What's the world record for...? Answering your most-Googled questions
We’ve got over 70,000 active record titles in our system, covering just about every single topic you could think of.
But what records do people want to know about the most?
We’ve been playing a little game of ‘Google Autocomplete’ to find out what you want to know.
And here are your answers…
What’s the world record for not blinking?
This isn’t actually a record that we monitor.
All records have to be measurable and it’s hard to accurately measure how long someone has gone without blinking.
It’s also important to note there are medical conditions that can prevent people from blinking or closing their eyelids completely.
Image credit: Photo by Tina Devidze on Unsplash
What’s the world record for loudest burp?
These are very competitive record titles that have changed hands many times over the years.
The current record holder for loudest burp (male) is Neville Sharp (Australia), who did a burp measuring 112.4 db in 2021.
Neville showing off the reading of his burp
That’s equivalent to the sound level of a rock concert, a chainsaw from 3 ft away or a pneumatic chipper.
The loudest burp (female) was performed by Kimberly Winter (USA), aka Kimycola, in 2023.
It measured 107.3 db (C-weighted), which is equivalent to a power mover.
Read about more Human Body records in our dedicated section.
What’s the world record for sleeping / not sleeping?
We don’t measure a record for the longest time sleeping, essentially because it’s not really possible to know if someone is actually asleep or just pretending.
We used to monitor a record for the longest time without sleep but we stopped due to how dangerous it is.
In 1964, a US man named Randy Gardner voluntarily deprived himself of sleep for 264 hours 1 minute (11 days) as part of a research study by the US Navy Medical Neuropsychiatric Research Unit in San Diego and William C Dement from Stanford University School of Medicine in California.
He stayed awake from 6 a.m. on 28 December 1963 until 6:01 a.m. on 8 January 1964.
And in 1986, a man named Robert McDonald went 453 hours 40 minutes (18 days 21 hours 40 minutes) without sleeping while taking on a rocking chair marathon record.
The stuntman, who was 27 at the time, told UPI towards the end of his attempt that “it hasn’t been easy. I’m ready to collapse because I have had a hard time keeping any food down.”
He also said he had lost weight and was having trouble remembering things.
What’s the world record for longest kiss?
This is another world record title we’ve deactivated.
The last people who broke the record – and therefore the forever record holders – were Thai couple Ekkachai and Laksana Tiranarat, who kissed for 58 hours 35 minutes.
We stopped monitoring the record because it became too dangerous, and the rules didn’t align with our current policies.
Ekkachai and Laksana Tiranarat during their attempt
The old rules said that the kiss had to be continuous and that rest breaks were not allowed.
People had to stand the entire time and could not be propped up with anything.
And many got around the no toilet breaks rule by wearing adult nappies and simply going where they stood.
These days, people taking part in marathon record attempts earn five minutes of rest for every continuous hour of activity. It’s up to them if they want a break every hour or if they want to save them up for longer breaks.
What’s the world record for holding your breath / holding your breath underwater?
There’s no world record for simply holding your breath, because how could we be sure you weren’t sneakily breathing through your nose?
Vitomir Maričić holds the record for longest time breath held voluntarily underwater (male)
But we have loads of titles for holding your breath underwater.
To name a few:
- Longest breath-hold on screen (principal actor) - 7 minutes 15 seconds, achieved by Kate Winslet (UK) during filming for Avatar: The Way of Water (USA, 2022)
- Longest duration breath hold - freediving static apnea (male) - 11 min 54 sec, achieved by Branko Petrovic (Serbia)
- Longest time holding breath voluntarily underwater whilst suspended upside down (male) - 4 min 40 sec, achieved by Sobhan Bahri (Iran)
- Longest time breath held voluntarily (female) - 18 min 32.59 sec, achieved by Karoline Mariechen Meyer (Brazil)
- Longest time breath held voluntarily under ice water (male) - 3 min 11 sec, achieved by Stanisław Odbieżałek (Poland)
- Longest time breath held voluntarily underwater (male) - 29 min 3 sec, achieved by Vitomir Maričić (Croatia)
What’s the world record for longest loom band?
We have quite a few loom band records on record.
Katie Dougherty (USA) holds the record for longest loom band bracelet made by an individual with a total of 2,011.68 m (6,600 ft).
Katie Dougherty’s loom band
The longest loom band bracelet made by a team was organized by Jasmine Smith (Australia) and totalled 26,695 m (87,582 ft) in length.
And the St. John-Y Lincoln Loom Legends (Canada) created the longest chain of loom band bracelets at a length of 337.12 m (1,106 ft 0.3 in).
Read about more records like this in our Hobbies and Skills section.
What’s the world record for longest paper chain?
We do have a record for the longest paper chain but nobody holds it currently.
The record can be attempted by a team of unlimited size and the chain is to be made up of looped strips of paper.
Want to give it a go? Apply here.
What’s the world record for longest phone call?
Of all the phone calls that have ever been made, how could we possibly know who has stayed on chatting for the longest?
Image credit: Photo by Taylor Grote on Unsplash
What’s the world record for longest fart?
Erm, okay, if you really want to know…
This is not a record title that we monitor.
However, we do have a record for longest career as a flatulist (male), basically a “fartist”, if you will.
Mr Methane, aka Paul Oldfield (UK), was awarded the title in 2021 following 30 years in the farting business.
What’s the world record for longest poop?
Okay, wow, even grosser than the last one.
Do we even need to tell you that this isn’t a record title we monitor?
But if you’re this interested in the subject, you should check out record holder George Frandsen’s Poozeum in Arizona, USA.
George owns the largest collection of coprolites (fossilized poo), with over 1,000 specimens.
Among them is the largest coprolite from a carnivore, which measures a gigantic 67.5 centimetres (2 feet 2.5 inches) long and up to 15.7 centimetres (6.2 inches) wide.
It’s nicknamed “Barnum” after palaeontologist Barnum Brown who unearthed the first Tyrannosaurus rex remains in 1902.
George with Barnum
What’s the world record for longest WhatsApp message?
Similar to the longest phone call conundrum, it’s not really possible for us to monitor something like this.
Plus, your WhatsApps are meant to be private. Do you really want us reading them?
What will you Google about us next?