If you thought world records were reserved solely for profession athletes, you couldn’t be more wrong. As evidenced by the vast catalog that is the Guinness Book of World Records, there are all sorts of basic records out there that can help you secure your place in history. That’s right — you, an average Joe, can finally show the world that you have a purpose in life. Seriously, these “records” are just begging to be broken.
#1 Most Tee Shirts Worn At One Time
You can probably do this! First, you'll need 258 tee shirts, since the current record is 257, and held by Sanath Bandara of Sri Lanka. You could probably get a ton of them at a rummage sale or a thrift shop for almost nothing, but the trick is to get them in all size ranges, putting on the smallest ones first. 258 small sized shirts will tear apart like the Hulk in a few minutes and you will never break the record that way.
#2 Most CDs Balanced On One Finger
It's harder than it looks, and the current record holder, Silvio Sabba set the record by balancing 247 CDs on his finger. But there's a trick to it. Don't think you can manage to balance the CDs with your finger pointed upward like you're spinning a basketball, like a Harlem Globetrotter, because it's probably impossible. Instead, you need to keep your finger pointed outward like a gun pointing. Work on your forearm strength because this looks like a killer if you plan to beat that record.
#3 Fastest Time To Arrange A Chess Set
A lot of us don't even know how to play chess. Chess isn’t the most exciting of games, but when you have a chance of maybe getting into a book of world records with a simple chess set, why not give it a shot? The best thing of all is that you don’t even have to be good at chess to attempt this one. The objective here is to arrange the set one piece at a time in the correct order. The current record holder, Dalibor Jablanovic of Serbia, did it in 34.20 seconds. Of course, there are certain rules you have to follow, so do your research before you go for the glory.
#4 Longest Hug
If you’ve got a thing for hugs, then this is the perfect opportunity to take your affection to the next level. The current world record for the longest hug is 24 hours and 33 minutes. This means you’ll have to find someone who you can stand being next to for more than an entire day. You’re allowed to do things like eat and scratch an itch, but only with the help of an onlooker, as your arms have to be continuously locked around your fellow hugger. Finding someone to participate should be easy. Just tell them it’s one of the record books. No group hugs allowed.
#5 Most Eggs Cracked With One Hand In A Minute
Actually, breaking an egg properly takes a little skill. Most of us end up with a runny mess or a bit of the shell in the pan after smacking it on something hard a few times. You've got to hit it just right in order to avoid landing shell in the bowl and a nasty, sticky mess all over the counter. Now imagine trying to do it really fast without losing one to the floor or the wall. If you have access to an unlimited supply of eggs you can practice, but you'll need to crack open 33 eggs in one minute with just one hand to break the record now held by Kingston, Ontario chef, Ross McCurdy. He did it without allowing no shells to fall in any of the cups or bowls used for the record.
#6 Most Sticky Notes Stuck On A Body In Five Minutes
It doesn't get easier than this one to get yourself into the World Book. All you have to do is wear clothing that is smooth and clean, grab a bunch of sticky notes, and just go to town. The taller you are, the better, since you will have more of a surface to cover. Just don't get a papercut doing this, okay? That's gross, and they take so long to heal. You'll have to raid the office supply cabinet of at least 675 sticky notes to break the record of 674 stuck to one body in five minutes held by Tetsuro Degawa of Tokyo, Japan.
#7 Fastest Time To Place 24 Cans Into A Refridgerator
Anyone who has stocked a fridge during a Super Bowl commercial break has got the skills to break this record, so it's well worth a shot! Just avoid denting or bursting the cans while getting them in the fridge to avoid breaking the rules, and having to mop the floor. You will need to clear out the fridge ahead of time so you're not competing with other items for shelf space, but it sounds simple right? Well, Silvio Sabba (the CD guy from earlier) succeeded at placing 24 cans in a fridge in 5.78 seconds in 2014 and it hasn't been broken yet.
#8 Fastest Window Cleaner
This one you may want to pass on if you're like most people. We don't do windows. But, for those who do, it seems pretty odd that there is a national competition for cleaning windows. Terry Burrows set a record by cleaning three standard 45 x 45-inch office windows set in a frame with an 11.75-inch-long squeegee and just over 2 gallons of water in 9.14 seconds at the National Window Cleaning Competition in Blackpool, United Kingdom. If you want to try it and roll with the big boys, wear absorbent clothing and practice on car windows for a bit first.
#9 Fastest Time To Type The Alphabet On An iPad With One Hand
If you took typing class in school that may come in handy. Do they even offer that course in school anymore? Anyway, the only real thing you can do to prepare for this is to practice typing the entire alphabet on, you guessed it, your iPad! Try with both hands and then just one hand, to see which yields the fastest time. Make sue you turn off auto correct and start practicing. You'll need to type the entire alphabet, in order, with only one hand, in under 3.14 seconds to beat the record set by Chase Samuel.
#10 Most Jelly Donuts Eaten In One Minute
Here's one that lots of people can squash! Eating donuts is easy, and delicious. Who doesn't want to claim the glory of having eaten the most jam-filled doughnuts in a mere 60 seconds? Think about the training for this record! Go to the store. Buy your favorite doughnuts. Get into your comfiest clothes. Put on some mood music. Set a timer. Fail several times and start over. Aside from having to buy extra-large pants in a week, it's bliss! This is just waiting to be broken since the current record is held by Patrick Bertoletti ate three jelly donuts, without licking his lips, in one in East Dundee, Illinois on January 14, 2012. Three? C'mon, you can beat that!
#11 Most Bananas Peeled In One Minute
Monkeys are not allowed to participate in this one, but it should be easy as pie. Patrick Bertoletti, the same guy who ate the three jelly donuts, also peeled the most bananas in one minute, eight! The prep for breaking this record is pretty straight-forward, though you could try seeing whether peeling the banana from the top or bottom makes any difference. Pretty easy to do isn't it? All you need to do is peel back the skin on nine bananas in a minute. (Insert sexual innuendos here_____).
#12 Longest Television Watching Session
I think I could beat this record with ease, as many of you could. If you've ever binge-watched an entire series on Netflix, you've got most of it down already. The trick is, you can't nod off and you can only eat what is in front of you because you're not allowed to leave your seat. So that may make it a bit more difficult. Consider grabbing a box of adult diapers if you plan to break the record set by Alejandro "AJ" Fragoso who watched 94 straight hours of television in New York City in 2012 without falling asleep of leaving his chair. Whew!
#13 Fastest Time To Assemble Mr. Potato Head
It's like a Rubik's cube, sorta. Breaking this type of record really just depends on your manual dexterity and hand-eye coordination. If you know where all of the pieces go, all you have to do is try over and over again to improve your speed. This takes little to no strategy. but so, so much patience. Make sure you have all of the required parts before you try this. There's nothing worse than working your way through a whole Potato Head only to realize you're short a pair of spud eyes. Something like getting to the end of a jigsaw puzzle and find you've been missing one piece. Samet Durmaz assembled a Mr. Potato Head in 6.62 seconds in Turkey in 2012. On your mark, get ready, go!
#14 Most Marshmallows Eaten In One Minute
For this record, you will be required to do almost nothing. Literally, just go buy marshmallows, and eat them. It's hard to believe there's a place in the record books for this. Since they're pretty dense and sticky, be careful trying this because you could choke. It's probably one of those things that, once you've done it a few times, you will discover a trick for making it easier. Think you've got the chops for this one? All you need to do is much down 26 chewy marshmallows since the record is held by Anthony Falzon who consumed 25 marshmallows in a minute in 2013.
#15 Longest Line Made Up Of Shoes
Okay, so lining up a bunch of shoes from heel-to-toe seems pretty easy in theory — that is, if you have access to 10,513 sneakers, and perhaps more importantly, have the space to make it happen. In the summer of 2008, National Geographic Kids magazine laid out thousands of shoes across nearly 1.65 miles to claim the Guinness World Record for the longest chain of shoes ever created. Now, it may take you a lot longer to actually collect the right amount of shoes than to lay them out, so start hitting up all of your friends now. When your name is in the record books, they can have their shoes back, or you can just donate them like the Kids magazine did.
Good luck!
