Britain is known for its eccentric people, places and events, making it only natural that we’ve collected seriously impressive records. Awe-inspiring and quirky are both apt descriptions for some of these achievements, but we’ll let you judge for yourself.
1. Loudest purr by a domestic cat
A cat from Torquay, Devon named Merlin holds the record for the world’s loudest purr. One of Merlin’s purrs reached 67.8 dB, equivalent to the sound level of an air conditioner.
2. Largest collection of traffic cones
Some people take collecting to another level, like David Morgan from Burford. David has the largest collection of traffic cones in the world.
3. Most baked beans eaten with chopsticks in one minute
An incredibly talented chopsticks handler Cherry Yoshitake has set a world record by eating 71 baked beans with this utensil in a minute. Just picturing that is making my fingers cramp…
4. Fastest window cleaner
Cleaning windows is not usually a competitive sport but never say never in the UK. Terry Burrows from Blackpool has broken the world record for this activity by making three windows totally spotless in 9.14 seconds.
5. Most naked riders on a theme park ride
102 crazy people set the world record for the most naked riders on a theme park ride in 2010 at Adventure Island in Southend-On-Sea, Essex. Oh boy, I can’t even walk out of the shower naked without closing the blinds…
6. Fastest time to pack a suitcase
Running late for your flight but still packing? A woman named Rosie Marshalle from North Yorkshire has packed 20 items in her suitcase in merely 46.18 seconds! No record of what she’s packed though.
7. Second longest one-word place name & world’s longest URL
Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch in Wales has the second longest one-word place name in the world. The creator of this name probably had their cat on the keyboard. Another fun fact: the village’s official website URL has broken the world record for the world’s longest URL. Hurray to them!
8. Largest foot rotation
London native Maxwell Day’s ability to rotate his right foot 157 degrees has won him the world record for the largest external foot rotation. His left foot can also rotate, but only 143 degrees. Sounds painful!
The list of unusual records held by the Brits goes on and on, it is possibly even too vast for the internet. So, we are going to stop ours here, but feel free to post your own personal records in the comment box below—especially ones that will make us chuckle.
