Do you know what a world record is? The tallest tree in the world is 116.07 metres. The oldest living person in the world is 117 years old. The longest fingernail in the world is 186.6 cm long. These are all world records.
Guinness World Records keep track of records. It is the brainchild of an English engineer. He wanted to know which was the fastest bird in Europe. But he did not know where to look. He thought that a book showing all records might be useful.
The reference book was created in 1955. There is a new book every year. The book holds a world record itself! It is the best-selling copyrighted book of all time.
A lot of word records reward people who persevere. Imagine you are playing with a soccer ball one day. Imagine you are balancing the soccer ball on your head. How long can you balance the soccer ball without dropping it? Imagine you do it for one minute without dropping it. That's a long time. You might wonder if you set a world record.
Well that is what the book is for. This world record was set by Arash Ahmadi Tifakani. He is a champion soccer ball juggler. He kept a ball on his head for over 8 hours. You will need to keep practicing if you want to break the record!
If you want to set a record, you must apply. You tell the company that you want to try to break a record. They will send an adjudicator to watch you. They will verify that you broke the record. If you succeed, you will get a certificate. You will appear in their reference book.
Some world records are no longer in the books. They do not include the heaviest pets. They do not include some animal sports. They only include ethical achievements.
There are many kinds of world records. Some world records tell you about the biggest things in the world. Some world records tell you about the fastest things in the world. What kind of world record could you set?