Guinness World Record – Museum of the Weird

Posted on July 27, 2012 by MOTW Admin — 1 Comment

CAN YOU SURVIVE 30 MINUTES IN THE WORLD’S QUIETEST ROOM?

No one has lasted more than 45 minutes alone in the anechoic chamber, ever.

Ever have that moment after you’ve woken up in the middle of the night, where you try to lay back down for a peaceful nights sleep but start to hear all the little sounds of the room come to life? So much so that it gets to the point where the silence of the room is just too loud and you have to turn on a fan, or maybe the tv? Well, what if I told you there is a room so intensely quiet you can hear your own inner organs moving and pulsating? A room where the movement of your own ears and eyeballs are so loud its deafening?A place where you’ll even begin to hallucinate after just 30 minutes alone? Seems pretty creepy right?

It sounds like a some kind of weird torture room in a futuristic horror movie set on a spaceship, but it’s actually just a room that is able to completely eliminate background noise to allow researchers to test and accurately measure the true amount of sound electronic devices give off, used by film makers to record voice overs, and even used for vocals and musical instrumentation on songs. Just don’t go in alone…’cause then it gets weird.

Oddity Central writes:

The mad and hectic pace of life, sometimes makes us all crave some peace and quiet. But then, as they say, too much of a good thing can actually be bad for you. That applies to silence, as it turns out people can’t stand to be in the world’s quietest place for too long. The longest a person has lasted in there is 45 minutes.

The place I’m talking about is a room at Orfield Laboratories in South Minneapolis. The room, also known as the ‘anechoic chamber’, is 99.99% sound absorbent. The double-insulated walls are made of steel and foot-thick concrete. Along the walls are also 3.3-foot thick fiberglass acoustic wedges that contribute to the ultra-quietness. The room holds the current Guinness World Record for being the quietest place on Earth. While it does seem like a dream come true, especially for those who live with kids or have stressful jobs, it’s actually not all that great. The room gets so silent that you can actually hear your internal organs at work. And after a while, the hallucinations begin.

The founder and president of Orfield Labs, Steven Orfield says that people are challenged to sit in the chamber with all the lights out. There was this one reporter who managed to stay in there for 45 minutes. Mr. Orfield himself can do it for 30 minutes, in spite of his mechanical heart valve that becomes very loud inside the room. “When it’s quiet, ears will adapt,” he says. “The quieter the room, the more things you hear. You’ll hear your heart beating; sometimes you can hear your lungs, hear your stomach gurgling loudly. In the anechoic chamber, you become the sound.”

CROCODILE CAUGHT IN THE PHILIPPINES WAS LONGEST IN THE WORLD

This crocodile, caught in the phillipines some months ago, weighed over a ton.

Using steel traps and lots of courage, hunters if the town of Bunawan of the Southern Philippines were able to capture the longest crocodile in the world, and quite possibly the largest with it weighing well over a ton, according to Guinness World Records.

Sky News writes:

A seven metre-long crocodile has been confirmed as the largest in captivity.

Lolong weighs more than a ton, and has taken the top spot from an Australian crocodile which measured more than five metres, a Guinness World Records spokesman said.

The giant reptile has been blamed for a number of deadly attacks in a remote area in the southern Philippines and was eventually caught in the remote town of Bunawan.

It has become the star attraction of a new ecotourism park and research centre on the outskirts of the town and has drawn thousands of tourists since news of its capture spread.

Bunawan has earned £45,000 from the modest entrance fees at the park, with most of the money being used to feed and care for the crocodile.

The town’s mayor Edwin Cox Elorde said news of the record sparked celebrations, but said there are also concerns that more giant crocodiles might be lurking in a nearby marshland and creek where villagers fish.

“We’re really proud because it proves the rich biodiversity of our place but at the same time, there are fears that Lolong may not be alone,” he said.

NEW CONTENDER FOR WOLRDS SHORTEST MAN!

The newest person to vie for the spot of world's shortest man, Chandra Bahadur Dangi.

Each and everyday brings something new and fascinating when part of your job is googling “weird news”, and today’s no different!

Here we see Chandra Bahadur Dangi, possibly, the newest addition to the Guinness World Record Book for the title of “World’s Shortest Man”.

Living in Nepal, he’s been out of sight and unable to communicate with the world at large, which is why this is the first we’re hearing of him. Good luck to the man and the guinness officials heading out to his village right now to take the actual measurements.

Here’s some video of Chandra walking about in his village with some average sized friends:

The Huffington Post writes:

A 72-year-old man may soon have a new title: The world’s shortest man.

The man in question is Chandra Bahadur Dangi, who lives in a remote valley in southwestern Nepal, and, according to some sources is just 22 inches tall.

Officials from Guinness World Records are currently on their way to Dangi’s village to verify the claim or see if it’s just a tall tale.

While it might seem strange that someone as short as Dangi could go unnoticed for so long,MyRepublica.com claims that was because he lived in such a remote village with no access to communication.

WORLD’S MOST PIERCED WOMAN GETS MARRIED

When you have almost 7,000 rings already, what’s one more?

Deemed as the “world’s most pierced woman,” Elaine Davidson married Douglas Watson, a conservatively-dressed, piercing-free civil servant, at a low-key wedding ceremony in Scotland, theTelegraph is reporting. The Brazilian-born Davidson, 46, opted for a flowing white dress and floral tiara, but offset the traditional look by painting her face — already studded with 192 piercings — green, blue and yellow.

At a recent count, Davidson, who lives and works in Edinburgh, had 6,925 piercings, included 1,500 that are “internal,” according to the Daily Mail. Despite his bride’s unconventional look and lifestyle, Watson, 60, couldn’t help but gush after the 35-minute ceremony. “Elaine looked astonishing,” he said. “People see the piercings, but I see the amazing personality underneath. We have known each other for a long time.”

Davidson was reportedly first certified as a Guinness World Record holder in 2000, when she had only 462 piercings. According to her website, Davidson never removes the rings and studs, which she estimates weigh a total of three kilos, and insists she is able to sleep soundly with all of her piercings in place as there is no pain involved.