Buzz
Guinness World Records is a prestigious reference book that features an extensive collection of world records. It has earned the title of the best-selling copyrighted series ever. In addition, it holds the distinction of being one of the most frequently pilfered books from public libraries across the United States. Before platforms like Mytour and other websites displaying historical facts became popular, people relied on the Guinness Book of World Records for the most intriguing and bizarre information. At present, Ashrita Furman holds the record for 'the most Guinness World Records by a single individual.' With thousands of exceptional records in the book, this article explores ten remarkable examples.
10. Rod Stewart's Iconic Performance at Copacabana Beach
Record: The largest music concert ever held.
Rod Stewart is a legendary British singer with a career that has seen over 100 million records sold worldwide. In the UK alone, Stewart has had 31 songs reach the Top 10, with six of them hitting #1 on the charts. Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1994, Stewart made history on December 31, 1994, when he performed at Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janeiro. This unforgettable performance was attended by an estimated to 4.2 million people, making it the largest free concert ever recorded. The event was produced by MTV and took place on New Year's Eve.
Copacabana Beach has long been a prime location for massive concerts. In 2006, The Rolling Stones drew a crowd of 1.5 million to the beach. By 1994, Rod Stewart was already an international sensation, regularly performing sold-out shows, but his Copacabana concert stood out. It became one of the largest peaceful gatherings in history, setting the stage for one of the most epic parties ever. The concert ranks around 25th among the largest gatherings, though most of the entries on this list involve religious events.
As of now, the largest peaceful gathering in history took place at the World Expo 2010 in Shanghai, China, where 73 million people came together. Other notable peaceful events include massive anti-war rallies that occurred on February 15, 2003, in London and Rome in protest of the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq. The streets of London and Rome were lined with 3 million people each. The largest peaceful gathering in the United States occurred in Boston on October 30, 2004, when 3 million people attended a parade to celebrate the Red Sox's victory.
9. Blaster
Record: The most valuable arcade machine.
Blaster is a classic arcade game developed by Eugene Jarvis and released by Williams in 1983. It is a 3D space shooter where players must defeat enemies and navigate obstacles to reach paradise. Upon its release, Blaster featured cutting-edge graphics with scaled sprites that created the illusion of three-dimensional environments and asteroid fields. The game is renowned as the most valuable arcade machine ever made. Produced during the 1983 video game crash, the number of Blaster arcade machines was limited.
Only three sit-down machines and a few Blaster Duramold cabinets were ever produced in total. The cabinets feature black exteriors with yellow graphics on the control panel and marquee. The game uses an optical joystick and has two buttons: fire and thrust. The Duramold Blaster arcade machine is estimated to be worth around $15,000. It is the rarest arcade machine in existence unless a Polybius is found. Polybius is a legendary arcade game tied to an urban myth.
In 1981, Polybius gained fame when players began reporting disturbing side effects such as extreme stress, nightmares, amnesia, and even suicidal thoughts. It was also said that mysterious men in black would visit the machine and collect unknown data by monitoring players’ responses to psychoactive stimuli. In 2011, a Polybius machine was supposedly discovered in a Newport, Oregon storage unit, only to vanish shortly after. The machine was identified by its 'name on the side of what appeared to be an old Pac-Man game.' If Polybius is confirmed to exist, it would surpass all other arcade games in value.
8. Víctor Manuel Gerena
Record: The longest time spent on the FBI's Most Wanted Fugitives list.
In 1950, the FBI of the United States published its first Ten Most Wanted list, designed to track and capture the nation's most dangerous criminals. By the summer of 2012, 497 individuals had been listed, with 466 (94%) of them being captured. Only eight women have made the list, and the individual who has remained on the list the longest is Víctor Manuel Gerena, who was added in 1984. Born in 1958 in New York to Puerto Rican parents, Gerena moved to Hartford, Connecticut, where he was a promising student. He excelled in wrestling and served on the student council. After a brief time in college, Gerena became a security guard at a Wells Fargo armored car depot in West Hartford.
At some point, members of the Boricua Popular Army in Puerto Rico learned about Gerena’s job and history. They flew to Hartford, where they recruited him into the Los Macheteros, a terrorist group. On September 12, 1983, Gerena incapacitated two of his coworkers by handcuffing and tying them up, injecting them with an unknown non-lethal substance. He then stole $7.1 million and fled the country. The FBI believes Gerena traveled to Cuba via Mexico City, where he has been hiding in Havana. A reward of $1 million is currently offered for any information leading to his capture. He has evaded arrest for 28 years.
7. Glenn Burke
Record: The first Major League Baseball player to openly acknowledge his homosexuality.
Born in Oakland, California, in 1952, Glenn Burke was voted Northern California’s High School Basketball Player of the Year at age 18, but soon turned his focus to baseball. Drafted by the Dodgers, he was touted as the next Willie Mays. Burke made his MLB debut with the Dodgers on April 9, 1976. He was openly gay with both teammates and management. During his time with the team, General Manager Al Campanis offered to pay for a lavish honeymoon if Burke agreed to marry. Burke rejected the offer with the question, 'to a woman?'
Glenn Burke also formed a close bond with manager Tommy Lasorda’s estranged gay son, a relationship that didn’t sit well with management. In 1978, the Dodgers traded Burke to the Oakland Athletics for Billy North. Upon arriving in Oakland, manager Billy Martin introduced him to the team by calling him a 'faggot.' After the 1979 season, Burke was released by the A’s and never played in the MLB again. He remains the first and only Major League Baseball player to have come out to his teammates and owners during his professional career.
Glenn Burke is also credited with inventing the high five. In 1977, Burke ran onto the field to celebrate his Los Angeles Dodgers teammate Dusty Baker’s home run by raising his hand above his head as Baker jogged home from third base. Unsure what to do, Baker slapped Burke’s raised hand, thus creating the iconic high five. After retiring from baseball, Burke embraced the high five as a symbol of gay pride. Glenn Burke passed away from AIDS-related causes in 1995. He famously said, 'They can’t ever say that a gay man can’t play in the majors, because I’m a gay man and I made it.'
6. David Hempleman-Adams
Record: The ultimate adventurer.
David Hempleman-Adams is a British explorer who holds numerous world records. He became the first person to reach both the Geographic and Magnetic Poles without using dogs, snowmobiles, or air supplies. In 1998, Hempleman-Adams achieved the Adventurer's Grand Slam, which involved climbing the highest peaks on all seven continents. Over his career, he has completed thirty Arctic expeditions and visited the Poles 14 times.
Hempleman-Adams was also the first person to fly a balloon over the North Pole. In 2003, he piloted an open wicker basket Roziér balloon across the Atlantic Ocean. The following year, he flew a single-engine Cessna from Cape Columbia to Cape Horn, covering a distance of 11,060 miles (17,799 kilometers). In 2005, he and Bear Grylls held the world’s highest formal dinner party. They ascended to 24,262 feet (7,395 meters) in a hot air balloon before descending to a table suspended 40 feet (12 meters) below, where they enjoyed asparagus, salmon, and summer fruits, then parachuted back to Earth.
In 2007, Hempleman-Adams set a new altitude record for a small hot air balloon by reaching 9,906 meters (32,500 feet) above Alberta, Canada. In 2005, his daughter, pictured with her father, became the youngest person ever to stand on the North Pole. Four years later, in 2009, Hempleman-Adams claimed the endurance record for the smallest manned helium balloon. Throughout his career, he has conducted several expeditions to Mount Everest and raised millions of dollars for charitable causes. As of now, Hempleman-Adams holds 47 Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (FAI) World Records, which govern air sports, aeronautics, and astronautics.
5. Bellamy Salute
Record: The first U.S. pledge salute.
In 1891, Francis Bellamy was employed by the Youth’s Companion, a children's magazine that sold American flags to public schools. By 1892, the magazine had provided flags to around 26,000 schools. Once the flag supply ran out, the Youth’s Companion sought another way to keep flags in schools. Bellamy used the 400th anniversary of Christopher Columbus' arrival in the Americas as an opportunity to enhance the movement. For this occasion, Bellamy penned the Pledge of Allegiance and designed the first flag salute for students.
The Pledge of Allegiance was first published in the September 8, 1892, edition of Youth’s Companion. It read: “I pledge allegiance to my flag and to the Republic, for which it stands, one nation, indivisible, with liberty, and justice for all.” Along with reciting the Pledge, children performed the Bellamy salute, which involved extending their arm toward the flag in a way that resembled the later Nazi salute. In the 1920s, Italian fascists adopted the salute to show loyalty to ancient Rome, and the Nazis later copied it. The similarities between the Bellamy salute and the Nazi salute led to confusion and controversy during World War II.
In one famous incident, aviation pioneer Charles Lindbergh was photographed performing the Bellamy salute, which was mistaken for the Nazi salute. To avoid further controversy, the U.S. Congress officially adopted the hand-over-the-heart gesture on December 22, 1942. Many still question why it took so long for the U.S. to prohibit the Bellamy salute. Just five days before the ban, the British House of Commons was informed about the mass executions of Jews by the Nazis, leading the U.S. to declare those crimes would be avenged. In 1954, the Pledge of Allegiance was amended to include the phrase “under God,” sparking legal debates regarding the separation of church and state.
4. Mobile Bay Jubilee
Record: The only seafood jubilee that occurs annually.
Jubilee is a rare, natural event that happens irregularly in Mobile Bay along Alabama’s Gulf Coast. During this spectacle, various species of crab, shrimp, flounder, eels, and other fish leave the deeper waters and gather in shallower coastal zones. Known to local residents of Alabama, the jubilee has been a tradition for decades, with people gathering to collect the free seafood. The event is unpredictable and is caused by a unique combination of wind direction, surface temperature, salinity, and tidal changes in the area.
Several studies have been conducted in Mobile Bay, revealing that the fish and other sea creatures are drawn to the shoreline due to low-oxygenated waters. This oxygen deprivation makes harvesting the animals easier, as their behavior becomes “depressed and unnatural.” As a result, the creatures swim into the shallows during a jubilee, contributing to the abundance of seafood available.
Once a jubilee starts, the news spreads rapidly, and hundreds of local residents rush to the shore. The event is communal, with more than enough seafood for everyone. However, since the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, which continues to leak into the ocean, the amount of available seafood has diminished in recent years. In the early 2000s, people would gather hundreds of flounder and crab during the jubilees. These events, which usually occur between June and September, are most common on the upper eastern shore of Mobile Bay and always happen when the wind blows from the east, accompanied by an incoming tide.
3. Besse Cooper
Record: The oldest person in the world.
In 2011, Besse Cooper was recognized as the world’s oldest living person after Maria Gomes Valentim passed away. On August 26, 2012, she celebrated her 116th birthday, becoming the eighth verified person to reach this milestone. She is also the only verified living person born in 1896, as there are no living individuals from 1895. It's estimated that around 300-450 supercentenarians (those over 110 years old) live globally, but only 70 of them have been verified. Of these, 66 are women and only 4 are men.
Besse Cooper was born in Sullivan County, Tennessee, on August 26, 1896. She completed her education at East Tennessee State Normal School in 1916 and later worked as a schoolteacher. After her husband Luther passed away in 1963 at age 68, Besse chose not to remarry. When asked about the secret to her longevity, she credited it to 'minding her own business' and avoiding junk food. As of now, she ranks as the 10th oldest person in recorded history, with Jeanne Calment, who lived to 122 years and 164 days, holding the record. If Besse lives to 118, she will become the third oldest person ever. In 2012, a bridge in Georgia was named the Besse Brown Cooper Bridge in her honor.
2. Remains of Yehohanan son of Hagakol
Record: The only physical evidence for crucifixion.
Crucifixion is an ancient execution method in which the condemned person was either tied or nailed to a large wooden cross and left to die. This brutal practice was used by the Seleucids, Carthaginians, and Romans for nearly 1,000 years. In 337, Emperor Constantine I abolished crucifixion in the Roman Empire out of respect for Jesus Christ, who is the most well-known victim of this form of execution. Today, the crucifix, depicting Jesus on the cross, serves as a major religious symbol worldwide. While crucifixion is extensively documented in historical texts, there is only one physical piece of evidence found in the archaeological record.
Givat HaMivtar, a Jewish neighborhood in northern Jerusalem, is situated atop a large, round hill. Numerous excavations in the area have uncovered significant ancient Jewish tombs and wartime artifacts. The hill, historically a stronghold, was also the site of an important battle during the Six-Day War in 1967. Among the most notable discoveries is the tomb containing the remains of Yehohanan, the son of Hagakol, which revealed clear evidence of crucifixion. Researchers found a nail driven through one of his heel bones at an angle, with the tip bent, possibly due to hitting a knot in the upright beam, preventing its extraction from the foot.
During this period, those who were crucified were often left to decay on the cross, making it rare to find physical remnants of the process. Yehohanan’s feet were nailed separately to the cross, and his body displayed signs that he was likely executed at eye level. His legs were broken, and a piece of acacia wood was placed over the nail to prevent his foot from sliding off. Notably, his wrists showed no evidence of crucifixion, which has led some to question whether he was truly executed in this manner. This remains the only physical evidence ever found for crucifixion.
1. Joseph Samuel
Record: The first man to survive three execution attempts.
Joseph Samuel was born in England in 1780. At 15, he was arrested for theft and sentenced to the penal colony of Sydney Cove, Australia, at the age of 21. Samuel later escaped the prison, only to be accused of the murder of a wealthy woman. He was condemned to death by hanging. In 1803, Joseph Samuel and another man were transported to Parramatta, where a large crowd gathered to witness their execution. The nooses were securely tied around their necks, and the cart was driven away from beneath their feet. It was not until the late 19th century that the British adopted the 'drop method' for execution, which is designed to break the neck.
For the execution, the ropes were crafted from five strands of hemp, each capable of holding up to 1,000 lbs (450 kg) for up to five minutes without breaking. When Samuel was dropped, the rope snapped, and he fell to the ground. The other man died slowly, and the executioner tied a new rope around Samuel’s neck to try again. This time, the noose slipped off his neck, and his boots touched the ground. The executioner was certain the noose had been securely fastened, but it failed again. The crowd began to grow irate, calling for Samuel’s release.
The executioner made one final attempt, fastening the noose around Samuel’s neck and driving the cart away once more. Again, the rope broke, and Samuel survived. In a frenzy, the crowd demanded his release, prompting the governor to be summoned. It was decided that this miraculous event was a sign from God, and Joseph Samuel was granted a full reprieve and set free. This marked the first known case of a person surviving three separate execution attempts. In 1885, John Babbacombe Lee also survived three execution attempts, but in his case, the trapdoor of the scaffold failed to open. This was different from Samuel's three failed hanging attempts. The first person to survive an electric chair execution attempt was 17-year-old Willie Francis.
