Dedicated, Done and Dusted Trivia Quiz

Answer: Balancing on a Swiss ball for 2 hours, 16 mins and 2 seconds

What an amazing bloke, eh? His breaking-eggs record took place in New York City in 2008. His running on stilts in China for five miles was in 2008; he broke a record that been held since 1892. His record for the furthest distance while juggling on a pogo stick was set on Easter Island in 2010.

Other notable records he has held include: underwater pogo stick jumping (I swear I'm not making this up), the most situps in an hour at the top of the Eiffel Tower, and, my personal favourite, sack racing a yak in Mongolia! Furman decided to break, or set, a record in all seven continents.

He achieved this. That's dedication for you! In case you're wondering, because I was, a Swiss ball is a large inflatable ball used for exercising. A pogo stick is ... well ... just good fun!

Answer: Eye sockets

Apologies if you happen to be playing this while eating! Ghayne Hultgren, known as The Space Cowboy, did this by inserting fish hooks attached to cords into his eye sockets. Inventive? Brave? Dedicated? Stupid? He's certainly a daredevil, and also broke his own record of swallowing 17 knifes by swallowing 18 in in 2010.

His other pastimes include juggling with a running chainsaw while riding a very tall unicycle and swallowing swords underwater in a tank full of sharks. Believe me, I bet those sharks kept well out of the way!

Answer: Carrying the most steins of beer for over 130 feet

Okay, most people know that a kitchen cannot be cleaned in one hour. If anyone put that as the right answer, please feel free to come and have a (working) holiday here! If no one has sung all the songs from "The Sound of Music" while standing on one leg, that could be a record still up for grabs. No comment on the Frankfurters. I did not do that!

A stein holds two pints of beer, and Schwarz carried nineteen stein glasses - so a total of thirty-eight pints and no tray to help her. The record does specify that it was the most carried by a female. I've looked to see if a male has carried more, but can't find any info for that. Maybe they tried but dropped one or drunk one or drunk two or...?

Answer: "Most bottles recycled by a dog"

Here is a world record that I feel contributes something useful. Tubby has helped to recycle more than twenty-six thousand plastic bottles since 2006. He lives with his human, Sandra Gilmore, in Wales, UK.

Most dogs are happy with a stick or a ball when they go for a walk, but Tubby is too busy searching for bottles, which he then crushes, takes the tops off of, and finally hands them to Sandra. In 2010, Sandra told the BBC News, "He loves his recycling. Unless he goes out and finds a bottle he comes home moping." She also believes he is aware of his accomplishment. A truly environmentally friendly and dedicated doggy!

Answer: Bellybutton lint

Graham Barker started collecting bellybutton lint in 1984 and has amassed .77 ounces (22.1 grams). He says "The night was steamy and stormy - too wet outside and too hot inside to do very much, and my attention drifted to my belly button".

I suppose it's happened to all of at one time or another; has it not? In twenty-six years he proudly states that he has "seldom missed a day's harvest".
He's even sold three jars of his bellybutton lint to a museum for an undisclosed price. His jars are colour-coded and are labelled with the dates that the lint was harvested. I guess that's the librarian in him!

Source: www.feargod.net

Answer: They didn't want to encourage minors attempting dangerous records

It seems that this young lady didn't need any encouragement. Her achievement may not be officially recognised, but, as far as I'm concerned, she is the youngest to sail around the globe. It seems a little petty not to recognise it whether you approve or not. You can't close the stable door after the horse has bolted, can you? The Dutch girl was fifteen-years-old when she spent five hundred and eighteen days circumventing the globe. Laura has been solo sailing since she was six years old, and her mother has said Laura "sails like a devil". Unfortunately, the Dutch government didn't approve either and it looks unlikely that Laura will return to Holland. Of course, it could have ended in tragedy but would that tragedy been any worse if she had waited for her sixteenth birthday before setting off?

Source: www.dutchnews.nl

Answer: Portugal

There's always someone willing to go one or even a thousand or so better! In Derry City, thirteen thousand people dressed as Santa and gathered in in Guildhall Square.

Just over a year later in Porto, Portugal broke the record with fourteen thousand, nine hundred and sixty-three Santas parading through the streets.
Sounds rather a pointless thing to do; however, it was for charity. One Euro for every Santa that passed the finish line went towards buying Christmas presents for underprivileged children. Anyone that thought Lapland was the correct answer should know better or asked their children! Only the one and original Santa there.

Answer: Do Not Disturb

Jean-François Vernetti has collected 'Do Not Disturb' signs from one hundred and eighty nine countries and has held the world record of eight thousand eight hundred and eighty-eight signs. Mind boggling, really. Since I seem to remember that on the other side of those signs it usually says 'Please Make My Room Up', does that mean that he also holds that record too?

Answer: Sir Hugh Beaver

In 1951, Sir Hugh found himself in an argument about the fastest European game bird. After failing to shoot a golden plover, Sir Hugh was convinced that this must be the world's fastest flying game. Reference books did not help, and it occurred to him that a book which gave the answer to this - and much more - would catch on.

It did. The first copy of the "Guinness Book of World Records" only had one hundred and ninety-seven pages, but was a best-seller by Christmas 1955, barely three months after being published.

The fastest game bird in Europe? That may well depend on who's shooting at them! But the fastest bird in the world is the peregrine falcon.

Answer: Dedication

"Record Breakers" ran for twenty-nine years, making it one of the longest running shows on the BBC. The show featured twin brothers, Norris and Ross McWhirter. They would have their knowledge of world records tested by the audience, and rarely got caught out.

Then there was a live world record attempt, not always successful, and interviews with world record holders. Roy Castle (OBE) performed the theme music himself. He also broke several world records while hosting the show, including the fastest tap dance, the longest wing walk (walking on the wings of a plane during flight) and playing the same tune on 43 different instruments in four minutes.