The latest accounting of the things people — and their pets — will do for the kind of attention that comes with holding a Guinness World Record. The arbiter of amazing but true records just released its 2019 tome, and it’s full of antics many people never consider attempting. You’re going to take up the trapeze when you’re 78? Really?
Yes. Betty Goedhart, of San Diego, California, isn’t letting age hold her back from doing the things she enjoys. She took her first trapeze lesson at the age of 78, and set the record as the oldest female performing flying trapeze artist at 84 years and 249 days old.
It’s just a regular circus in California. Who would believe this if there weren’t documented proof? Russian Olga Henry, who lives in Culver City, set the record for the fastest 10-meter en pointe walk on a slackline — an amazing 2 minutes and 33 seconds.
Some Maryland dogs are famous now, too. Samantha Valle, 31, who lives in Frederick, has a pair of amazing rescue dogs — Feather, a greyhound, and Geronimo, a border collie and kelpie mix. Valle told Guinness she takes great pride in bringing out the best in animals others have left behind.
“Sometimes it takes a certain person to come along and see the potential in a dog to make them even greater,” she said.
Valle was training Feather to clear hurdles when the dog jumped so high she hit her head on the the basement ceiling. Now able to jump over the heads of most people, she now holds the record for the highest jump by a dog — 6 feet, 2 inches.
Not to be outdone, Geronimo got a place in the book, too. The dog has a big personality and displays it best with a jump rope. She now holds the record for the most double Dutch-style skips by a dog in a minute — 128 if you want to see if your dog can beat it.
And it came to Josh Horton, a Dallas, Texas, resident that he should balance a guitar on his forehead. He did so for 7 minutes and 3.9 seconds to seal his place in the 2019 Guinness Book of World Records.
In Fort Wayne, Indiana, Brookelynn Bley holds the record for the longest duration performing a six hula-hoop box split with a time of 1 minute, 10.347 seconds.
In Syracuse, New York, Stan Munro created the largest “Star Wars” toothpick sculpture, with a model of an Imperial Star Destroyer made with about 15,000 toothpicks. The 7 pound, 6.4 ounce model is 1 foot by 3.3 inches tall, 4 feet by 10.2 inches long and 2 feet by 7.4 inches wide.
And this is just cute. In Chicago, Illinois, Robert Pasin set the record for the largest toy wagon with a cart that is 26 feet, 5 inches long; 11 feet, 8 inches tall; and 11 feet, 9 inches wide. The record was set at the Radio Flyer headquarters in Chicago, Illinois.
Here are some of the other 2019 Guinness World Records:
Most Rubik’s cubes solved one handed while treading water in one hour: is 137 and was achieved by Shen Weifu solved 137 in Beijing, China
Most dice stacked on a cat’s paw: Bibi balanced 10 to give the record to L.C. Siew in Malaysia.
Most hula-hoops spun simultaneously on multiple body parts: German Dunja Kuhn kept 59 spinning.
Longest time controlling a football with the soles whilst on the roof of a moving car: Ash Randall kept control of the football for 93 seconds in the UK.
Fastest 100 meters on a space hopper (female): Ali Spangola, 38.22 seconds, set at UCLA’s Drake Track & Field Stadium, Los Angeles.
Fastest 50-meter hand skating: Mirko Hanáen set the record in Germany with a skate of 8.55 seconds.
Most consecutive handsprings (one hand): Zama Mofokeng set the record with 34 in South Africa.
Fastest speed in a jet-propelled Go-Kart: The record of 112.29 mph was set by Tom Bagnall in the United Kingdom.
Fastest time to bunny hop 15 hurdles on a trials bicycle: Joe Oakley cleared the hurdles in 13.88 seconds in the United Kingdom.
Highest standing jump (male): Evan Ungar jumped 5 feet, 3 inches in Canada.
Largest collection of clown related items: In the Netherlands, F.M. Kahn has 4,348 pieces of clown memorabilia.
Most sausages produced in one minute: Barry John Crowe turned out 78 in Ireland.
Most body modifications (male): Rolf Buchholz of Germany holds the record with 516.
Longest reverse vault (parkour): Ryan Luney set the record of 14 feet, 3.8 inches in the UK.
Largest knitting needles: In the UK, Elizabeth Bond made a pair of knitting needles that measure 14 feet, 6.33 inches long and are 3.54 inches in diameter.
Oldest professional DJ: Sumiko Iwamuro, aka DJ Sumirock, is 83 and still working monthly at a club in Japan.
For more 2019 Guinness World Records, go here.
Lead photo of Betty Goedhart courtesy of Guinness World Records 2019