1 00:00:00,920 --> 00:00:04,400 Speaker 1: Welcome back to the show Ridiculous Historians. This is a 2 00:00:04,640 --> 00:00:09,560 Speaker 1: classic episode. Your pals have been having some adventures. Shout 3 00:00:09,560 --> 00:00:16,360 Speaker 1: out to our super producer Ben. The outlaw Hacketys always 4 00:00:16,400 --> 00:00:19,160 Speaker 1: welcome Ben's and Nol's on the show. I'm a Ben, 5 00:00:19,280 --> 00:00:20,079 Speaker 1: and we've got to know. 6 00:00:20,760 --> 00:00:22,640 Speaker 2: I know Ben Hackett is a bit of a wild 7 00:00:22,640 --> 00:00:25,680 Speaker 2: West kind of figure. He's definitely our Huckleberry today. That's 8 00:00:25,720 --> 00:00:27,360 Speaker 2: for dang shore. 9 00:00:29,560 --> 00:00:32,959 Speaker 1: No. We have just for context for our listeners. We 10 00:00:33,120 --> 00:00:38,680 Speaker 1: have embarked upon a strange crossover with our peer podcast, 11 00:00:38,840 --> 00:00:41,360 Speaker 1: Ridiculous Crime m I like. 12 00:00:41,320 --> 00:00:45,760 Speaker 2: Your previously unlost boys there super fun. I think I 13 00:00:45,920 --> 00:00:47,960 Speaker 2: mentioned in a couple of times on the episode itself. 14 00:00:48,000 --> 00:00:51,640 Speaker 2: But while I am familiar with the concept of twenty questions, 15 00:00:51,920 --> 00:00:55,760 Speaker 2: I have never personally until now played twenty questions, and 16 00:00:55,920 --> 00:00:58,320 Speaker 2: I never played it in my mind. I was like, 17 00:00:58,400 --> 00:01:00,200 Speaker 2: there's no way this is going to be fun, and 18 00:01:00,200 --> 00:01:02,360 Speaker 2: like it seems like people will either never ever get 19 00:01:02,400 --> 00:01:04,200 Speaker 2: it in a million years or get it too quickly. 20 00:01:04,240 --> 00:01:04,759 Speaker 1: But it was the. 21 00:01:04,720 --> 00:01:08,800 Speaker 2: Perfect balance of both had definitely, yeah, we had some walls, 22 00:01:08,840 --> 00:01:13,000 Speaker 2: but overall it was a learning experience, a journey of 23 00:01:13,000 --> 00:01:13,959 Speaker 2: self discovery. 24 00:01:14,200 --> 00:01:16,920 Speaker 1: You had a nice half court shot at the Buzzer 25 00:01:17,000 --> 00:01:20,320 Speaker 1: that I loved. No spoilers, folks, check out that episode 26 00:01:20,840 --> 00:01:25,640 Speaker 1: in the meantime, While Max Williams, Noel Brown, and yours 27 00:01:25,680 --> 00:01:30,000 Speaker 1: truly get ourselves together for the Danie Maull for the 28 00:01:30,200 --> 00:01:33,959 Speaker 1: second episode of this crossover, we thought we would share 29 00:01:34,319 --> 00:01:38,800 Speaker 1: one of our favorite classic episodes. 30 00:01:39,120 --> 00:01:39,920 Speaker 2: Already a class. 31 00:01:40,080 --> 00:01:43,080 Speaker 1: It's a shot from the dark Man. It's one that 32 00:01:43,160 --> 00:01:45,800 Speaker 1: I forgot about. I don't know about you, but at 33 00:01:45,840 --> 00:01:49,240 Speaker 1: some point when we're hanging out off air, we asked 34 00:01:49,280 --> 00:01:53,520 Speaker 1: each other about the Scholastic book fair and why the 35 00:01:53,760 --> 00:01:58,200 Speaker 1: Guinness Company, of all the companies in the world, why 36 00:01:58,320 --> 00:02:01,280 Speaker 1: is the beer company and are to world records. 37 00:02:02,160 --> 00:02:05,440 Speaker 2: It's sort of like how the entire company is in 38 00:02:05,560 --> 00:02:08,880 Speaker 2: charge of fancy restaurant designations. It literally is just a 39 00:02:08,919 --> 00:02:10,440 Speaker 2: thing we were only running too all the time on 40 00:02:10,520 --> 00:02:13,840 Speaker 2: ridiculous history about being first to market with an idea 41 00:02:14,480 --> 00:02:17,040 Speaker 2: and then the legacy just sort of takes over and 42 00:02:17,040 --> 00:02:19,799 Speaker 2: if you become the authority on that thing just by 43 00:02:19,880 --> 00:02:22,919 Speaker 2: kind of being around. Don't want to give too much away, 44 00:02:22,960 --> 00:02:25,680 Speaker 2: but that's exactly what happened with Guinness as a result 45 00:02:25,800 --> 00:02:31,640 Speaker 2: of little bets that drunken Europeans would make in bars 46 00:02:31,840 --> 00:02:37,720 Speaker 2: about like the biggest whatever, the longest whatever, the fastest whatever, exactly, 47 00:02:37,800 --> 00:02:42,840 Speaker 2: all the whatever, all the whatever's, which become increasingly attenuated 48 00:02:43,040 --> 00:02:43,799 Speaker 2: over time. 49 00:02:44,280 --> 00:02:46,480 Speaker 1: So we can't wait for you to hear this one, 50 00:02:46,720 --> 00:02:51,160 Speaker 1: Ridiculous Historians. We also hope you enjoy the moment where 51 00:02:51,600 --> 00:02:56,320 Speaker 1: your faithful correspondents try to determine whether or not they 52 00:02:56,400 --> 00:03:00,000 Speaker 1: can actually get in the Guinness Book of World Records. 53 00:03:00,320 --> 00:03:03,280 Speaker 2: Yeah. I don't quite remember how that went. I'm assuming 54 00:03:03,360 --> 00:03:04,560 Speaker 2: that it was a no. 55 00:03:05,880 --> 00:03:07,000 Speaker 1: Well we'll have to see. 56 00:03:07,160 --> 00:03:09,960 Speaker 2: Okay, we will see. Let's get right to it. 57 00:03:10,040 --> 00:03:37,880 Speaker 1: Ridiculous History is a production of iHeartRadio. Welcome to the show, 58 00:03:38,000 --> 00:03:40,360 Speaker 1: ladies and gentlemen. My name is Ben. We're here with 59 00:03:40,400 --> 00:03:45,000 Speaker 1: our super producer, Casey Pegram. I don't know if he 60 00:03:45,040 --> 00:03:46,280 Speaker 1: has a world record yet. 61 00:03:46,520 --> 00:03:49,440 Speaker 2: And I'm Noel the average man. Brown. 62 00:03:49,920 --> 00:03:51,920 Speaker 1: Is that a world record? Are you the most average? 63 00:03:52,240 --> 00:03:54,880 Speaker 2: No? I'm quite average at being average, but I hope 64 00:03:54,920 --> 00:03:58,000 Speaker 2: to one day go out for a world record in averageness. 65 00:03:58,280 --> 00:04:02,920 Speaker 1: It turns out, Noul, that there are so many world records. 66 00:04:02,960 --> 00:04:06,480 Speaker 1: We always hear about these things, where so and so 67 00:04:06,640 --> 00:04:11,160 Speaker 1: has the largest collection of match sticks, which you know, 68 00:04:11,280 --> 00:04:13,840 Speaker 1: going back on our earlier comment about poluminous from a 69 00:04:13,960 --> 00:04:17,280 Speaker 1: previous episode, I could see that being a world record. 70 00:04:17,640 --> 00:04:19,880 Speaker 2: Well, it's also like, you know, obviously we think of 71 00:04:19,920 --> 00:04:23,000 Speaker 2: world records. We think of things like being the fastest runner. 72 00:04:23,040 --> 00:04:27,240 Speaker 2: Are things that are measured very specifically and precisely in 73 00:04:27,320 --> 00:04:31,159 Speaker 2: sports in the Olympics, you know, competitive sports that you like. 74 00:04:31,400 --> 00:04:34,279 Speaker 2: But then there's the fun dumb ones like the match 75 00:04:34,279 --> 00:04:39,040 Speaker 2: sticks or you know, the world's largest postage stamp. I 76 00:04:39,080 --> 00:04:40,880 Speaker 2: don't know if that's real, or like, you know, the 77 00:04:40,960 --> 00:04:45,240 Speaker 2: world's tallest man, which is a distinction worthy of being 78 00:04:45,720 --> 00:04:48,239 Speaker 2: you know, put in in a document or a book, 79 00:04:48,279 --> 00:04:50,360 Speaker 2: shall we say, and we know them love that book. 80 00:04:50,400 --> 00:04:53,000 Speaker 2: And it's called the Guinness Book of Records, and it's 81 00:04:53,000 --> 00:04:55,320 Speaker 2: been around for a long time. As it turns out, yes, it's. 82 00:04:55,120 --> 00:04:58,600 Speaker 1: Been around for quite a while. But the question is, 83 00:04:59,240 --> 00:05:02,320 Speaker 1: if you're like a lot of kids in the United States, 84 00:05:02,560 --> 00:05:06,320 Speaker 1: the question is where does this book come from? For 85 00:05:06,360 --> 00:05:08,400 Speaker 1: most people, it was a book. I don't know about you, 86 00:05:08,440 --> 00:05:11,760 Speaker 1: but growing up there was a thing in my neck 87 00:05:11,800 --> 00:05:15,360 Speaker 1: of the woods called like the Scholastic book Fair book Fair. Yeah, 88 00:05:15,400 --> 00:05:17,960 Speaker 1: and one of the hot items in the book fair 89 00:05:18,440 --> 00:05:21,400 Speaker 1: was gonna be Guinness Book of World Records, followed only 90 00:05:21,440 --> 00:05:24,120 Speaker 1: by scary stories to tell the dark YEP, nailed it. 91 00:05:24,200 --> 00:05:24,479 Speaker 2: Wow. 92 00:05:24,560 --> 00:05:25,679 Speaker 1: Do we go to the same school. 93 00:05:25,720 --> 00:05:27,400 Speaker 2: I think everyone went to that school. I think they 94 00:05:27,440 --> 00:05:30,559 Speaker 2: toured around with that. There were those cases. It looked 95 00:05:30,600 --> 00:05:32,479 Speaker 2: like a rock show. There were like these kind of 96 00:05:32,480 --> 00:05:34,560 Speaker 2: like rolling cases and they'd open them up and they'd 97 00:05:34,600 --> 00:05:37,440 Speaker 2: be full of these scholastic paperbacks, and you could also 98 00:05:37,480 --> 00:05:39,520 Speaker 2: do a book order. I remember that. But yeah, the 99 00:05:39,600 --> 00:05:42,240 Speaker 2: Guinness Book was always a hot ticket because it had 100 00:05:42,480 --> 00:05:46,479 Speaker 2: later editions, crazy like holographic kind of covers, and it 101 00:05:46,520 --> 00:05:49,560 Speaker 2: was very glossy and a really cool eye popping book, 102 00:05:49,880 --> 00:05:51,240 Speaker 2: you know, and it was full of all kinds of 103 00:05:51,279 --> 00:05:54,400 Speaker 2: gross stuff and weird stuff. Kids love that stuff, but 104 00:05:54,400 --> 00:05:56,760 Speaker 2: as it turns out, so do drunk irish people. 105 00:05:57,160 --> 00:06:02,640 Speaker 1: Yes, speaking of fantastic segues, my friend, the question for 106 00:06:02,839 --> 00:06:06,920 Speaker 1: today's episode is where did this book come from? Does 107 00:06:06,960 --> 00:06:12,599 Speaker 1: it have anything to do with the Guinness Brewery, because 108 00:06:12,880 --> 00:06:16,160 Speaker 1: you know, it's completely possible that there's just some guy 109 00:06:16,320 --> 00:06:23,839 Speaker 1: named Rutherford pe McGuinness who decided to calculate every world record. Luckily, 110 00:06:24,120 --> 00:06:26,240 Speaker 1: it turns out that is not the case, Yeah, sort 111 00:06:26,279 --> 00:06:26,440 Speaker 1: of like. 112 00:06:26,440 --> 00:06:29,360 Speaker 2: The case with the Michelin Stars for restaurants. People ask 113 00:06:29,440 --> 00:06:31,960 Speaker 2: the same question, like, is this Michelin like the Michelin 114 00:06:32,040 --> 00:06:34,200 Speaker 2: man the tire company. Well, it turns out yeah, they 115 00:06:34,240 --> 00:06:36,320 Speaker 2: had a stake in the game as best publishing a 116 00:06:36,360 --> 00:06:38,880 Speaker 2: travel guide, and then you end up with this thing, 117 00:06:38,920 --> 00:06:42,360 Speaker 2: the Michelin Star system for restaurants. Such is the case 118 00:06:42,440 --> 00:06:45,320 Speaker 2: with Guinness. So, as it turns out, the genesis of 119 00:06:45,680 --> 00:06:48,159 Speaker 2: the Guinness Book of Records can be traced back to 120 00:06:48,320 --> 00:06:52,200 Speaker 2: a conversation that took place during a hunting party in 121 00:06:52,279 --> 00:06:56,800 Speaker 2: County Wexford, which is in Ireland, not too far from Dublin. 122 00:06:57,240 --> 00:07:02,320 Speaker 1: That's right, Sir Hugh Eerie Campbell Beaver. Well, I know 123 00:07:03,400 --> 00:07:08,200 Speaker 1: he's name rich, Sir Hugh Ear or Eerie e y 124 00:07:08,440 --> 00:07:10,280 Speaker 1: r E. Campbell Beaver. 125 00:07:10,600 --> 00:07:14,160 Speaker 2: Let's refer to him henceforth as Sir Hugh. Okay, cool 126 00:07:14,160 --> 00:07:14,360 Speaker 2: with that. 127 00:07:15,360 --> 00:07:17,880 Speaker 1: I'm going to go with Sir Beaver, but you could 128 00:07:17,880 --> 00:07:18,640 Speaker 1: do Sir Hugh. 129 00:07:18,560 --> 00:07:21,880 Speaker 2: If that's might be confused. Let's go with okay. 130 00:07:21,960 --> 00:07:26,600 Speaker 1: So, regardless of the nomenclature, we choose Sir Hugh Beaver 131 00:07:27,200 --> 00:07:32,080 Speaker 1: was a British engineer and he was the managing director 132 00:07:32,240 --> 00:07:35,560 Speaker 1: of the Guinness Brewery at the time. He was hunting 133 00:07:35,600 --> 00:07:39,520 Speaker 1: birds with his friends in nineteen fifty one. Beaver shot 134 00:07:39,680 --> 00:07:43,480 Speaker 1: at a game bird and missed. The shot went awry, 135 00:07:43,840 --> 00:07:46,800 Speaker 1: and this led the party to wonder not only about 136 00:07:46,840 --> 00:07:50,360 Speaker 1: how fast this particular bird was, but it also led 137 00:07:50,400 --> 00:07:53,880 Speaker 1: them to ask what is the fastest bird in existence? 138 00:07:54,280 --> 00:07:58,200 Speaker 1: And they did not find any reference to this information 139 00:07:59,240 --> 00:08:02,200 Speaker 1: across the European continent. They were dumbfounded. 140 00:08:02,440 --> 00:08:04,040 Speaker 2: Yeah, you would think that that would be something that 141 00:08:04,080 --> 00:08:07,800 Speaker 2: would be in like encyclopedia or record books of some 142 00:08:07,920 --> 00:08:09,640 Speaker 2: kind that to me is a more run of the 143 00:08:09,640 --> 00:08:13,040 Speaker 2: mill type record or at least just something of scientific 144 00:08:13,080 --> 00:08:14,720 Speaker 2: note that would be out there. But no, they couldn't 145 00:08:14,760 --> 00:08:17,960 Speaker 2: find it. So they figured, hey, this could be cool 146 00:08:18,160 --> 00:08:22,760 Speaker 2: as a promotion for the brewery, you know, because he 147 00:08:22,840 --> 00:08:26,520 Speaker 2: got guys in pubs that are having drinks and trying 148 00:08:26,560 --> 00:08:29,400 Speaker 2: to settle arguments. Why not have a book you could 149 00:08:29,440 --> 00:08:32,200 Speaker 2: whip out and say, actually, it's sort of the invention 150 00:08:32,280 --> 00:08:33,760 Speaker 2: of Actually, I. 151 00:08:33,760 --> 00:08:34,760 Speaker 1: Like the way you phrase it. 152 00:08:34,760 --> 00:08:35,000 Speaker 2: There. 153 00:08:35,640 --> 00:08:40,959 Speaker 1: The lack of information haunted Sir Hugh Beaver. Picture this 154 00:08:41,920 --> 00:08:46,439 Speaker 1: otherwise content irishman laying in bed at night, staring at 155 00:08:46,440 --> 00:08:50,480 Speaker 1: the ceiling, tortured by this idea that no one knows 156 00:08:51,240 --> 00:08:53,720 Speaker 1: which bird in the world is the fastest, which game 157 00:08:53,760 --> 00:08:54,720 Speaker 1: bird is the fastest. 158 00:08:54,760 --> 00:08:56,680 Speaker 2: I don't want to live in that world. I don't 159 00:08:56,800 --> 00:08:57,920 Speaker 2: know what he was saying to himself. 160 00:08:58,040 --> 00:08:59,960 Speaker 1: Yeah, I don't want him to live in that world either, 161 00:09:00,200 --> 00:09:04,280 Speaker 1: you know. And there was no single official record, or, 162 00:09:04,520 --> 00:09:10,040 Speaker 1: as he later realized, there weren't many official records at all. 163 00:09:10,320 --> 00:09:12,679 Speaker 2: Yeah. So he did something about it, right, I mean, 164 00:09:12,720 --> 00:09:16,319 Speaker 2: he didn't allow himself to be tortured by these waking 165 00:09:16,480 --> 00:09:19,079 Speaker 2: nightmares of not being able to know what the fastest 166 00:09:19,200 --> 00:09:23,400 Speaker 2: game foul was, No, sir. He sought out a pair 167 00:09:23,440 --> 00:09:27,480 Speaker 2: of twins by the names of Norris and Ross mccorter, 168 00:09:28,080 --> 00:09:32,560 Speaker 2: and they were journalists. More specifically, they were fact checkers. 169 00:09:32,640 --> 00:09:38,800 Speaker 2: They were intensely pedantic fact checkers. They were known for 170 00:09:39,240 --> 00:09:44,720 Speaker 2: their fastidiousness when it came to verifying data and facts 171 00:09:44,760 --> 00:09:48,040 Speaker 2: of any kind. And they had worked on Fleet Street, 172 00:09:48,080 --> 00:09:50,559 Speaker 2: which was I believe kind of a hub of publishing 173 00:09:50,880 --> 00:09:54,760 Speaker 2: in London, and they were involved in a lot of 174 00:09:54,880 --> 00:09:59,400 Speaker 2: encyclopedias and they would travel the world over to confirm 175 00:09:59,600 --> 00:10:02,400 Speaker 2: various facts because at the time, obviously no Internet, you 176 00:10:02,440 --> 00:10:05,360 Speaker 2: had to go to the place, see the thing, confirm it, 177 00:10:05,760 --> 00:10:07,959 Speaker 2: test it, clock it, whatever, Yet what have you? 178 00:10:08,000 --> 00:10:11,080 Speaker 1: And they did that what is the world's largest bag 179 00:10:11,120 --> 00:10:12,360 Speaker 1: of hagis well. 180 00:10:12,200 --> 00:10:14,240 Speaker 2: This is even before like this is like even just 181 00:10:14,280 --> 00:10:18,720 Speaker 2: with their kind of more encyclopedic ventures. But they ended 182 00:10:18,800 --> 00:10:21,880 Speaker 2: up being perfect for this promotion. 183 00:10:21,679 --> 00:10:25,080 Speaker 1: Right, yeah, it was great casting and this was so 184 00:10:25,840 --> 00:10:31,040 Speaker 1: our friend, right mister excuse me, Sir Hugh Beaver is 185 00:10:31,120 --> 00:10:34,160 Speaker 1: haunted for about three years by this experience, so it's 186 00:10:34,240 --> 00:10:38,319 Speaker 1: nineteen fifty four when he gets this idea for promotion. 187 00:10:39,200 --> 00:10:44,640 Speaker 1: The mcquarter twins are perfect casting. There's no other way 188 00:10:44,679 --> 00:10:49,679 Speaker 1: to say it. And together these folks team up in 189 00:10:49,720 --> 00:10:55,240 Speaker 1: a triumvirate and Guinness Superlatives is incorporated. In November of 190 00:10:55,480 --> 00:10:59,240 Speaker 1: that year, they opened two rooms in a converted gymnasium 191 00:10:59,559 --> 00:11:02,160 Speaker 1: on the top floor of Ludgate House at one oh 192 00:11:02,200 --> 00:11:07,040 Speaker 1: seven Fleet Street. And it took a lot of work 193 00:11:07,280 --> 00:11:12,680 Speaker 1: to make this book. You can look on the official 194 00:11:12,760 --> 00:11:16,120 Speaker 1: history page for Guinness World Records and they refer to 195 00:11:16,800 --> 00:11:20,880 Speaker 1: an initial research phase, but they don't count it. And 196 00:11:20,920 --> 00:11:25,839 Speaker 1: we can only imagine how much research would be involved 197 00:11:25,960 --> 00:11:29,040 Speaker 1: because this is the first time that someone tried to 198 00:11:29,160 --> 00:11:33,520 Speaker 1: compile all the world records. Who is what's the fastest animal, 199 00:11:33,559 --> 00:11:37,640 Speaker 1: what's the fastest game bird? What's the tallest point on Earth? Right? 200 00:11:37,760 --> 00:11:40,240 Speaker 1: Or the highest elevation from sea level. 201 00:11:40,760 --> 00:11:43,280 Speaker 2: I found a really interesting stat about this. It comes 202 00:11:43,280 --> 00:11:46,360 Speaker 2: from the current marketing director for Guinness by the name 203 00:11:46,400 --> 00:11:48,480 Speaker 2: of Stuart Clachston. He wrote a cool little article that 204 00:11:48,480 --> 00:11:52,079 Speaker 2: I found on HuffPo and he says that it took 205 00:11:52,400 --> 00:11:57,440 Speaker 2: the twins sixteen weeks to put this thing together, and 206 00:11:57,480 --> 00:12:00,560 Speaker 2: it costs thirty five thousand dollars. 207 00:12:00,720 --> 00:12:04,640 Speaker 1: And luckily I've got my handy dandy in fleetion calculator here. 208 00:12:04,960 --> 00:12:08,600 Speaker 1: Thirty five grand in nineteen fifty four is equal to 209 00:12:09,360 --> 00:12:12,880 Speaker 1: about three hundred and twenty one thousand dollars today. 210 00:12:13,200 --> 00:12:15,280 Speaker 2: Yeah, and I found out even more specific stata about 211 00:12:15,280 --> 00:12:18,200 Speaker 2: how long it took them thirteen and a half ninety 212 00:12:18,480 --> 00:12:23,080 Speaker 2: hour weeks, including weekends, bating weekends, and bank holidays. So 213 00:12:23,160 --> 00:12:25,920 Speaker 2: I mean, no small feet and you know, the big 214 00:12:25,920 --> 00:12:28,880 Speaker 2: worders putting in all this backbreaking work for what, at 215 00:12:28,880 --> 00:12:32,920 Speaker 2: the time just felt like a promotional item for a 216 00:12:33,280 --> 00:12:37,400 Speaker 2: pint of ale Lagger? Is it lagger? Is it ale? 217 00:12:37,600 --> 00:12:39,079 Speaker 1: Oof? I don't know if I drink it? 218 00:12:39,080 --> 00:12:41,680 Speaker 2: Anyet know the answered out it's stout. 219 00:12:41,400 --> 00:12:44,440 Speaker 1: It's a stout. I hear that it's very different when 220 00:12:44,440 --> 00:12:45,840 Speaker 1: you're actually in Ireland. 221 00:12:45,880 --> 00:12:48,880 Speaker 2: I'm sure it is. Any any folks from Ireland feel 222 00:12:48,920 --> 00:12:52,800 Speaker 2: free to flame our inbox at ridiculous at HowStuffWorks dot 223 00:12:52,880 --> 00:12:58,280 Speaker 2: com for our ignorance about lagger versus ale versus stout. 224 00:12:58,480 --> 00:13:01,720 Speaker 1: Invite us to grab a pint with you in Ireland. 225 00:13:01,800 --> 00:13:04,880 Speaker 1: I hear that it is different depending upon the pub 226 00:13:04,960 --> 00:13:09,320 Speaker 1: you visit, and I'm always curious what temperature is it 227 00:13:09,360 --> 00:13:11,680 Speaker 1: supposed to be served at? We digress? 228 00:13:12,080 --> 00:13:13,720 Speaker 2: Yeah, Well, all I was saying was that, like little 229 00:13:13,720 --> 00:13:17,480 Speaker 2: did the mcquarters know that this you know, seeming promotional 230 00:13:17,520 --> 00:13:22,000 Speaker 2: item for an alcoholic beverage, shall we say, was gonna 231 00:13:22,000 --> 00:13:25,839 Speaker 2: blow up to be this massive cultural touchstone that has 232 00:13:25,920 --> 00:13:29,480 Speaker 2: gone on to sell hundreds of millions of copies over 233 00:13:29,520 --> 00:13:31,319 Speaker 2: the years, and, like you. 234 00:13:31,320 --> 00:13:35,439 Speaker 1: Said, as a staple in book fairs the world over right, 235 00:13:36,200 --> 00:13:39,520 Speaker 1: in nineteen fifty five, summer of nineteen fifty five they 236 00:13:39,960 --> 00:13:44,920 Speaker 1: publish the book. There are fifty thousand copies, and as 237 00:13:44,960 --> 00:13:48,400 Speaker 1: as we have mentioned, they were mainly promotional items. But 238 00:13:48,640 --> 00:13:53,920 Speaker 1: very soon Sir Hugh Beaver realized that he had accidentally 239 00:13:53,960 --> 00:13:58,400 Speaker 1: stumbled into the zeitgeist people the world over. They wanted 240 00:13:58,440 --> 00:14:00,959 Speaker 1: to know who the world's taught tallest man was, who 241 00:14:01,000 --> 00:14:03,880 Speaker 1: the world's shortest person, or the fastest person, or the 242 00:14:03,920 --> 00:14:07,559 Speaker 1: fattest person, or the person with the longest fingernails, was. 243 00:14:07,600 --> 00:14:11,040 Speaker 2: Most average person or the most average person, who I 244 00:14:11,080 --> 00:14:13,520 Speaker 2: believe still is John B. Smith. 245 00:14:13,640 --> 00:14:16,680 Speaker 1: Yes, there were like ten of him and they're all 246 00:14:16,720 --> 00:14:17,720 Speaker 1: tied for average. 247 00:14:18,080 --> 00:14:19,800 Speaker 2: Yeah, but that's the thing, Like it was a zeitgeis 248 00:14:19,800 --> 00:14:21,600 Speaker 2: you think in and of itself because it hit on 249 00:14:22,120 --> 00:14:26,760 Speaker 2: an interest that many many people clearly shared. But it 250 00:14:26,920 --> 00:14:31,720 Speaker 2: also created this kind of outpouring of like obsession with 251 00:14:31,960 --> 00:14:35,600 Speaker 2: record keeping and record holding, right, you had to kind 252 00:14:35,600 --> 00:14:38,840 Speaker 2: of invent new records. Where it became it went from 253 00:14:38,880 --> 00:14:41,120 Speaker 2: like things like you're talking about, like the fastest or 254 00:14:41,160 --> 00:14:44,480 Speaker 2: the tallest or the biggest or whatever. It turned into 255 00:14:44,480 --> 00:14:48,320 Speaker 2: things like world record for most ballet dancers standing on 256 00:14:48,440 --> 00:14:52,080 Speaker 2: point on a pier and that was in Thessaloniki, Greece 257 00:14:52,120 --> 00:14:55,040 Speaker 2: on October first of twenty sixteen, and it was for 258 00:14:55,120 --> 00:14:58,200 Speaker 2: thirty seconds three times. So the further you get down 259 00:14:58,200 --> 00:15:00,440 Speaker 2: the line, the more specific they get. What were some 260 00:15:00,480 --> 00:15:02,520 Speaker 2: of the early ones that were in that first edition. 261 00:15:02,640 --> 00:15:03,680 Speaker 2: Ben Oh. 262 00:15:03,760 --> 00:15:08,720 Speaker 1: Sure, the earlier ones were things that still seem iconic 263 00:15:08,800 --> 00:15:13,440 Speaker 1: to us today, such as the world's tallest man whoever lived, 264 00:15:13,560 --> 00:15:17,400 Speaker 1: meaning both living or dead, that would be Robert Pershon Wadlow, 265 00:15:17,680 --> 00:15:21,880 Speaker 1: who was eight feet eleven inches tall, although nowadays, if 266 00:15:21,880 --> 00:15:25,200 Speaker 1: we're talking about living people, the title would go to 267 00:15:25,320 --> 00:15:28,680 Speaker 1: Turkish national Sultan Kosen, who holds the record at eight 268 00:15:28,720 --> 00:15:33,720 Speaker 1: feet three inches currently. However, the interesting thing about the 269 00:15:33,720 --> 00:15:36,520 Speaker 1: evolution of the Guinness Book of World Records is that 270 00:15:36,720 --> 00:15:40,720 Speaker 1: of the thousands of applications that the Guinness World Records 271 00:15:40,800 --> 00:15:45,320 Speaker 1: organization receives each month, most are for new records in 272 00:15:45,400 --> 00:15:48,840 Speaker 1: categories that did not exist in the original publication in 273 00:15:48,920 --> 00:15:53,640 Speaker 1: nineteen fifty five, things like the longest kissed. The current record, 274 00:15:53,640 --> 00:15:55,960 Speaker 1: by the way, is fifty eight hours, thirty five minutes 275 00:15:55,960 --> 00:15:58,880 Speaker 1: and fifty eight seconds. You have to just twist your head. 276 00:15:59,520 --> 00:16:01,920 Speaker 1: I'm going to show you a pretty cool picture that. 277 00:16:02,080 --> 00:16:03,680 Speaker 1: Look how bored this lady looks. 278 00:16:04,480 --> 00:16:06,320 Speaker 2: It looks they're doing some head twisting, and there would 279 00:16:06,320 --> 00:16:08,240 Speaker 2: have to be something otherwise it would just be longest 280 00:16:08,280 --> 00:16:12,320 Speaker 2: period with lips pressed together? What qualifies a kiss? That's tough. 281 00:16:12,560 --> 00:16:15,480 Speaker 1: I think it's just the you know, fifty eight hours 282 00:16:15,600 --> 00:16:17,240 Speaker 1: is a long time to do, Eddie. 283 00:16:17,360 --> 00:16:24,320 Speaker 2: I agree. The thing that's neat too, though, is to 284 00:16:24,360 --> 00:16:27,120 Speaker 2: this day the book contains about the same number of 285 00:16:27,160 --> 00:16:28,760 Speaker 2: records as it did when it first came out in 286 00:16:28,920 --> 00:16:31,360 Speaker 2: fifty five, and then the next year in the USA 287 00:16:31,400 --> 00:16:34,440 Speaker 2: in fifty six, which is about four thousand and the 288 00:16:34,520 --> 00:16:38,400 Speaker 2: original edition, there weren't any color, glossy images like you 289 00:16:38,440 --> 00:16:41,080 Speaker 2: see today. It was all black and white photos, and 290 00:16:41,120 --> 00:16:44,320 Speaker 2: there were a lot of hand drawn illustrations of the 291 00:16:44,480 --> 00:16:48,680 Speaker 2: more encyclopedic entries, like things like the blue whale or 292 00:16:48,720 --> 00:16:52,800 Speaker 2: any you know, animals like largest largest mammal exactly. But 293 00:16:53,080 --> 00:16:55,560 Speaker 2: some of the things that were in that first edition 294 00:16:55,880 --> 00:16:58,680 Speaker 2: that are still quite iconic today are a man named 295 00:16:58,720 --> 00:17:01,720 Speaker 2: John R. Cobb held the world record for land speed 296 00:17:02,320 --> 00:17:04,920 Speaker 2: in a single direction at four hundred and three point 297 00:17:05,000 --> 00:17:06,919 Speaker 2: one three five miles per hour, and that was in 298 00:17:07,000 --> 00:17:10,120 Speaker 2: nineteen forty seven. A man by the name of Manningford 299 00:17:10,320 --> 00:17:15,480 Speaker 2: faith Jan graceful these names my lord, wait again, Manningford 300 00:17:15,880 --> 00:17:20,600 Speaker 2: faith Jan graceful. O. I'm sorry. That's a cow, a 301 00:17:20,640 --> 00:17:25,440 Speaker 2: British Frishian cow Frishian cow that had the highest lifetime 302 00:17:25,560 --> 00:17:28,960 Speaker 2: milk yield at three hundred and twenty five and thirty 303 00:17:29,000 --> 00:17:32,000 Speaker 2: pounds over seventeen years. But good gravy man, you name 304 00:17:32,040 --> 00:17:38,119 Speaker 2: your cow that Manningford faith jan graceful. Oh my heavens. 305 00:17:38,160 --> 00:17:40,800 Speaker 1: That sounds like a Toast of London name big. 306 00:17:40,600 --> 00:17:44,040 Speaker 2: Time, big time. I hear you climb fandango. And then 307 00:17:44,080 --> 00:17:46,320 Speaker 2: you've got if you guys never heard Toast of London, 308 00:17:46,400 --> 00:17:49,919 Speaker 2: check out Toast of London. It's it's fantastic. It's on 309 00:17:49,960 --> 00:17:53,600 Speaker 2: Netflix right now. Actually plug. But then you've got this 310 00:17:53,680 --> 00:17:56,080 Speaker 2: last one, which I really enjoy. There's a pub. There 311 00:17:56,119 --> 00:17:58,000 Speaker 2: was a pub called the Smith's Arms that held the 312 00:17:58,040 --> 00:18:00,960 Speaker 2: record for being the world's a tiny pub and it 313 00:18:01,040 --> 00:18:03,320 Speaker 2: was ten feet wide and four feet high. 314 00:18:04,119 --> 00:18:07,160 Speaker 1: Four feet high, that's what it says. That's interesting. There's 315 00:18:07,200 --> 00:18:11,760 Speaker 1: also there's also a record for the largest prenatal yoga class. 316 00:18:11,960 --> 00:18:14,600 Speaker 1: That's a thing. If you want to break that record, 317 00:18:14,640 --> 00:18:18,560 Speaker 1: all you need, as of our recording to day, is 318 00:18:18,640 --> 00:18:21,440 Speaker 1: five hundred and fifty four participants. So you got to 319 00:18:21,480 --> 00:18:24,520 Speaker 1: get five hundred and fifty four pregnant people to do 320 00:18:24,640 --> 00:18:28,600 Speaker 1: yoga with you, and boom, you're in the book. We 321 00:18:28,840 --> 00:18:33,080 Speaker 1: have seen all three of us Noel Casey and I 322 00:18:33,119 --> 00:18:37,960 Speaker 1: have seen some pretty specific and strange records. There's one 323 00:18:38,080 --> 00:18:40,960 Speaker 1: for spinning a basketball on a toothbrush while holding it 324 00:18:41,000 --> 00:18:43,120 Speaker 1: in your mouth. If you can do it for more 325 00:18:43,160 --> 00:18:46,920 Speaker 1: than twenty two zero point four to one seconds, congratulations. 326 00:18:47,000 --> 00:18:49,160 Speaker 2: That sounds like a Harlem globe trotter's kind of trick. 327 00:18:49,800 --> 00:18:55,080 Speaker 1: It does, it really does. There are records for the 328 00:18:55,119 --> 00:19:01,080 Speaker 1: fastest planting of rice seedlings. There are superlatives plenty. You know, 329 00:19:01,119 --> 00:19:04,719 Speaker 1: we've seen things like the person with the most piercings 330 00:19:04,840 --> 00:19:10,679 Speaker 1: or the most tattoos. Nowadays, the Guinness World Record brand 331 00:19:10,920 --> 00:19:13,760 Speaker 1: is owned by the Jim Pattison Group. They're the same 332 00:19:13,840 --> 00:19:16,560 Speaker 1: company that owns Ripley's. Believe it or not. Did you 333 00:19:16,560 --> 00:19:17,720 Speaker 1: ever go to those museums. 334 00:19:17,880 --> 00:19:20,639 Speaker 2: I've been to a few. Yeah. They're kind of schlocky, 335 00:19:20,720 --> 00:19:24,560 Speaker 2: boardwalk tourist traps, sort of fun. They're fun. They're fun. 336 00:19:24,760 --> 00:19:26,040 Speaker 2: I sound like I'm poopooing. I'm not. 337 00:19:26,359 --> 00:19:29,240 Speaker 1: I love them. I'm fully into it. 338 00:19:29,400 --> 00:19:31,800 Speaker 2: There are no museum of death, I'll give you that. 339 00:19:31,800 --> 00:19:34,359 Speaker 1: That's true. They are a little bit you know, they 340 00:19:34,400 --> 00:19:39,680 Speaker 1: have their their morbid side, but they're way more lighthearted. Right. 341 00:19:40,400 --> 00:19:43,119 Speaker 1: We do have some good news as well about the 342 00:19:43,320 --> 00:19:47,760 Speaker 1: fate of the mcwerter twins, who were really the driving 343 00:19:47,880 --> 00:19:48,520 Speaker 1: force for this. 344 00:19:48,640 --> 00:19:50,840 Speaker 2: I think is it a good news bad news situation, 345 00:19:50,880 --> 00:19:52,440 Speaker 2: because there's definitely some bad news. 346 00:19:52,800 --> 00:19:55,440 Speaker 1: It is a bad news good news situation. So from 347 00:19:55,680 --> 00:20:01,480 Speaker 1: nineteen seventy two on, the mcwerder twins were familiar figures 348 00:20:01,560 --> 00:20:03,960 Speaker 1: in a show called record Breakers. 349 00:20:04,119 --> 00:20:06,600 Speaker 2: Yeah, that actually stemmed from a children's show called Blue 350 00:20:06,600 --> 00:20:09,320 Speaker 2: Peter that I think is still running you this day, 351 00:20:09,359 --> 00:20:12,000 Speaker 2: some permutation of it, But record Breakers was much more 352 00:20:12,000 --> 00:20:16,400 Speaker 2: specifically tied to the whole Guinness thing, and it showcased 353 00:20:16,440 --> 00:20:23,040 Speaker 2: the brother's steadfastness at clocking records and measuring success and 354 00:20:23,080 --> 00:20:26,520 Speaker 2: failures in all these departments. And they became kind of 355 00:20:27,400 --> 00:20:31,240 Speaker 2: presenters television presenters in addition to being behind the scenes folks. 356 00:20:31,480 --> 00:20:36,479 Speaker 1: And they must have had some phenomenal cognitive ability because 357 00:20:36,560 --> 00:20:39,000 Speaker 1: part of the show involved putting the mcworders on the 358 00:20:39,080 --> 00:20:44,200 Speaker 1: spot to have an instant recall of obscure facts and figures, 359 00:20:44,640 --> 00:20:48,640 Speaker 1: and they were almost never wrong and almost never at 360 00:20:48,680 --> 00:20:51,520 Speaker 1: a loss for the numbers they were asked to recall. 361 00:20:51,600 --> 00:20:53,879 Speaker 3: Another thing, Now, I bet most of you boys watching 362 00:20:54,080 --> 00:20:56,200 Speaker 3: have got hair twice as long as your fathers, haven't 363 00:20:56,240 --> 00:20:59,000 Speaker 3: you four times as long as your grandfather's? But do 364 00:20:59,040 --> 00:21:00,919 Speaker 3: you know who grew the long hair in the world? 365 00:21:01,240 --> 00:21:04,479 Speaker 3: While it was a man called Swami Pendra Sandai. His 366 00:21:04,600 --> 00:21:07,280 Speaker 3: hair was twenty six feet long. 367 00:21:07,680 --> 00:21:09,280 Speaker 2: Twenty six feet long, Look at that. 368 00:21:10,080 --> 00:21:11,760 Speaker 3: I wouldn't like to wear this the day after he 369 00:21:11,880 --> 00:21:14,360 Speaker 3: watched it? Or did you know? If you don't believe that, 370 00:21:14,440 --> 00:21:17,359 Speaker 3: the longest beard on record was that of Hen's Landseth 371 00:21:17,760 --> 00:21:21,399 Speaker 3: of Norway, and his beard was seventeen and a half 372 00:21:21,440 --> 00:21:24,480 Speaker 3: feet in length, and he died in nineteen twenty seven and. 373 00:21:24,440 --> 00:21:26,080 Speaker 2: He had to walk backwards all that. 374 00:21:26,160 --> 00:21:29,520 Speaker 3: The longest kingernails on record were theirs of a Chinese 375 00:21:29,600 --> 00:21:32,600 Speaker 3: priest who took twenty seven years to grow them to 376 00:21:32,680 --> 00:21:35,560 Speaker 3: a height of or length of twenty two and three 377 00:21:35,600 --> 00:21:36,320 Speaker 3: quarter inches. 378 00:21:36,480 --> 00:21:39,560 Speaker 2: Yeah, very handy for scratching your ankles. 379 00:21:40,160 --> 00:21:45,400 Speaker 1: So what happened next? Here's where we find the darker 380 00:21:45,480 --> 00:21:53,240 Speaker 1: turn that we mentioned briefly. Ross McWherter was shot fatally 381 00:21:53,320 --> 00:21:58,040 Speaker 1: by the IRA on his London doorstep in nineteen seventy five. 382 00:21:58,440 --> 00:22:02,000 Speaker 2: That's right. He was a big, outspoken opponent of the 383 00:22:02,040 --> 00:22:07,119 Speaker 2: IRA and he used his celebrity to speak out against 384 00:22:07,160 --> 00:22:11,360 Speaker 2: them and pushed for a tougher response against these kind 385 00:22:11,400 --> 00:22:16,240 Speaker 2: of republican terrorists by the British government. And he actually 386 00:22:16,320 --> 00:22:20,880 Speaker 2: offered a fifty thousand pound reward in nineteen seventy five, 387 00:22:20,920 --> 00:22:24,720 Speaker 2: that is a lot of cash for any information that 388 00:22:24,840 --> 00:22:29,320 Speaker 2: might lead to the arrests of an IRA cell that 389 00:22:30,280 --> 00:22:34,320 Speaker 2: was trying to carry out these just deadly bombing campaigns 390 00:22:34,359 --> 00:22:36,119 Speaker 2: all throughout London that were happening at the time. 391 00:22:36,800 --> 00:22:41,520 Speaker 1: And Noras mcwerder soldiered on as the books editor until 392 00:22:41,720 --> 00:22:47,280 Speaker 1: nineteen eighty six. Afterwards, he continued as an assistant editor, 393 00:22:47,720 --> 00:22:54,400 Speaker 1: and he spent a lot of time involved in political organizations, 394 00:22:54,400 --> 00:22:58,199 Speaker 1: particularly what was known as the Freedom Association. He wanted 395 00:22:58,200 --> 00:23:02,040 Speaker 1: to reign back what he saw as the overarching or 396 00:23:02,119 --> 00:23:06,960 Speaker 1: overwhelming power of governments and trade unions. He retired finally 397 00:23:07,000 --> 00:23:10,480 Speaker 1: in nineteen ninety six, and he was seventy eight when 398 00:23:10,560 --> 00:23:13,359 Speaker 1: he died playing a game of tennis in two thousand 399 00:23:13,520 --> 00:23:14,040 Speaker 1: and four. 400 00:23:14,480 --> 00:23:19,159 Speaker 2: And what's interesting is that these brothers essentially created the 401 00:23:19,240 --> 00:23:23,280 Speaker 2: foundation for this publication that we still know today that 402 00:23:23,359 --> 00:23:26,200 Speaker 2: hasn't changed a ton. I mean, the whole idea is 403 00:23:26,760 --> 00:23:29,040 Speaker 2: very much the same as it was when they published 404 00:23:29,040 --> 00:23:31,800 Speaker 2: the first edition, which, by the way, you can find 405 00:23:31,920 --> 00:23:35,440 Speaker 2: on eBay for only about fifty pounds you can get 406 00:23:35,440 --> 00:23:38,560 Speaker 2: a first edition Guinness Record Book. Really, I was really shocked. 407 00:23:38,560 --> 00:23:40,080 Speaker 2: I would have thought that they would be more scarce, 408 00:23:40,080 --> 00:23:42,440 Speaker 2: but I guess maybe not a first edition, but it's 409 00:23:42,480 --> 00:23:46,600 Speaker 2: definitely like among those first several editions becassa the first edition, 410 00:23:46,720 --> 00:23:50,320 Speaker 2: I think they only made fifty thousand copies and then 411 00:23:50,359 --> 00:23:52,520 Speaker 2: they just kept having to go into reprints of that 412 00:23:52,560 --> 00:23:56,280 Speaker 2: first edition. But in that first edition, the Brothers are 413 00:23:56,320 --> 00:24:01,600 Speaker 2: not directly credited. Wow, they are just called the complers. 414 00:24:01,119 --> 00:24:04,760 Speaker 1: The compilers, so there was a bit of anonymity there. 415 00:24:05,640 --> 00:24:08,720 Speaker 1: It's fascinating you said that, And Noel, I think we 416 00:24:08,760 --> 00:24:11,520 Speaker 1: would be remiss if we did not address a question 417 00:24:11,600 --> 00:24:15,520 Speaker 1: that everyone listening is wondering, which is how do we 418 00:24:15,560 --> 00:24:23,400 Speaker 1: set our own world records? Is it possible in this 419 00:24:23,560 --> 00:24:26,200 Speaker 1: day and age, in twenty eighteen, is it possible for 420 00:24:26,520 --> 00:24:30,800 Speaker 1: a well meaning John Smith in the crowd, John or 421 00:24:30,880 --> 00:24:35,199 Speaker 1: Jane Smith to grab a superlative all their own? The 422 00:24:35,280 --> 00:24:39,240 Speaker 1: answer is yes, but it's complicated, yeah. 423 00:24:39,280 --> 00:24:41,399 Speaker 2: And one of the reasons it's complicated is because, like 424 00:24:41,640 --> 00:24:44,439 Speaker 2: it's been around for so long and the records have 425 00:24:44,520 --> 00:24:50,760 Speaker 2: to get more and more obscure and bizarre, and the conditions, right, 426 00:24:50,840 --> 00:24:54,080 Speaker 2: like the whole ballerina standing on tiptoe and jumping every 427 00:24:54,119 --> 00:24:57,240 Speaker 2: thirty seconds or whatever, like, you can set these bizarre 428 00:24:57,600 --> 00:25:01,160 Speaker 2: guidelines that sure, that's a because no one else thought 429 00:25:01,200 --> 00:25:03,919 Speaker 2: of those exact conditions to do it. But as far 430 00:25:04,040 --> 00:25:06,879 Speaker 2: as like breaking like you know, a speed record or 431 00:25:06,920 --> 00:25:10,119 Speaker 2: something like that, that's a little more tough. But you 432 00:25:10,119 --> 00:25:12,720 Speaker 2: know you it's within your grasp if you want to 433 00:25:12,720 --> 00:25:14,479 Speaker 2: come up with something weird that no one's thought of. 434 00:25:14,600 --> 00:25:18,359 Speaker 1: But right, it is not by any means impossible. It 435 00:25:18,400 --> 00:25:22,520 Speaker 1: really depends upon a couple of things. The first thing 436 00:25:22,640 --> 00:25:25,159 Speaker 1: that you will do if you want to set a 437 00:25:25,200 --> 00:25:28,080 Speaker 1: world record that goes into print in the book is 438 00:25:28,160 --> 00:25:33,240 Speaker 1: to find something that is measurable, provable, has a single 439 00:25:33,960 --> 00:25:38,000 Speaker 1: point to it, and can be beaten. Unless it's the 440 00:25:38,040 --> 00:25:41,480 Speaker 1: first ever version of something like the first person to 441 00:25:41,680 --> 00:25:45,159 Speaker 1: walk on an asteroid, right, or the first person to 442 00:25:45,280 --> 00:25:47,720 Speaker 1: eat the state of Texas, that's not going to happen. 443 00:25:47,840 --> 00:25:50,080 Speaker 2: What if I just did the first person to hold 444 00:25:50,119 --> 00:25:53,960 Speaker 2: a pencil in my closed eyelid by the eraser for 445 00:25:54,400 --> 00:25:57,480 Speaker 2: twelve minutes and no one has thought of that particular 446 00:25:57,600 --> 00:26:02,159 Speaker 2: thing to do, yet could technically qualify if if no 447 00:26:02,200 --> 00:26:03,000 Speaker 2: one has done that one. 448 00:26:03,200 --> 00:26:06,880 Speaker 1: Yeah, there's a little bit of subjectivity here because the 449 00:26:07,119 --> 00:26:10,240 Speaker 1: editors or the compilers must think it's interesting. And I 450 00:26:10,320 --> 00:26:14,760 Speaker 1: think that's specific enough that they would they would consider 451 00:26:14,760 --> 00:26:18,200 Speaker 1: it interesting, especially if you did it for like twelve 452 00:26:18,240 --> 00:26:19,119 Speaker 1: hours or something. 453 00:26:19,160 --> 00:26:20,439 Speaker 2: I don't want to do it with twelve hours. I 454 00:26:20,440 --> 00:26:22,240 Speaker 2: want to do it for a maximum ten minutes. 455 00:26:22,320 --> 00:26:24,800 Speaker 1: Well, you could get it. You could get it for 456 00:26:24,880 --> 00:26:28,439 Speaker 1: ten minutes, but if you set it at ten minutes, 457 00:26:28,600 --> 00:26:30,800 Speaker 1: what's going to happen I guarantee you is next year 458 00:26:31,040 --> 00:26:35,000 Speaker 1: there's going to be some JABBRONI who goes for eleven minutes. 459 00:26:35,080 --> 00:26:36,600 Speaker 1: It's not going to be me. It's probably not going 460 00:26:36,680 --> 00:26:37,159 Speaker 1: to be Casey. 461 00:26:37,240 --> 00:26:38,760 Speaker 2: I don't care. I just want to be in the book. 462 00:26:38,880 --> 00:26:40,520 Speaker 1: You just want to be in the best one year. 463 00:26:40,560 --> 00:26:41,120 Speaker 2: It's one year. 464 00:26:41,520 --> 00:26:46,520 Speaker 1: So another thing people do is to set group records 465 00:26:46,880 --> 00:26:50,200 Speaker 1: the world's largest thriller dance, for instance. Right we talked 466 00:26:50,200 --> 00:26:53,000 Speaker 1: about prenatal yoga. Just if you want to set a 467 00:26:53,040 --> 00:26:56,080 Speaker 1: world record, get a bunch of your friends or a 468 00:26:56,080 --> 00:26:58,919 Speaker 1: bunch of strangers to do one very specific thing with 469 00:26:59,000 --> 00:27:02,840 Speaker 1: you for as long as possible, which the organization on 470 00:27:02,880 --> 00:27:08,119 Speaker 1: that boggles the mind. I guess I would try to. 471 00:27:08,720 --> 00:27:11,160 Speaker 1: I don't know if I would beat the largest thriller 472 00:27:11,280 --> 00:27:16,000 Speaker 1: dance That was a record in Mexico with more than 473 00:27:16,160 --> 00:27:21,360 Speaker 1: thirteen thousand people. It was on Michael Jackson's posthumous birthday. 474 00:27:21,480 --> 00:27:24,720 Speaker 1: They all did the thriller dance. So, as you can see, 475 00:27:25,400 --> 00:27:30,520 Speaker 1: research is very important. And I'll anticipate the question that 476 00:27:30,600 --> 00:27:33,280 Speaker 1: a lot of us have. Is there a person who 477 00:27:33,320 --> 00:27:36,119 Speaker 1: holds the record for holding the most world records? The 478 00:27:36,160 --> 00:27:39,840 Speaker 1: answer is yes. His name is Ashrita Furman. One of 479 00:27:39,880 --> 00:27:42,720 Speaker 1: his records is for pushing an orange for a mile 480 00:27:43,040 --> 00:27:48,280 Speaker 1: with his nose, and he famously researched the type of 481 00:27:48,359 --> 00:27:53,359 Speaker 1: orange to use. So you need to pick your battles carefully, 482 00:27:53,520 --> 00:27:56,440 Speaker 1: and you need to be aware that you can break 483 00:27:56,440 --> 00:28:01,359 Speaker 1: a record without spending a dime. The record breaking is 484 00:28:01,400 --> 00:28:05,080 Speaker 1: free and open to everyone. They only ask that you 485 00:28:05,119 --> 00:28:08,040 Speaker 1: give them six to eight weeks for existing categories and 486 00:28:08,160 --> 00:28:12,040 Speaker 1: eight to twelve weeks for new ideas. So this pencil 487 00:28:12,240 --> 00:28:15,200 Speaker 1: in the eye by the eraser that would that would 488 00:28:15,240 --> 00:28:18,800 Speaker 1: qualify for a new idea. And every record has a 489 00:28:18,800 --> 00:28:22,159 Speaker 1: set of guidelines you have to follow. You can apply 490 00:28:22,880 --> 00:28:26,800 Speaker 1: online at Guinness World Records dot com and they'll send 491 00:28:26,840 --> 00:28:32,040 Speaker 1: these guidelines to you via email. There is there's there's 492 00:28:32,080 --> 00:28:35,520 Speaker 1: a great piece of inspiration here by a record breaker 493 00:28:35,600 --> 00:28:39,320 Speaker 1: named Hannah Boseley. She, along with three hundred and twenty 494 00:28:39,320 --> 00:28:43,280 Speaker 1: four other people, holds the world record for the largest 495 00:28:43,320 --> 00:28:47,920 Speaker 1: gathering of people dressed as penguins. And according to Hannah Boseley, 496 00:28:48,000 --> 00:28:50,480 Speaker 1: breaking record is not as hard to organize as you 497 00:28:50,560 --> 00:28:54,000 Speaker 1: might first anticipate, So just get going and if you 498 00:28:54,080 --> 00:28:55,920 Speaker 1: want to do it, you will. 499 00:28:56,280 --> 00:28:58,960 Speaker 2: And a street of Furman who you mentioned, is holding 500 00:28:59,000 --> 00:29:01,480 Speaker 2: the record for the most records at two hundred I 501 00:29:01,480 --> 00:29:03,680 Speaker 2: believe he said. It also goes to show you don't 502 00:29:03,720 --> 00:29:07,600 Speaker 2: have to be some sort of superhuman or athlete. This 503 00:29:08,040 --> 00:29:11,840 Speaker 2: person is a health food store manager from Queens and 504 00:29:12,440 --> 00:29:15,320 Speaker 2: the first record that he broke was in nineteen seventy 505 00:29:15,400 --> 00:29:19,000 Speaker 2: nine where he did twenty seven thousand jumping jacks. And 506 00:29:19,080 --> 00:29:22,400 Speaker 2: then he also holds the record for rope skipping on 507 00:29:22,480 --> 00:29:26,000 Speaker 2: a pogo stick. He did that at Cambodia's Angor Watt. 508 00:29:26,320 --> 00:29:29,600 Speaker 2: Also he hula hooped at Australia's Air of Rock and 509 00:29:29,680 --> 00:29:33,720 Speaker 2: he traveled the entire length of Paul Revere's ride in 510 00:29:34,120 --> 00:29:41,040 Speaker 2: forward roles. So in what forward roles like somersaults? Yeah yeah, yeah, 511 00:29:41,080 --> 00:29:44,200 Speaker 2: yeah exactly. So you know it's up for grabs. If 512 00:29:44,240 --> 00:29:47,400 Speaker 2: you believe it, go for it. And I think a 513 00:29:47,440 --> 00:29:49,360 Speaker 2: good way to wrap this up is to read the 514 00:29:49,400 --> 00:29:54,040 Speaker 2: forward of that original Guinness Book of Records, which was 515 00:29:54,120 --> 00:29:56,600 Speaker 2: by a man who at the time was the chairman 516 00:29:56,680 --> 00:29:59,920 Speaker 2: of the Guinness Park Royal Brewery. And speaking of amazing titles, 517 00:30:00,200 --> 00:30:04,960 Speaker 2: his name was the Right Honorable Earl of Iva and 518 00:30:05,200 --> 00:30:11,120 Speaker 2: he has KGCB and CMG titles after that, and there 519 00:30:11,120 --> 00:30:14,200 Speaker 2: are various military orders that he was a part of, 520 00:30:14,720 --> 00:30:19,200 Speaker 2: and he prefaces that first edition with this forward. Wherever 521 00:30:19,280 --> 00:30:22,600 Speaker 2: people congregate to talk, they will argue, and sometimes the 522 00:30:22,680 --> 00:30:25,200 Speaker 2: joy lies in the arguing and would be lost if 523 00:30:25,240 --> 00:30:28,600 Speaker 2: there was any definite answer. But more often the argument 524 00:30:28,640 --> 00:30:31,000 Speaker 2: takes place on a dispute of fact, and it can 525 00:30:31,040 --> 00:30:33,840 Speaker 2: be very exasperating if there is no immediate means of 526 00:30:33,880 --> 00:30:36,920 Speaker 2: settling the argument. Who is the first to swim the channel? 527 00:30:37,200 --> 00:30:40,480 Speaker 2: Where is England's deepest well or Scotland's highest tree, or 528 00:30:40,520 --> 00:30:44,600 Speaker 2: Ireland's oldest church? How many died in history's worst railcrash, 529 00:30:44,920 --> 00:30:47,480 Speaker 2: who gained the biggest majority in parliament? What is the 530 00:30:47,520 --> 00:30:51,320 Speaker 2: highest point in our country? And so on? How much 531 00:30:51,360 --> 00:30:55,600 Speaker 2: heat these innocent questions can raise. Guinness, in producing this 532 00:30:55,640 --> 00:30:59,360 Speaker 2: book hopes that it may assist in resolving many such disputes, 533 00:30:59,720 --> 00:31:02,800 Speaker 2: and we hope turn heat into light. 534 00:31:03,480 --> 00:31:07,200 Speaker 1: Fantastic and well said. We only want to add when 535 00:31:07,240 --> 00:31:10,320 Speaker 1: you are considering breaking a world record or forming a 536 00:31:10,360 --> 00:31:15,120 Speaker 1: new one, Guinness will not accept anything that harms animals 537 00:31:15,360 --> 00:31:19,959 Speaker 1: or is dangerous for the would be record breaker. So 538 00:31:20,080 --> 00:31:24,360 Speaker 1: you can't do longest time without sleep. Apparently you can't 539 00:31:24,400 --> 00:31:28,080 Speaker 1: do heaviest fish because people were overfeeding their fish. 540 00:31:29,400 --> 00:31:32,600 Speaker 2: Monsterus. Hey, if you are working at breaking a record, 541 00:31:32,800 --> 00:31:35,280 Speaker 2: or you have a fun idea for a record that 542 00:31:35,320 --> 00:31:37,880 Speaker 2: maybe has yet to be dreamt up, please shoot us 543 00:31:37,880 --> 00:31:40,120 Speaker 2: an email at Ridiculous at how Stuff Works. You can 544 00:31:40,120 --> 00:31:43,120 Speaker 2: also send us a note on Facebook or Ridiculous History. 545 00:31:43,280 --> 00:31:46,160 Speaker 2: We've got an Instagram in Ridiculous History, and leave us 546 00:31:46,160 --> 00:31:48,600 Speaker 2: a review on iTunes or wherever you get your podcast. 547 00:31:48,760 --> 00:31:51,040 Speaker 2: We would be much in your debt. 548 00:31:51,560 --> 00:31:54,960 Speaker 1: Yeah, maybe we can set the We can set the 549 00:31:55,040 --> 00:31:59,840 Speaker 1: record for the most reviews. It's a dangerous game to play, 550 00:32:00,000 --> 00:32:00,320 Speaker 1: I think. 551 00:32:00,200 --> 00:32:02,920 Speaker 2: We're inching up on three hundred now, so let's shoot 552 00:32:02,920 --> 00:32:03,560 Speaker 2: for the move. 553 00:32:04,560 --> 00:32:07,280 Speaker 1: And we will see you next week. Folks, go break 554 00:32:07,320 --> 00:32:08,240 Speaker 1: some records of your own. 555 00:32:16,440 --> 00:32:20,240 Speaker 2: For more podcasts from iHeartRadio, visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, 556 00:32:20,320 --> 00:32:22,479 Speaker 2: or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.