If you grew up in the 70’s 80’s or 90’s you probably LOVED “The Guinness Book Of World Records.” I sure did! Over the years, however, they have outlawed some of the “challenges,” and you’ll find out why if you keep reading.
As a kid, it was so fun flipping through the pages of the book and seeing the pictures of people from around the world completing outrageous tasks. The library at the Delaney Elementary School in Wrentham, MA always had a copy of the book and I would sit on the beanbag and flip through the pages and think to myself, “How did they do that?”
This is a picture of the world’s tallest man and the world’s shortest man. Seeing photos like this in the Guinness Book of World Records was so fascinating to me growing up. The tallest man is 8ft3inches and the shortest is 21.5inches
If you don’t know what it is, The Guinness World Records is an institution renowned for showcasing human achievements and natural wonders. For decades, it has been a testament to the limits of human capabilities, encompassing both the incredible and the bizarre. However, there are some records that, for various reasons, are no longer recognized or permitted. These records have often been deemed too dangerous, inappropriate, or ethically questionable. I’ll tell you some of them.
The Time I Tried To Break A Guinness World Record
Still to this day I think I broke a Guinness World when I dribbled a basketball through my legs. I never received a plaque or a call from the Guinness people. But I heard that the record was 81 times…in 30 seconds. I was able hit 100 times on air at Country 102.5. Maybe I wasn’t recognized on their website because I didn’t pay the $5 entry fee?
Overall Themes That Have Been Eliminated Over Time
There are some overarching themes of records that have been eliminated over time. Endurance records are one of them. Any challenges related to sleep deprivation, holding one’s breath, fasting, or any form of extreme endurance were removed because of the potential health risks involved. Encouraging or glorifying these could have potentially fatal consequences.
Another one includes food. Gorging on food items or consuming alcohol in large quantities in the shortest time possible might make for compelling viewing, but the inherent health risks and the promotion of potentially dangerous behavior led to these records being banned.
Some records involving animals were halted due to concerns about their welfare. Categories that involved the size/weight of pets, for instance, could encourage overfeeding. Records that showcased the number of animals owned might promote hoarding.
Guinness World Records stopped acknowledging young people under the age of sixteen. This was to prevent the potential exploitation of minors and prevent them from taking undue risks (like having someone climb up Mount Everest).
Why These Records Were Removed From The Guinness World Records
One of the primary reasons is the ethical obligation the institution has. Guinness World Records does not want to encourage hazardous acts that might harm individuals trying to break or set new records. They emphasize that the safety and well-being of participants are paramount.
However, it’s also worth noting that societal views on what’s acceptable change over time. As society becomes more conscious about issues related to mental health, physical well-being, and animal rights, it’s only apt that the Guinness World Records aligns its categories accordingly.
Here Are Some Records That You Can No Longer Participate In Because They’re Too Dangerous
1. No More Glutenous Acts!
The Last guy who set it was Edward Abraham Miller in 1983 and he ate over 25k CALORIES a day. Believe it or not he lived to the ripe old age of 89 years old despite his glutenous eating habits. The GWR stopped recognizing eating records in the 1990’s.
There are still a number of “speed-eating records” you can try to beat, but the specified time frames and the amounts of food are kept small enough that they generally don’t pose serious health risks. No harm, no foul right?
3. Forget About Smashing Guitars On Tour!
Since 2021, you can’t smash guitars on stage to try and beat a Guinness World Record. Why? Because they now care about “guitar welfare.” So it’ll go down in history that Muse’s, Matthew Bellamy, is the current record-holder for this category. He smashed 140 guitars during a 2004 concert season. Dang!
Matthew Bellamy of the band, Muse, holds the record for smashing guitars. That must have been an expensive tour, just with guitars alone!
4. Sorry, But You Can't Have A Camel Wrestling Festival Anymore
Ummm, ok? Camel wrestling? I’ve never heard of it, but back in the day that used to be a sport, and a Guinness World Record. But GWR has made a commitment to animal welfare, so they’ve retired categories that involve “controversial animal sports,” No more camel wrestling, elephant polo, and more weird sports. But if you’re wondering when the last record for camel wrestling was, it was in 1994, when 20,000 people came to the Camel Wrestling Festival in Selçuk, Turkey.
Camel wrestling is no longer allowed. That’s good, because it makes no sense to me.
5. Let's Leave The Pipes In The Past, Shall We?
It used to be a Guinness World Record to see how long you could keep a tobacco pipe lit up. That record was held by Paul Lauderback in 1954. He lived in LA and he kept his pipe lit for 1 hour, 55 minutes, and 11 seconds. Guinness doesn’t accept submissions for that category anymore, which I think is just great idea all around.
Thank goodness this is no longer a record. But it used to be!
