Records - Guinness World Records 2014

Tallest usable pogo stick

When it comes to pogo sticks, one name leaps to mind. Prodigious pogo performer Fred Grzybowski (USA) displayed a 2.91-m-tall (9-ft 6.5-in) pogo stick (above) at the Toronto International Busker Festival in Canada on 7 August 2011. The following year, on 19 August in St Catharines, Ontario, Canada, he presented the shortest usable pogo stick (below) a mere 64 cm (2 ft 1 in) tall. And thats the long and short of it.

INTRODUCTION

CONTENTS

Concordia

Free eBook

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INTRODUCTION

EDITORS LETTER

Welcome to Guinness World Records 2014 ! As ever, weve been inundated with thousands of claims from all around the world over the past 12 months, and here we bring you the best of the records that made it through our verification process. Youll find a tightrope-walking dog, a bearded woman, a giant motorcycle and even a vegetable orchestra. It has also been a year of firsts, from Felix Baumgartners epic skydive from the edge of space to PSYs billion-view pop video, via the first ever circumnavigation of the globe using nothing but human power

To put together an annual book as comprehensive as Guinness World Records , weve had to sift through 50,000 claims and enquiries, watch countless hours of video footage, adjudicate live at hundreds of events in places as diverse as Siberia and Mauritius, and organize 100 photoshoots around the world.

The UKs contribution to record-breaking is second only to the USA, with 151 records approved from 6,409 claims (compared with 211 approvals from 13,268 US claims). So congratulations to the likes of Lorne Coltart for the longest haggis hurl , David Thomas for the heaviest parsnip and James Brown for the largest collection of vacuum cleaners your country is proud of you!

Other Great Britons featured in this edition include Olympic stars Ben Ainslie ( most Olympic golds won by a sailor ), Ellie Simmonds ( fastest SM6 200 m individual medley swim ) and cycling Sirs Chris Hoy ( most Olympic track cycling golds won ) and Bradley Wiggins ( most Olympic cycling medals won ). Skyfall also makes an appearance as the highest-grossing Bond movie (and highest-grossing UK film ever ), and comedian Michael McIntyre makes his Guinness World Records debut for the highest-grossing stand-up comedy tour .

SPORTS STARS

As soon as one edition of the Guinness World Records book is completed, we start immediately on the next one. Work on this book began in the summer of 2012, when London and the world was caught up in Olympic fever. That summer was always going to be an exciting period for us here at the London HQ of Guinness World Records. It was a record third time that the Olympic Games had been staged in London but the first time since Guinness World Records was founded in 1954. As expected, the Olympics was a record-breaking spectacular, and we were able to document hundreds of superlatives. It was a real honour to meet some of the athletes and present their Guinness World Records certificates in person, so thanks to all those who found the time. Youll find the highlights from the Olympics and all other major sporting events in this years Sports chapter.

Another high point of summer in the UK was London Wonderground a showcase of the worlds more extreme circus and sideshow artists at a temporary space in Londons South Bank. Multiple record holder Space Cowboy aka Chayne Hultgren (Australia) invited us along to various shows and performances, where we made plenty of new friends and inducted some of the more talented members into our records database. To make the most of this exciting new material we created a special Circus chapter.

Wonderground provided our talented team of photographers led by Picture Editor Michael Whitty with a wide and varied pool of talent to photograph. The picture team have, once again, pulled out all the f-stops to provide some incredible imagery, travelling the world to bring you the likes of the largest walking robot from Germany, the largest cat from the USA, Ozzy the tightrope-walking dog from the UK and the astonishing Peraltas, the most body-modified couple from Brazil.

An exciting new development for Guinness World Records this year was a new childrens TV show on CBBC. Officially Amazing , made by Lion TV and hosted by Ben Shires on the CBBC channel, introduced a new generation to the joys of record-breaking and celebrated the best records and some valiant claims that might not have been quite so successful! Again, Space Cowboy took a starring role, as did Sizzlin Steve, aka Stephen Kish (UK), who first came to our attention via the Guinness World Records Challengers website. Read on to find out more including how you can get your name in the worlds biggest-selling copyright book .

EXPERT ADVISORS

We welcomed on to our team of consultants Iain Borden, Professor of Architecture and Urban Culture at the Bartlett School of Architecture at UCL in London, UK. Iains passion for the subject inspired us to include a new chapter Urban Life and gave him a chance to indulge his other passion: skateboarding.

Other new additions to the team include adventures chronicler Eberhard Jurgalski, who has provided invaluable help in our Pioneers chapter, Finlands extreme body modifier Samppa von Cyborg, and academic historian and economist Glen OHara, who brings his expertise to our Money & Economics records. Indeed, a big thank you to all the consultants who help with collating and approving superlatives for the book.

Finally, a big thank you to everyone who helped Guinness World Records in our charity partnerships. Were proud to support some key charities in the UK, primarily Comic Relief, Children in Need and the Virgin London Marathon.

If you want to have a go at breaking a record and perhaps raise money for charity at the same time, just turn the page to find out how to get your record registered. You dont need to throw yourself out of a balloon from space or clock up a billion views on YouTube to see your name in the book record-breaking is free and open to anyone to have a go. Whatever you attempt, good luck! In the meantime, enjoy this years book

Craig Glenday
Editor-in-Chief
Follow me on Twitter: @craigglenday

Most chocolate truffles made in two minutes

Congratulations to chef Gino DAcampo ( below right ), who created 47 chocolate truffles on the set of Lets Do Lunch with Gino & Mel in London, UK, on 10 August 2012, as adjudicated by fellow Italian Marco Frigatti ( below left ) from Guinness World Records.