinness stout. He asked twins Norris and Ross McWhirter, who were fact-finding researchers, to compile something that would be different from the day’s encyclopedias, which were dry and very highly academic.

Glenday has been in charge of the books since the 50th anniversary and has been democratizing the record-keeping, opening up entries for things like the most sweaters worn and the loudest burp. He believes striving for goals is an innately human thing.

“The more open and free it is to everyone to have a go, I think the more we all collectively benefit,” he says. “It’s not like there’s a piece of cake that’s going to be eaten and it’s all gone. We can just keep adding and adding.”

‘Officially amazing’

Unlike the Olympics, which decides what is and what is not a proper sport, Guinness World Records embraces all kinds of achievement, as long as they're meaningful, interesting and a degree of effort has been made. “Otherwise, it’s official, but it’s not amazing. And we have to be officially amazing,” he says.

Guinness World Records is where you'll find Ashrita Furman of New York City, who jumped the 1,899 steps of the CN Tower in Ontario, Canada, on a pogo stick in a record time of 57 minutes and 51 seconds.

“He is a real athlete,” says Glenday. “Who else is celebrating these people and accrediting them and validating their amazing thing? No one, apart from us. So I can see why after 70 years we’re still relevant.”

To those critics who say Glenday is making a mistake by elevating, for instance, the men’s high jump world record holder in the same pages as the fastest person to ever push an orange for one mile using their nose, he disagrees. Both require concentration, training and dedication.

“To me, it is the same discipline, the same mindset. It's just society’s been sort of programmed to think one is more impressive than the other.”

 

Sponsored Links

Trending Videos

Salem News Channel Today

Trending Videos

On Air & Up Next

  • Real Estate Today
    7:00AM - 8:00AM
     
    Real Estate Today opens doors for buyers and sellers with critical and credible   >>
     
  • Bloomberg Radio
    8:00AM - 9:00AM
     
    Bloomberg Radio is the world's only global 24-hour business radio station.   >>
     
  • Best Stocks Now
    9:00AM - 10:00AM
     
    Bill Gunderson provides listeners with financial guidance that is both   >>
     
  • Bloomberg Radio
    10:00AM - 11:00AM
     
    Bloomberg Radio is the world's only global 24-hour business radio station.   >>
     
  • Real Estate Chalk Talk
    11:00AM - 12:00PM
     
    Since 2007 Real Estate Chalk Talk is where we study the science of buying and   >>
     

See the Full Program Guide