One of my favorite sections of Guinness World Records 2010 is titled “The Unbreakables.” This section lists the records that have endured the test of time and most likely will not ever be beaten. They include such records as the largest diamond at 3,106 ct, the youngest doctorate at age 12 and the tallest man ever measuring 8 ft 11.1 in (272 cm). The longest held record is pole sitting, held by St Simeon the Stylite who spent 39 years on a pillar. This record has been held for 1,550 years. Anyone ready to attempt to break that record?
As children reading the Guinness World Records books, my friends and I would gather around to read in complete awe of the accomplishments and feats listed in that magical book. We would try to pick a record that we thought we could beat or just make one up on our own. Oh, the imagination of children. Maybe we should try to break the record for the most skips with a jump rope without missing, riding a teeter-totter for the longest time, the biggest ball of rubber bands, the longest time on roller-skates. The list could go on and on. We had fun as children dreaming about being famous by having our names in that book.
Still today as I read through the Guinness World Record Book 2010: The Book of the Decade, I go back to my childhood under that big tree in the backyard on a summer day and dream about breaking world records. The magic will never end.
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