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This Man Came Up With 101 Uses For His Ex-Wife's Wedding Dress

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wedding dress

As Kevin Cotter tells the story, when his wife of 12 years moved out of their Tuscon, Ariz. home in 2009, she left behind just one thing: Her old wedding dress, pristinely preserved in his closet. 

"What do you expect me to do with it?" he asked. 

“Whatever the $%^@# you want,” she replied.

The comment hit a nerve, and a couple of months later Cotter and his family started joking about ways he could repurpose the gown. The frock had cost him nearly a grand anyway and seemed like such a waste just sitting in storage.

"It wasn't until a month later that my brother, Colin, encouraged me to bring it on a fishing trip," he said. "It was on this trip that it came out of its fancy box and we started putting it to work."

He started small, turning it into what must have been the world's most expensive Kleenex ever.

Then he and his brother got creative. It became a floor mat outside his buddy's camper and later, a sleeping bag.

From there, the ideas started to snowball. They started a blog chronicling the project and it wasn't long before he developed a massive following. A book deal soon followed and Cotter celebrated the release of 101 Uses For My Ex-Wife's Wedding Dress in October. 

Despite his success, Cotter said the project had nothing to do with revenge or bitterness. It was about creating something light out of a time that could have been quite dark.

We can get behind that. 

Snow camouflage: "We don't get a lot of snow here, but an hour drive away there's a mountain that gets snow every winter. The reaction was pretty good."



Scarecrow: "We had the dress set up, minus the head ... and when I saw the Darth Vader mask, I knew it was right."




Sumo Mawashi: "I think the wedding dress made a fine sumo mawashi. Although it was one of the later applications and did leave me a bit itchy."



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BIKINIS, PIERCINGS AND VIDEO GAMES: The Year In World Records

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australia bikinisIn our society people are always trying to out-do one another.

The Guinness World Records helps recognize some of these feats that are extraordinary and somewhat odd.

In 2011, a new world's tallest man and the world's shortest woman were crowned.

There were also records handed to fire breathers, video gamers and weird collectors.

The Tallest Living Man

Who: Sultan Kosen

What: An 8-foot-3 man

Where: Ankara, Turkey

When: Feb. 8



Most Torches Extinguished In 30 Seconds

Who:Hubertus Wawra

What: 39 torches extinguished in 30 seconds 

Where: Georgenthal, Germany

When: Feb. 21



Largest Collection Of Gnomes And Pixies

Who: Ann Atkin

What: 2,042 gnomes and pixies

Where: United Kingdom

When: March 25



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PHOTOS: A Strange New Guinness World Record Was Broken Last Night

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Guinness Book of World Records Curtseying, the london hotel

To generate excitement about the upcoming summer Olympic Games in London, London & Partners, the organization that promotes tourism for London, recently launched a campaign to break 20 Guinness World Records between now and the start of the games.

We were on hand at the London Hotel in New York last night when the group sought to set one of those records: The Guinness World Record of Longest Curtsey Relay.

The group of 80 men and women had five minutes to curtsey more than 150 times to break the record. 

The Guinness judicator and an etiquette expert walked around to ensure each curtsey was up to par and done correctly.

This was the scene when we arrived at the London Hotel. London & Partners lots of friends to the event.



Gordon Innes, CEO of London & Partners began the festivities by talking about what London & Partners has planned leading up to the games.



Then Mike Janela from Guinness got on stage and gave a presentation about some of the world records previously set.



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A 17-Year-Old Just Passed His Series 79 Making Him The 'World's Youngest Stockbroker'

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For all you Series 79 test-takers out there, marinate on this...

Seventeen year-old John Wang Clow is now the world's "youngest licensed stockbroker", according to the World Records Academy.

In August, at the tender age of 17 and 77 days to be exact, Clow passed his Series 79 with an 82 percent score after two months of studying.

UPDATE: While he holds the Guinness World Records title for "youngest licensed stockbroker,"  the Series 79 is actually an I-banking rep exam (PDF).

The exam is administered by the Financial Regulatory Authority and it tests aspiring investment bankers on M&As, buyouts, financial restructuring, public investment banking and refinancing.

According to Solomon Exam Prep, the Series 79 is one of the longest FINRA-administered exams consisting of 175 questions plus 10 additional un-scored questions given over a period of five hours.

The teenager, who attended prep school in New Hampshire, worked for his father's firm, Hina Group, last summer.

Clow could not immediately be reached for comment.

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The Crazy Life Of A 26-Year-Old Who Judges Guinness World Record Attempts

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mike janela, guinness world records adjudicator

Mike Janela speaks about measuring the world's largest ice cream sundae and meeting the world's strongest man with the same gravity that market analysts use to talk about commodities prices.

Janela, the Head of the U.S. Records Management Team at Guinness World Records in New York, travels the world as a "watchdog" for the world's most prestigious recordkeeping entity.

If you're trying to become a superlative, you're going to have to pass Janela's and his colleagues' watchful eye first.

We recently watched Janela oversee an attempt to break the most-consecutive curtsey record, an event sponsored by London tourism promoter London & Partners in anticipation of this summer's Olympic games, and talked to him about what it's like to have his job.

Getting the Gig

In many ways, Janela, 26, feels he's a perfect fit for Guinness, which has been around since 1955 and has headquarters in London. 

He's used to the roll of "a watchdog." Janela majored in broadcast journalism at Syracuse University and covered minor league baseball in North Carolina before moving back to New York to join the Guinness team.

"I didn't even know real people worked here," Janela said. "I just remembered the obsession everyone had with the book back in second grade."

The job was real, and gave him the opportunity to incorporate his passion for sports with a job in New York City.

Fortunately for Janela, he's comfortable in front of a crowd, a plus since he often has to entertain the masses while they're awaiting a record-breaking attempt. Sometimes he even does it in Portuguese or Spanish.

Learning Curve

Adjudicators must take multiple tests, practice presentations and familiarize themselves with past records before their three-month anniversary mark with the company, when they are sent out into the world to officiate record-breaking attempts. 

"The best way to learn how to adjudicate is going out and doing," Janela said. As for the first time he had to tell a group they didn't break a record"it's not my favorite part of the job," Janela said. "But people understand that the records have to be official and accurate, otherwise no one would take them seriously."

Adjudicators don't make appearances at every possible record-setting event. There are more than 50,000 record-breaking attempts made a year, but only around 1,500 of those succeed. To have an adjudicator appear at your record event, a fee is required. The adjudicator then makes a lively presentation and officiates the attempt.

mike janela, guinness world records adjudicatorFor highly-contested records, such as world's tallest or shortest man/woman, adjudicators are sent for free to ensure the accuracy of the record. (Fun fact: for the tallest and shortest records, the person must be measured three times, during the day and at night, laying down and standing up, and in the presence of a doctor.)

During the scorching summer months, record-breaking attempts hit a peak. Each member of 20-person New York office will be traveling at least twice a month.

Janela has been everywhere from Tokyo for a television spot, to the southernmost tip of Argentina for an adjudication. He's done more than 80 trips in the past year.

More than a Day Job

Throughout his travels, Janela has been drawn to many prospective record-breakers.

"They all have great stories, and are inspirational in one way or another," Janela said, adding that it's easy to become emotionally attached to them.

A few months ago, Janela flew to Puerto Rico to adjudicate a record for "most can tabs collected from aluminum cans in one year." It had been attempted by a village that planned to sell the melted-down aluminum to fund a new cardiovascular wing at the local hospital.

"The guy organizing it had people he lost to heart disease, and I showed up and there were millions of tabs everywhere, and they were counting them," Janela said. "Everyone has a story of 'my mother suffered from that, my father suffered from this,' and to think they are all coming together to turn a Guinness World Record feat into something that will help them in their personal lives, how can you not have your heart strings pulled by that?"

DON'T MISS: BIKINIS, PIERCINGS AND VIDEO GAMES: The Year In World Records >

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A Rockstar Violinist Was Just Named The Fastest Person On Earth

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ben lee fuseViolinist Ben Lee, who can play Flight of the Bumblebee at an average of 15 notes per second, is declared the quickest human on the planet.

Judges and scientists working on the Discovery Channel show Superhuman Showdown unanimously voted the 32-year-old musician the fastest superhuman on earth, after he beat off stiff competition from a speed shooter and a base jumper.

Ben and his fellow competitors were tested in a controlled environment and researchers used magnetic electrical pulses to measure the contestants' brain activity during their tasks.

Among those vying for the title were the world base race champion Frode Johannessen, who can 'fly' unassisted at 170pm and speed shooter Jerry Miculek who can fire eight rounds on four targets in 1.06 seconds.

Head spinner Aicho Ono, who can perform 135 head spins in one minute, and speed eater Pete Czerwinski, who is able to eat a 12 inch pizza in 34 seconds, also tried their best to win the coveted title.

Ben was thrilled to have been declared the winner: "It's taken tens of thousands of hours of practice to reach this speed but it definitely helped that my parents were musical and encouraged me to play."

He has played the violin since the age of five, and at 16 he was awarded Daily Telegraph Young Jazz Composer Of The Year. He has now insured his fingers for £3 million.

His record for playing Flight of the Bumblebee note perfect on the electric violin is 58.05 seconds.

Source: PA

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China Has Set Some Truly Insane World Records

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most needles in head china world record

It's no secret that China is competitive.

They have the fastest train in the world, a brand founded by the "Steve Jobs of China" that's actually beating Apple sales in China, not to mention all of their infamous knock-offs: Cities, art, and even famous buildings.

But China has also set some truly bizarre Guinness World Records. From the largest bottle of cooking oil to the most benches held in one man's mouth, China continues to outdo itself every year.

Here are 13 of the weirdest records China currently holds in the Guinness Book of World Records.

Abby Rogers also contributed to this story.

Wang Weibao set the record for longest duration balancing on four fingers at 19.23 seconds. Here he is warming up before setting the record in November 2008.

Source: Guinness Book of World Records



The record for most benches held between the teeth is 17 and was accomplished by Huang Changzhun on August 2011. The benches were all pre-stacked, and Changzhun balanced them for 10 seconds in his mouth.

Source: Guinness Book of World Records



Wei Shengchu holds the record for most needles on the head with 2,009. The number of needles corresponds to the date he set the record in Milan — April 11, 2009.

Source: Guinness Book of World Records



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This Incredible Rube Goldberg Machine Shows All Of World History

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This crazy contraption, created in 2011 by the Purdue Society of Professional Engineers, held the Guinness World Record for the largest Rube Goldberg Machine ever (before another team from Purdue smashed the record the next year.)

Named "Time Machine," the deliberately complicated device showed world history from the Big Bang to the impending apocalypse through 244 different steps lasting about 2 minutes.

Here are just a few of the highlights:

The device starts with the Big Bang when a ball drops down a ramp causing a popgun to fire.

Big Bang gif

Then we see evolution, where a rotating life form evolves as it crosses primordial ooze.

Evolution gif

At one of the cleverest points, a ball falls through trap doors spotted with dinosaurs, flipping them over to reveal skeletons — an animated mass extinction. The team even added a crater-hole from the "asteroid."

Dinosaurs gif

In the Ice Age, a tiny human figurine slides down a ramp, thus killing a less tiny Mammoth figurine.

Ice Age gif

Seconds later, a winding spool pulls some strings to construct the miraculous pyramids in Egypt.

Pyraminds gif

In the Medieval Era, a fan propels a ship across a wooden sea. It eventually falls off the edge, reminiscent of the Middle Ages' view that the world was flat.

World Is Flat gif

Then, a plane on a zip line drops a bomb during World War II.

Bombing gif

Below, a U.S. rockstship reaches the moon, causing a revolving apparatus to power a light bulb — which made Russia incredibly jealous.

Moon Landing gif

And then during the Technical Revolution, a makeshift mini-TV scrolls through pop culture icons.

TV gif

Lastly, the apocalypse comes. The entire machine starts "smoking" and a black curtain ascends.

Apocalypse gif

But there's still hope. A mystery box appears.

Mystery Box 2 gif

Ater watering, a tiny flower grows from the top — much like in the Lorax or WALL-E.

Flower gif

Check it out the full video here:

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A Chef Built The World's Largest Gingerbread Village In His Bronx Apartment [PHOTOS]

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GBL Front Street

By day, Jon Lovitch is the executive sous chef at the New York Marriott at the Brooklyn Bridge. But by night, he's the creator of what has become, officially, the largest gingerbread village in the world. 

With 164 separate structures that weigh in at a total of 1.5 tons, this isn't your typical gingerbread creation.

There's a school, town hall, egg nog distillery, pierogi store, hot chocolate brewery, and train station. Nearly 2,240 pounds of snow-like icing coat the miniature city.

GingerBread Lane 4

"GingerBread Lane" is on display at the New York Hall of Science in Queens now through mid-January, but preparation and construction is actually a yearlong process. Lovitch has dedicated about 1,500 hours of work to the village since February, baking each individual structure separately and storing them in an empty bedroom in his South Bronx apartment. 

The hard work has paid off — the Guinness Book of World Records has officially declared it the world's largest gingerbread village. 

And working on the festive project gives him a good break from his day job.

"Very little you prepare as a chef can last beyond a few days, and the products have to be as fresh as possible," Lovitch said to Business Insider. "Stuff with [GingerBread Lane] hits the floor, it's still used. If product breaks or has issues, I just reuse it. Also the taste with GBL is not relevant. At all. Only the smell."

Gingerbread Village 3

The display gets some pretty entertaining reactions from visitors, many of them small children. 

"They just stare in amazement, and wonderment," he said. "It's pretty flattering."

After all of that hard work, disassembling the village will be tough, but visitors who happen to be there may get a treat. 

"[It's] gutwrenching, makes you almost cry. When I go that day,I stare at it for an hour or more, just stare. Then finally force myself to tear it down," he said. "If there's a big crowd to take a piece home, the giveaway — it makes it so much easier."

Gingerbread Lane 2

SEE ALSO: The First-Ever Christmas Tree At Rockefeller Center Was Pretty Pathetic [PHOTO]

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Why South Korea's Yuna Kim Is Supposed To Crush Everyone In Olympic Figure Skating

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yuna kim

At the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, 19-year-old Korean figure skater Yuna Kim made history.

Known as the "Queen of the Rink," she broke three world records during the competition: both the highest scoring short and long programs for women which combined to create the highest figure skating score ever— 228.56 points.

If all goes well, Kim will win gold and her great fame in South Korea, the location of the 2018 games, will continue. Kim's gold isn't a definite though. Queen Yuna sat out much of this year and missed the Grand Prix with a foot injury. And then there's Yulia Lipnitskaya, the 15-year-old Russian phenom who blew everyone away in the team event.

But for now, let's relive her breathtaking performance from Vancouver and hope we get to similar perfection again Wednesday when the ladies' competition begins.

Kim performed her short routine to a James Bond medley. As the tempo built, she controlled her speed, leading up to her first move: a triple lutz and subsequent triple toe-loop, according to announcers

Yu Na Kim 1 gif

 Kim also incorporates feats of balance into her routines.

yuna kim

Her skill combined with syle and attitude made for a perfect performance.

yuna kim

For Kim's long routine, also known as free skating, she upped the difficulty and elegance. She skated to "Piano Concerto in F."Announcers said she "played it safe" by not performing this move, a triple-triple combination, in her first routine.

Yu Na Kim 5 gif 

Of course, she added the infamous triple axel. 

yuna kim

And once again, her grace on the ice was incredible.

yuna kim

 "Oh my goodness, this is glorious. It's one of the greatest Olympic performances I have ever seen," an announcer commented as Kim spun on one leg, beginning the end of her routine.

yuna kim

Yuna knew it, too.

yuna kim

In a book about her experiences as a world celebrity, Kim wrote, "If my performance falters, not only people around me but the whole nation might turn their back on me. She won the gold for her performance that day.

yuna kim gold

You can watch the video of Yuna Kim's record breaking Olympics on the IOC's YouTube page »

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If You Can Text This Bizarre Sentence In Less Than 18 Seconds You'll Break A World Record

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"The razor-toothed piranhas of the genera Serrasalmus and Pygocentrus are the most ferocious freshwater fish in the world. In reality they seldom attack a human."

That's the phrase you'd have to type on a smartphone's touch screen in less than 18.9 seconds to beat the current world record for fastest texter. 

TEXT

The title was just given to 15-year-old Marcel Fernandes Filho from Brazil. He came to New York on April 25th and edged out the previous record holder by just .36 seconds.

The teen told TODAY via email that he has been "fascinated by Guinness World Records" since childhood.

Teen Texter

He doesn't consider himself a texting addict, but interestingly, it was touchscreen-keyboard startup Fleksy, which touts itself as the fastest touchscreen keyboard in the world, that helped him break the record.

Filho used Fleksy on a Microsoft Phone to type the sentence and eventually claim the record as his own.

Here's the video from Fleksy, which TODAY featured:

 

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The World's Largest Video Game Collection Is Up For Sale

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video games new york

The Guinness-approved record holder for the largest video game collection in the world has decided for a trade-in.

Polygon reports that Michael Thomasson has decided to sell his gargantuan haul of video games and consoles that he has been collecting for decades.

This collection was declared to be the largest in the world by Guinness World Records when they counted 10,607 games at Michael’s residence back in December.

Thomasson claims he has purchased over 400 more titles since then, pushing the overall number of owned titles to 11,000+. How did Thomasson accumulate such a massive library? He operated seven gaming stories throughout the 1990s and early 2000s and has worked at a retail gaming chain for the past decade.

You can follow the bidding on this mother lode of gaming history at GameGavel. Michael Thomasson claims his collection is valued somewhere between $700,000 and $800,000. The auction’s undisclosed reserve price has not yet been met, but bidding has currently reached $98,500. Bidding ends one week from today on June 15.

Thomasson claims he has not given up on gaming — he actually teaches college courses on the subject. He is selling his collection for the sake of helping out his family. The collector mentioned he sold his entire library twice in the past and was able to rebuild his collection both times.

SEE ALSO: This Creative Video Mashes Up 'Game Of Thrones' With A Classic Nintendo Video Game

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A 60th Anniversary Guinness World Records Book Features The Oddest Achievements Ever

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afp long tongues and leaping cats in 60th world records book

London (AFP) - From super-long tongues to leaping cats, a host of weird and wacky landmarks have made the cut for the 60th anniversary edition of the Guinness World Records book out on Thursday.

The new edition will reflect on six decades of record-breaking, while also featuring the latest additions to the oddball hall of fame.

They include Californian Nick Stoeberl, possessor of the world's longest tongue at 10.1 centimetres (four inches).

British film buff Nick Bennett earned a place in the compendium for having the largest collection of James Bond memorabilia, with 12,463 items from model cars to posters contained in a shine in his house.

In Japan, Akiko Obata has the largest collection of plastic food, with more than 8,000 items including giant plastic burgers, donuts and dishes of everything from soup to desserts filling her apartment.

Meanwhile Alley of the United States takes the longest jump by a cat record, at an impressive six feet (1.83 metres). The white, black and ginger cat leapt the distance between two small platforms.

Brewers Guinness launched their famous records book in 1955 to settle disputes among drinkers.

Since then, more than 132 million copies of their annual compendium have been sold in 20 languages in more than 100 countries.

All the record attempts are assessed by adjudicators from the organisation.

New inclusions this year include Inke Siefker of San Francisco, who has the new record for furthest arrow shot on target with the use of feet (6.10 metres, 20 feet) -- done by operating a bow with her legs while standing on her hands.

Meanwhile Karsten Maas in Germany has invented the world's longest usable golf club at 14 feet and five inches (4.39 metres).

And Londoner Yannick Read who created the smallest known caravan -- measuring under 2.4 metres (seven feet, 10 inches) in length.

Other records included the most oceans rowed, awarded to Simon Chalk, and heaviest weight lifted with beard, taken by Antanas Kontrimas who picked up a woman attached by a harness to his grey beard.

Aside from the new records, the 2015 book looks back at records from the last 60 years including British runner Roger Bannister's sub-four-minute mile, the landspeed record and Michael Jackson's music industry landmarks.

"This is an important landmark edition for Guinness World Records, giving us the opportunity to look back at how records have changed over these six extraordinary decades," said editor Craig Glenday.

"Of course, we've still had to process around 50,000 claims in this past year alone, giving us plenty of new and updated records to choose from... and making it a really difficult task to decide what makes the final cut."

 

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Welcome To The Lightning Capital Of The World

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Lightning TownLAKE MARACAIBO Venezuela (Reuters) - When Venezuelan environmentalist Erik Quiroga was five years old, his mum showed him a spot on the horizon where magnificent lights appeared from a huge storm most nights, about 40 miles from his hometown of Valera at the foot of the Andes.

When his family moved to Lake Maracaibo four years later, the epicenter of that eternal storm, he met close-up what would become a lifelong passion: the Catatumbo Lightning.

"It amazed me. At nine, I fell in love with the lightning," Quiroga said in an interview.

As the years passed, Quiroga became an environmentalist and has spent two decades studying the cinematic natural phenomenon.Lightning TownThanks to his lobbying, this year the Catatumbo Lightning was approved for inclusion in the 2015 edition of Guinness World Records, dethroning the Congolese town of Kifuka as the place with the world's most lightning bolts per square kilometer each year at 250.

So what causes such a powerful storm to develop in the same spot, up to 300 nights a year?

Scientists think the Catatumbo, named for a river that runs into the lake, is normal lightning that just happens to occur far more than anywhere else, due to local topography and wind patterns.

Lake Maracaibo basin is surrounded by mountains that trap warm trade winds coming off the Caribbean. These winds crash into cool air spilling down from the Andes, forcing them up until they condense into thunderclouds creating an average 28 lightning strikes per minute across a wide area - an energy burst that could power all the lightbulbs in Latin America.Lightning TownHistory books show the lightning has played a significant role in Venezuelan history, helping thwart at least two nocturnal invasions of the country.The first attempt was in 1595 when it illuminated ships led by Sir Francis Drake of England, revealing his surprise attack to Spanish soldiers in Maracaibo. The other was during the Venezuelan War of Independence in 1823, when it betrayed a Spanish fleet trying to sneak ashore.

Quiroga, now 64, said the Catatumbo helps regenerate the ozone layer, based on a study led by Harvard University.

Despite its fame, the nearby villages of Ologa and Congo Mirador barely receive any tourists.Lightning TownIn 1981, then-surfer Alan Highton came to Venezuela from his native Barbados, in love with a local girl. Years later, working as a tour guide in the Andes, he too saw the Catatumbo Lightning, but said: "I didn't know it was anything special."

It was not until 1995, when he reached Lake Maracaibo on a visit to see its colorful houses on stilts when he was captivated by the phenomenon. The early explorers described the region as a "Little Venice," thereby giving rise to the name Venezuela.Lightning TownHighton bought a stilt house on the lake and started to bring visitors to see the lightning. "We're working on trying to get the world to know more about Venezuela," said the 51-year-old entomologist on the porch of his home.

Despite its natural beauty, Venezuela received just 1.2 million tourists last year, while neighboring Colombia welcomed nearly 4 million.

"There's still much to do," said Highton, crossing his arms shortly after dark, as the latest storm began to gather.

(Writing by Diego Ore, editing by Andrew Cawthorne)

SEE ALSO: Norway's Island Prison For Violent Criminals Looks Like No Prison We've Ever Seen

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Volunteers in Ecuador just planted 647,250 trees – in one day.

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Volunteers participate in a reforestation campaign in Catequilla, Ecuador on May 16, 2015

Catequilla (Ecuador) (AFP) - Ecuador broke the world record for reforestation Saturday, as thousands of people pitched in to plant 647,250 trees in a single day, President Rafael Correa said.

"I have just been informed that we have broken the Guinness record for reforestation," the president said in his weekly address. 

He said several different species were planted and that the reforestation efforts took place all over Ecuador, which boasts varied geography from its Pacific coast, high Andean peaks and low Amazon basin.

Environment Minister Lorena Tapia said on Twitter that 44,883 people planted the trees on more than 2,000 hectares of land.

The record, set just last year, apparently was taken from a group in the Philippines, Guinness said.

Scientists believe planting trees helps offset carbon buildup, as they sequester carbon dioxide emissions from the atmosphere and help to reduce global warming. 

Ecuador holds several other world records, including the most plastic bottles recycled in one week and the most people buried in sand simultaneously, according to Guinness.

SEE ALSO: Huge ice shelves in Antarctica are close to 'complete disintegration'

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NOW WATCH: Scientists Are Planting A Forest Of Prehistoric Trees — And They Won't Tell Anyone Where Exactly It Is


This Oregon cat just set a world record for being the oldest pet feline at 26 years and 13 days

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Corduroy, the new

(Reuters) - An Oregon cat with a fondness for sharp cheddar and catching mice has become the oldest pet feline in the world at 26 years and 13 days, Guinness World Records officials said on Thursday.

Corduroy lives in the rural community of Sisters, Oregon, about 100 miles (160 km) southeast of Portland, and spends plenty of time outside, the organization said in a statement.

Since kittenhood, Corduroy has lived with owner Ashley Reed Okura, who was only seven years old when the cat entered her life, Guinness officials said.

"The secret has been allowing him to be a cat — hunting and getting plenty of love," Reed Okura said in a statement.

Aside from chasing mice, the cat also likes to eat cheddar cheese, according to Guinness officials.

The previous record-holder was a San Diego feline named Tiffany Two, who was 26 years and 204 days old when she died on June 3, the officials said.

Kristen Ott, a spokeswoman for Guinness World Records, acknowledged that an older cat than Corduroy might be out there. To hold the record, an owner must submit evidence such as video recordings of a pet feline throughout the decades, as well as witness statements. 

(Reporting by Alex Dobuzinskis in Los Angeles; Editing by Daniel Wallis and Sandra Maler)

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This is the world's oldest pet cat

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Corduroy, the new

(Reuters) - An Oregon cat with a fondness for sharp cheddar and catching mice has become the oldest pet feline in the world at 26 years and 13 days, Guinness World Records officials said on Thursday.

Corduroy lives in the rural community of Sisters, Oregon, about 100 miles (160 km) southeast of Portland, and spends plenty of time outside, the organization said in a statement.

Since kittenhood, Corduroy has lived with owner Ashley Reed Okura, who was only seven years old when the cat entered her life, Guinness officials said.

"The secret has been allowing him to be a cat - hunting and getting plenty of love," Reed Okura said in a statement.

Aside from chasing mice, the cat also likes to eat cheddar cheese, according to Guinness officials.

The previous record-holder was a San Diego feline named Tiffany Two, who was 26 years and 204 days old when she died on June 3, the officials said.

Kristen Ott, a spokeswoman for Guinness World Records, acknowledged that an older cat than Corduroy might be out there. To hold the record, an owner must submit evidence such as video recordings of a pet feline throughout the decades, as well as witness statements.

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NOW WATCH: Here's Why Cats Are Obsessed With Boxes

Here's the story behind the 58-letter town name in Wales that everyone is talking about

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Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch railway station signDespite looking like what happens when someone falls asleep on their keyboard, Llanfairpwll-gwyngyllgogerychwyrndrob-wllllantysiliogogogoch is actually the name of a town.

Yes, it's 58 letters long, though you can also call it Llanfairpwll, or Llanfair PG for short.

The tiny town on the island of Anglesey in Wales recently made headlines when Liam Dutton, a UK weatherman, pronounced it during a live report without skipping a beat.

It is the longest town name in Europe — and second only to an 85 letter-long place in New Zealand.

The Welsh village has around 3,100 inhabitants, of which around 70% speak Welsh — a language is said to be dying out, as only around 19% of Wales residents speak the language. They probably have to, just to say where they’re from.

The tongue-twisting name actually only has 51 letters in Welsh, as "ch" and "ll" are are considered single letters in the language.

Either way, the name is pretty descriptive — it basically tells you the town's exact location, standing for Saint Mary's Church in the hollow of the white hazel near a rapid whirlpool and the Church of St. Tysilio of the red cave.

Llanfair_Church

Let's break that down:  Parish [church] of [St.] Mary (Llanfair) [in] Hollow (pwll) of the White Hazel [township] (gwyn gyll) near (go ger) the rapid whirlpool (y chwyrn drobwll) [and] the parish [church] of [St.] Tysilio (Llantysilio) with a red cave ([a]g ogo[f] goch).

Apparently, the town originally had a shorter name (and dates back to the Neolithic period; 4,000-2,000BC), but added a ton of syllables to attract tourists.

However, there's not really a whole lot to do in Llanfairpwll — which only has a few places to stay and eat — apart from gawking at the train station, which features the town's name in all its glory.

Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch signWhile the weatherman may have put LPG back on the map, the town is no stranger to being part of pop culture. Super Furry Animals named their debut E.P. Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgoger-ychwyndrobwllantysil-iogogogochynygofod (in space), Yeasayer referenced the town in their song "Red Cave,” and it is featured in movies like Barbarella and The Road to Hong Kong.

Another fun fact: Actress Naomi Watts briefly lived their with her grandfather, and can pronounce the name of the town perfectly.

SEE ALSO: 15 cultural faux pas you should avoid making in London

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The most incredible world records of 2015

112-year-old Israeli Holocaust survivor could be the world's oldest man

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A picture taken on January 21, 2016, shows Yisrael Kristal sitting in his home in the Israeli city of Haifa

An Israeli Holocaust survivor may be the world's oldest man at 112, Guinness World Records said Thursday, providing he can find the documents to prove it.

His family say Yisrael Kristal was born in Poland on September 15, 1903, three months before the Wright brothers took the first aeroplane flight.

He lived in the country until the Nazi occupation during World War II, when he was eventually sent to the Auschwitz death camp.

Robert Young, senior consultant for gerontology at Guinness World Records, confirmed that if proven, he would become the oldest man currently on record.

To do so, however, Kristal would have to produce documents from the early years of his life. Currently, the family have said the oldest document they have is from his wedding aged 25.

"We have standard rules and it would be unfair on other people if we bent the rules," Young told AFP, while expressing sympathy for Kristal’s circumstances.

The best hope for finding the missing proof may be in the town of Zarnov where he was born. 

The family later moved to Lodz, where Kristal worked in his family's confectionary factory.

When the Jewish quarter of the city became a ghetto under Nazi occupation, Kristal was eventually sent to the infamous Nazi death camp Auschwitz.

His wife died but he survived, weighing just 37 kilos (81 pounds) at the end of the war, daughter Shula Kuperstoch said. 

"But he gained the strength and then eventually travelled to Israel."

He moved to the northern Israeli city of Haifa and opened a sweet shop, marrying again.

Kristal himself did not give interviews as his health is frail, but Kuperstoch says he is in good spirits.

"He is a very positive man, very optimistic and with a good heart," she said.

In a 2014 interview with Israeli media, Kristal was once asked what he ate to live so long.

"There wasn't always food in the camps. I ate what I was given. I eat to live, and I don’t live to eat," he said.

He also recalled throwing candy at the Emperor of Austria before World War I.

The previous oldest man, Yasutaro Koide of Japan, died on Tuesday at the age of 112. 

The oldest living woman, at 116 years old, is Susannah Mushatt Jones, who was born on July 6, 1899.

Jeanne Louise Calment, who died in 1997, was the oldest verified person ever -- passing away in France aged 122 years and 164 days. 

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