The Problem with Guinness World Records
Have you ever been watching a sports game on TV when the commentators throw out some absurdly specific stat? Something like: “Most passing yards by a backup quarterback in September, throwing into the wind, on the road, after a home loss.” Okay, I made that up—but let’s be honest, there’s probably a real stat just like it buried somewhere in NFL history. The point is, stats like that make you wonder: how many people even qualify for such a category in the first place?
This is exactly the problem with the Guinness Book of World Records. About 99.99% of the records listed are just plain ridiculous. Someone dreamed up the weirdest thing they could think of, then did it more times or for longer than anyone else ever bothered to try. Case in point…
Ashrita Furman
Ashrita Furman holds the Guinness World Record for having the most Guinness World Records. Over the years, he’s set more than 600 and still holds over 200 of them. Here are just a few examples of his records:
Fastest 10k sack race: 1hr 22 min 2 sec.
Most number of balloons inflated by the nose in 1 minute: 9.
Most paper aircraft caught by the mouth in 1 minute: 17.
Most fire torches lit and extinguished in one minute: 128.
Fastest mile on pogo stick while juggling three balls: 23 mins 28 secs.
Longest time to hula hoop underwater: 2 mins 38 secs.
Most arrows broken with the neck in 1 minute: 31.
Greatest distance travelled on a bicycle balancing a milk bottle on the head: 10.8 Km.
And then there are records that border on the absurd—like Wang Lei’s 2020 feat of holding the most apples in his own mouth and cutting them with a chainsaw in one minute: 28. Impressive? Maybe. But circling back to the earlier point—how many people have actually attempted something like this? Can it really be called a “record” if it’s only ever been done once?
The Guinness Book of Amazing Achievements
According to the Guinness World Record website, in order to qualify, a record must fulfill ALL of the following criteria. They must be:
Measurable – Can it be measured objectively? What is the unit of measurement? We do not accept applications based on subjective variables. For example - beauty, kindness, loyalty.
Breakable – Can the record be broken? Our record titles must be open to being challenged.
Standardizable - Can the record be repeated by someone else? Is it possible to create a set of parameters and conditions that all challengers can follow?
Verifiable - Can the claim be proven? Will there be accurate evidence available to prove it occurred?
Based on one variable - Is the record based on one superlative and measured in one unit of measurement?
The best in the world - Has anyone else done better? If your record suggestion is new then Guinness World Records will set a challenging minimum requirement for you to beat.
It’s the last requirement that I have a problem with. Guinness themselves should not be setting the standard for something to qualify as a record—individuals should simply be trying to set the bar as high as they can. However, to truly earn the title of “world’s best,” there needs to be a degree of competition. When someone accomplishes something for the very first time, it should be celebrated as an achievement, but not a record. I think a better practice would be for these first-time feats could be collected in a separate index dedicated to unique, unmatched accomplishments. The Guinness Book of Amazing Achievements (the original name of the Guinness Book of World Records) should be revived as a distinct entity from the main record book, and an Achievement should only be recognized as a Record once it starts being competed over.
There’s a big difference between doing something that’s never been done before and being the best in the world.
