If you ever find yourself in the mood to do something spontaneous, fun, or life-changing, consider creating a legacy for yourself by setting a world record. You might be thinking, how in the world (no pun intended) can you set a world record that will in effect change this history of the world forever? Well, making a name for yourself and marking your achievement down in history can be done thanks to Guinness World Records. 

Founded in 1955, The Guinness Book of Records is an annually published book listing world records, which is now seen as the official world records book. Guinness World Records has become internationally known for having the authority to verify and document world records. Over 150 million books have been sold globally to over 100 countries in over 40 languages. There are currently over 60,000 record titles that you can attempt to take or you can set a new title. From speed to hat size (the tallest hat being 15 feet and 9 inches), there are records for probably anything you can think of and definitely more that you cannot. 

The records are so diverse and creative because of the minimal limitations that are set, which allows your imagination to soar. As long as the record you want to set is measurable, breakable, standardizable, verifiable, and based on one variable, it can possibly be a new Guinness World Record. However, there are a number of policies such as anything illegal, harmful to animals, pertaining to alcohol, and more are not allowed. To view more of these policies and regulations, visit guinnessworldrecords.com. 

To get your brain thinking of possible world record ideas, here are some of the funniest and most interesting records. Some of the weirdest records that are hard to believe even exist include spinning a basketball on a toothbrush for the longest duration (1 minute and 15 seconds), the longest usable golf club (51 feet 1 inch), and the most number of spoons on a human body while standing (79 spoons) (scoopwhoop.com). On the other hand, some of the more popular and more known records include the longest time in an abdominal plank (male) (9 hours 30 minutes 1 second), the tallest man ever (272 centimeters), the longest tongue (10.10 centimeters), and the longest fingernails (28 feet 4 inches added up) (metro.co.uk). Even animals have records to set, for example, the fastest tortoise (0.92 feet/second), the tallest dog ever (44 inches), and the loudest purr by a domestic cat (67.8 decibels). 

After you find a record that you want to break or think of one that you want to set, the actual record-breaking/setting process begins. Firstly, you must send in an application before you attempt the record. After your application is approved, an independent witness from Guinness World Records must witness and confirm that you set a new record and that the rules were followed (guinnessworldrecords.com). If all goes well, you will receive a certificate and your name will officially be written in World Record history.

When asked about setting world records, Aiden Mohler (10) shares how “I have been playing baseball for about 12 years, and I think it would be cool to set a record for the most baseballs hit in a minute or something else related to baseball.” If he were to attempt a world record, he would do something related to baseball because he thinks that “the easiest way to set a world record would be to take something you already like to do and go from there.” 

So next time you are hanging out with your friends or just looking for something to do, challenge yourself to go break and set some records. Who knows, maybe you have already set a few without even trying.