Since the book appeared in 1954, there have been those who have done everything to set at least one record, however ridiculous it may be.
Many people would give anything to get into the Guinness Book of Records. After all, this is one way to at least try to become famous for something. Since the book appeared in 1954, there have been those who have done everything possible to set at least one record, however ridiculous it might be.
But some record categories were even removed from Guinness, not because they were pathetic, but because they were controversial or could incite some kind of danger. In this text we share five of them.
1. Eating too much
Guinness categories involving “overeating” were removed from the book in the 1990s, as they were thought to encourage binge eating. Until then, the work listed records such as that of Edward Abraham “Bozo” Miller, who was capable of ingesting 25,000 calories a day.
But there’s a caveat: Guinness still celebrates feats that involve eating very quickly. “All our food records only show the ability to eat quickly and as such are limited to short periods of time and small quantities of food, such as the fastest time to eat three cream biscuits,” notes the official Guinness website.
2. Being buried alive
Here we have another example of a macabre record. Guinness recorded some feats of endurance, such as the macabre feat of being buried alive in a coffin next to an oxygen source. Englishman Mick Meaney achieved this feat by spending 61 days buried in 1968.
Subsequently, other attempts were made, some even fatal, as in the case of Janaka Basnayake, of Sri Lanka. He died in 2012, a few hours after being locked in a 3 meter high trench.
3. Hunger strike
Another type of controversial record is one that involves giving up food, the famous “hunger strike”. Even Guinness has started to avoid recording this issue. “This is such a sensitive and difficult area to monitor that we do not accept public submissions for this category,” the website notes.
But Guinness has already recognized the record held by Angus Barbieri, who managed to survive eating only liquids and vitamins for 382 days, from 1965 to 1966.
4. Long kiss
In 2013, Guinness abolished the “longest kisses” category. This is because it was, in fact, an endurance record: the participants had to remain with their lips glued to each other, standing and without breaks or rest. They could only drink liquids through straws, but they had to keep their lips glued together. In other words, all this meant sacrifices, such as lack of sleep, which could be very harmful to one’s health.
It is assumed that the last holders of this record were the Thai couple Ekkachai and Laksana Tiranarat. The two kissed for 50 hours and 35 minutes.
5. Dance marathons
Just like the kissing category, dance marathons can be extremely torturous and inhumane. In the 1920s and 1930s, the United States experienced a period when this type of marathon was in fashion and hundreds of couples ventured out to dance without rest. This began to be questioned after Homer Morehouse’s death in 1923 while he was competing in a competition. As a result, major American cities, including Boston and Los Angeles, have banned competitions.
However, marathons still exist in Guinness. But there are stricter rules: they can only participate if participants are over 16 years old and rest at least five minutes every hour.
Source: Terra
Ben Stock is a lifestyle journalist and author at Gossipify. He writes about topics such as health, wellness, travel, food and home decor. He provides practical advice and inspiration to improve well-being, keeps readers up to date with latest lifestyle news and trends, known for his engaging writing style, in-depth analysis and unique perspectives.
