Thursday 17 November marks the 12th consecutive Guinness World Records Day and 2016 promises to be the most exciting one yet.
Launched to celebrate the day the Guinness World Records book sold its 100 millionth copy, #GWRday 2016 will see upwards of 600,000 people around the world attempting to secure their place in the history books.
In the UK, the Shortest married couple in the world will be unveiled. The happy couple with a heart-warming story have always suspected that they may be the shortest couple on the planet and having finally tied the knot eight years after meeting on social media, they have supplied the necessary evidence to Guinness World Records. They are travelling to GWR HQ here in London to have their record confirmed and to celebrate their honeymoon in the capital. More details will be revealed on the day.
Elsewhere on Guinness World Records Day - nothing says peace and tranquillity quite like enjoying a quintessentially British cup of tea, with a selection of one’s favourite biscuits. However, where some see serenity, others see an extreme challenge. We reveal whether thrill seeking, bungee jumping, tea loving Simon Berry, 24 from Sheffield, is able to dunk a chocolate hobnob into a cup of tea, just as his 70m+ bungee rope reaches full extension, thus achieving the Guinness World Records title for the Highest bungee dunk. An exercise in extreme precision and dedication to his challenge, witness the drama as Simon attempts this unique record.
You may be under the impression that the game of hoopla has been consigned to history, long since forgotten in an age of iPhones and YouTube. Skipper, a Blue and Gold Macaw from California cannot use an iPhone and he hates YouTube, so he will be attempting to land himself a place in the Guinness World Records book by breaking the Most rings placed on a target by a parrot in one minute record. A successful attempt would allow Skipper to join an elite group of animal record holders – a group including the most famous of all, last year’s GWR Day global star, Otto the skateboarding bulldog.
Back in the UK, we will reveal whether magician Martin Rees, 28 from Hemel Hempstead, can perform a minimum of ten magic tricks on a 15,000 ft skydive over Salisbury, Wiltshire, to achieve the world record for Most magic tricks performed in a single skydive. Rees, who is raising money for the charity Spread a Smile, already holds the record for the Most magic tricks performed in a wind tunnel (three minutes), and is now taking his unique mix of daring and sleight of hand to greater heights – and speeds, as he hits a velocity of 120 mph during freefall.
In Melbourne, Australia, fitness guru and Instagram star Kayla Itsines will lead thousands of people in no less than five record attempts as she puts together a fitness class on a grand scale. Record attempts include: Most people performing squats, Most people star jumping, Most people performing lunges, Most people performing push-ups and Most people performing burpees.
In China, flexible performer Liu Teng will take an attempt for the Most flowers picked with the mouth in one minute (contortion backbend). The record to beat is 11 and was achieved by Julia Gunthel (aka Zlata, Germany) in 2015 (pictured below).
Some of the other record attempts taking place globally include:
UK (on radio)
Most ABBA songs recognised by their lyrics in one minute
Most Queen songs recognised by their lyrics in one minute
Most comic book superheroes identified by their alter egos in one minute
Most best picture Oscar winners identified by year in one minute
USA
The Harlem Globetrotters with multiple record attempts
Most rings placed on a target by a parrot in one minute
Largest human image of a cloud
Largest display of origami elephants
Japan
Most double-dutch skips in 1 minute
Most traffic cones balanced on the chin
Germany
Largest human jigsaw puzzle
Singapore
Largest light bulb display (indoors)
Norway
Most two finger pull ups in one minute
Worldwide
Most people sport stacking (multiple venues)
