Vietnam puts together the world’s largest jigsaw puzzle

 

Students at the University of Economics of Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam have made a piece of puzzling history by setting a new record for the world's Largest jigsaw (most pieces).


The puzzle, which was put together at the Phu Tho Stadium in Ho Chi Minh City on September 24, was made up of 551,232 pieces and was completed with an overall measurement of 14.85 x 23.20 m (48 ft 8.64 in x 76 ft 1.38 in).


The 1,600 participating students were divided into 800 teams of two, with the attempt beginning at 7am.


It took the students 17 hours to first break up the 3,132 sections, each containing 176 pieces, into which the jigsaw puzzle had been divided, and then re-assemble them to create the puzzle.

Each piece measured 2,5 cm x 2,5 cm. The students finished just after midnight, prompting scenes of jubilation once the record was verified.

Many students spent the night in the stadium to ensure that all was in place for a live TV broadcast of the Guinness World Records certificate presentation which took place the following day, which saw a dazzling show of song and dance before representatives of the city government, management, staff and students of University of Economics and the Organization Committee.

The record-breaking puzzle depicted a lotus flower with six petals in symbolic representation of the six areas of knowledge envisaged by the Mindmap study method: human beings, geography, history, culture, education and economy.
It broke a Guinness World Record previously set in Singapore of 212,323 pieces which had stood since 2002.

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Confirmed: Brahim Takioullah sets world record for largest feet

 

Guinness World Records can today confirm that Brahim Takioullah from Morocco now holds claim to having the world's largest feet.
 
The 29-year-old, who currently lives in Paris, France has a left foot measuring 1ft 3in (38.1 cm) in length, while his right measures 1ft 2.76 in.

His enormous height also places him as the world's second tallest living man, two inches behind Sultan Kosen of Turkey who stands at 8ft 3in.

Brahim, who grew up in a small Moroccan village, had a massive growth spurt during his teens which saw him grow three feet in just one year, however, no-one thought to investigate his unusual size until he was 18.
"The school doctor noticed that I was this enormous size and asked me to get some blood tests. I did that, and I was diagnosed with a very rare condition called acromegaly," he explains.

Acromegaly is a pituitary gland disorder that causes the body to produce excessive growth hormone. The brain tumour can lead to other problems aside from great size, and Takioullah was advised to seek surgery.
Five years ago, a French doctor brought him to Paris for treatment, but first he decided to finish his university studies in geography.

He contacted Guinness World Records himself to challenge for the record, and says he is proud to have it recognised, though daily life is not without its problems.

Brahim cannot stand up straight in the small flat he shares with his mother in the Paris suburbs, has difficulty getting into a taxi or the train, and can never move around without attracting attention.
He nevertheless remains good humoured about his situation, and is happy to pose for pictures with members of the public and politely answer questions about his condition.

He hopes one day to have a specially built car he could drive himself, but for now even getting a pair of shoes stretches his budget - he takes a European size 58, which no shop has ever stocked.

"I always need them made-to-measure and they're very expensive. I once asked a cobbler to make me some shoes and he said it would cost 3,500 euros (5,270 dollars)," he says.

French doctors are working to reduce Takioullah's brain tumour, and he hopes his newfound fame will help him find the specialist treatment he needs.

"The record now will be known around the world, and experts anywhere around the planet may be able to help," said Craig Glenday, Editor-In-Chief of Guinness World Records.
Despite the incredible size of Brahim's feet, they remain some way short of the largest feet ever recorded, which belonged to Robert Wadlow (USA, 1918 - 1940), tallest ever man. Robert's feet measured an incredible  47cm or 1ft 5in long - over two inches longer than Brahim's.

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Canadian firm breaks Superman world record

 

On Wednesday, September 28, I was in Calgary, Alberta, Canada for a record attempt for the largest gathering of people dressed as Superman.  The attempt was made by the employees of Nexen Inc., a Canadian energy company.

The previous record was 288 participants, set in Ireland in August last year.
Nexen was aiming high - they expected at least 400 participants - and the attempt was for a good cause.  Nexen used the record attempt to kick off their corporate United Way fundraising campaign, which had the theme "Be a Superhero".

According to Guinness World Records guidelines, the Superman costume must consist of a blue full body cover outfit, red underpants worn over the blue suit, an 'S' sign on the front of the chest in red and yellow, a yellow belt, red boots, and a red cape.  Instead of leaving the costumes to chance, Nexen decided to order identical costumes for employees.  It's worth noting that Nexen took the trouble to confirm that the costumes were all ethically and humanely made.


Prior to the official start time, employees registered and donned their Superman outfit.  I was stationed at the single entrance to the attempt (which took place in an enclosed park adjacent to the company building), and hand counted each Superman that entered.  After all were accounted for, I had a total of 437 participants.

The Supermen still had to stay gathered together for ten minutes for the record to be official.  An emcee kept the crowd going, and employees were told a bit more about the United Way giving campaign.  Everyone was in high spirits, and there was even a special guest in the crowd - a dog dressed in a full Superman getup, complete with cape and fake arms.  While he didn't count towards the record total, Superdog was a hit with all who attended.

After the ten minutes was up, I was able to announce a new Guinness World Records achievement of 437 participants, and officially presented the certificate to Nexen CEO Marvin Romanow.
Congratulations go out to Nexen staff who organized the event (special recognition to Gregory John, Andrea Bosnjak, Melanie Swenson and Lisa Sills), United Way employees who took the time to attend, and most importantly, Nexen employees who gave up their lunch breaks to participate in such a worthwhile event. Congratulations!

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Largest cereal breakfast record broken in the UK

 

On a warm bright morning at the home of supermarket chain Tesco earlier this month, the rattle of trolley wheels over paving slabs were accompanied by the cheer and excitement of hundreds of children in anticipation of a world record attempt.

Bussed in from local primary schools from around the Hertfordshire area, the students and teachers all took their places at the specially constructed marquee, housing an astounding 48 litres of milk and 14 kg of cereal for an attempt at  the title for the largest cereal breakfast attendance.

As children and adults alike settled into their seats the excitement was palpable.
Official Guinness World Records™ adjudicator Gaz Deaves was invited to the stage to explain the rules the sea of students eager to commence the Guinness World Records attempt.



286 spoons all lifted in unison to commence the Guinness World Records attempt followed by 10 minutes of the sound of children crunching crispy cereal and slurping of 50 litres of juice.

The day was a roaring success with the participants all walking away with Guinness World Records commemorative medals around their neck and the most important meal of the day in their tummies.


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7ft Amazon Eve Is The World's Tallest Model

SAY "world's highest in the 7ft model on a Goliath of a girl standing in high heels. 

5ft 4in himself on the eBay home, leaving the three towers of the formal beauty of our jaws Becky calls bikini-covered skyscrapers people. 

And Marketing 31-year-old Californian, "height" to see in London took us to his famous red telephone box into duck was struggling. 

It also dwarfed the above snap at our Big Ben, By. 

A photo may be cheating - but I spotted him strolling twopiece relatively small audience were staggered by its size. 

Luke Moran, 19, gasped: "I never in my life seen a tall woman. He absolutely amazing." 

House known as the lanky Yankee, a former wrestler who abandoned an acting career in Los Angeles, producers cast him as a monster or alien shall be held later. 

Now leggiest models - but I still find hard to get a boyfriend. 

Home, is currently the only, said: "She was taller than is used mainly for men to date. But they, and sparse, so I'm just out there are six men. 

"The shortest man ever went out was 5ft 4in. I can get. 

"I am, but I love British men. But you should be warned - I'm not very touchy." 

Home in England on an assignment in Amsterdam before going to a promotion, a 38DD bust, 29in waist and 40in leg has. 

6ft 8ins before he slips behind him, but is rarely seen without them. 

German and Dutch heritage home, it was because of his height, he said. 

Said: "All the women in my family is tall." 

Eve added: "People stare at me so far. It made me very shy and I used to be hiding. 

"I had a childhood much ridicule and has a very rugged, with people calling me names like Stretch. 

"Sports coaches were always close to me play basketball or volleyball, but never really enjoyed.

"I'm proud of my height and I can use it to advantage. I love modeling." 

Permanent home in London was asked to pose for souvenir snapshots of course tourists. 

Said: "This happens all the time. I get stopped everywhere to go and do not really care. This is a piece of work." 

Quickly became a fan of home equity. She gushed: "I love you here. Everything's so cute and small." 

Little Britain looks like he's never heard of.

 

 

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Meet the world's largest collection of clowns

For many people the idea of going to sleep in a room full of clowns would be the stuff of nightmares, but not Ortrud Kastaun.

That's because the 61-year-old from Germany has just been recognised by Guinness World Records for having the largest collection of clowns.

 

 

Ortrud, known to her friends as ‘Orty’, has been collecting model clowns for over 15 years, and in that time amassed 2,053 different models. 

The collection is so large Ortrud had to move to a larger flat to and even set up her own museum at her home in Essen, Germany. 

The retired civil servant says the clowns represent a transformation in her life, the collection being used as an aid to help her recover from the alcoholism she suffered from in her younger years.

"I remember being in therapy one day putting a jigsaw together.  The image was of a clown in a jack-in-the-box.  Something just clicked. From that I day on I begun collection clowns," she said.

Ortrud, who is so passionate about clowns that she has one as a tattoo, admits that her friends find the collection unsettling: “My friends will often ask me if find the clowns scary and I say ‘No’.

"I see the clowns as absolutely positive characters and as an aid to get over my alcoholism.  I think my friends understand and respect my enthusiasm."

LINKS
Guinness World Records    

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