Dancing robots, Da Vinci and a dunking bunny: The year in world records

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Dancing robots, Da Vinci and a dunking bunny: The year in world records By Eric Grundhauser, Atlas Obscura, adapted by Newsela staff on 12.22.

1 Dancing robots, Da Vinci and a dunking bunny: The year in world records By Eric Grundhauser, Atlas Obscura, adapted by Newsela staff on Word Count 1,007 Level MAX Image 1: Bini the Bunny holds the title for the most basketball slam dunks done in one minute by a rabbit. Photo from Guinness World Records. This year, people all over the globe broke records, reached new heights and did silly things to ensure their immortality at least until someone comes along to top them. Since people make up new world records faster than established ones are broken, there is no way to catalog here all of the year s singular achievements. Here are some of our favorites. They re all monuments to achievement (human and otherwise), in their own ways. Take a few minutes to bask in some unusual successes. This article is available at 5 reading levels at 1

Fastest Circumnavigation By Bicycle It famously took Jules Verne s fictional adventurer Phileas Fogg 80 days to travel around the world via an assortment of conveyances.

2 Fastest Circumnavigation By Bicycle It famously took Jules Verne s fictional adventurer Phileas Fogg 80 days to travel around the world via an assortment of conveyances. But it took British cyclist Mark Beaumont just 79 technically 78 days, 14 hours, 40 minutes. Beaumont cycled from France to France with mindboggling speed. Taking plane rides between continents, he covered some 18,000 miles to best Verne s classic fictional record. Sometimes reality is stranger than fiction. In this case, it was just faster. Largest Collection Of Flamingo-Related Items There were a number of collections that earned the title of world s largest this year, including of both X-Men and Batman memorabilia. But the Official Florida Flamingo Museum stands above the rest not only for being delightfully specific, but also for being one of the longer-running collections. Starting in 1969, the proprietor of the museum has been hoarding flamingo tchotchkes. Earlier this year it reaffirmed its place as the world s largest such collection. The museum continues to grow, putting the record further and further out of reach. This article is available at 5 reading levels at 2

Most Robots Dancing Simultaneously In the near future, the sight of more than a thousand robots moving in lockstep will probably be cause for no small amount of alarm.

3 Most Robots Dancing Simultaneously In the near future, the sight of more than a thousand robots moving in lockstep will probably be cause for no small amount of alarm. This year, however, it was kind of delightful. To break the world record for the most robots all dancing at the same time, China s WL Intelligent Technology Co. set up 1,069 small humanoid robots and programmed them to bust a simultaneous move. Most Time With Face And Head Fully Covered In Living Bees Despite sounding like a bizarre form of torture, the stunt known as bee-bearding has been around for over a hundred years. The spectacle involves hanging a queen bee near your chin and allowing thousands of other bees to swarm your face. This creates a writhing beard of bees. Earlier this year a Canadian man wore one for longer than anyone else on record: 61 minutes. It was a promotional stunt for a movie called Blood Honey. This article is available at 5 reading levels at 3

Most Bird Species In An Aviary There are bird sanctuaries, and then there is Shuka Vana. This sanctuary in Mysuru, India, is sometimes called the Forest of Parrots.

4 Most Bird Species In An Aviary There are bird sanctuaries, and then there is Shuka Vana. This sanctuary in Mysuru, India, is sometimes called the Forest of Parrots. It has garnered the world record for having the most species of birds. Some 2,000 birds live there, representing 468 different species. They include cockatoos, conures and parrots, among others. Largest Gathering Of People Dressed As Scientists This world record that isn t likely to be broken, thanks to its sheer silliness! A group of Salt Lake City employees of a multi-level marketing company gathered to set the record for most people dressed as scientists. An incredible 893 took part. Each was clad in a white lab coat and goggles, and carrying a beaker or vial. Who needs a PhD when you have the right accessories? As we wrote earlier this year, this world record wasn t very scientific, but it looked the part. This article is available at 5 reading levels at 4

5 Most Expensive Artwork Ever The incredible sale of a Leonardo da Vinci painting for more than $450 million was probably the biggest auction story of the year. The painting is the most expensive piece of art ever sold. It was expected to go for big bucks, but the final price still came as a shock to many. The buyer was identified by The New York Times as Saudi prince Bader bin Abdullah bin Mohammed bin Farhan al-saud. The painting is set to go on display in the Louvre Abu Dhabi. There, it will presumably be much cheaper to see. Tons Of Records Set During The London Marathon For the past 11 years, the Guinness Book of World Records has teamed with the London Marathon. Together, they create a sort of free-for-all of marathon-related records. At this year's marathon, 40 records were set! They included Fastest Marathon Dressed as a Crustacean and Fastest Marathon in a Two-Person Costume. If you can run 26.2 miles and want to break a record in 2018, the London Marathon will be the place to be. Longest Time To Spray Water From The Mouth Spitting is gross. But watching a guy push a stream of water out of his mouth continuously for almost a minute straight is strangely impressive. Officially, the record broken by Ethiopia s Kirubel Yilma is Longest Time to Spray Water From the Mouth. But really it should be World s Most Impressive Human Fountain. After taking in a few bottles of water, and strategically somehow storing the liquid in his body, Yilma craned his neck and pushed it all back out. His feat lasted seconds. To some this might seem a bit gross, but considering that many people can t even hold their breath for a minute, the medical student deserves all the recognition he gets. Most Basketball Slam Dunks In One Minute By A Rabbit Our award for most adorable, absurd and life-affirming world record of the year goes to... Bini the Bunny! He set the record for most slam dunks by a rabbit this year. Bini landed an incredible seven dunks in one minute. This article is available at 5 reading levels at 5

6 Quiz 1 Which selection from the article suggests that most people would be unable to set one of the world records because of an inability to hold their breath? There were a number of collections that earned the title of world s largest this year, including of both X-Men and Batman memorabilia. But the Official Florida Flamingo Museum stands above the rest not only for being delightfully specific, but also for being one of the longer-running collections. Starting in 1969, the proprietor of the museum has been hoarding flamingo tchotchkes. Earlier this year it reaffirmed its place as the world s largest such collection. Despite sounding like a bizarre form of torture, the stunt known as bee-bearding has been around for over a hundred years. The spectacle involves hanging a queen bee near your chin and allowing thousands of other bees to swarm your face. This creates a writhing beard of bees. Earlier this year a Canadian man wore one for longer than anyone else on record: 61 minutes. It was a promotional stunt for a movie called "Blood Honey." The incredible sale of a Leonardo da Vinci painting for more than $450 million was probably the biggest auction story of the year. The painting is the most expensive piece of art ever sold. It was expected to go for big bucks, but the final price still came as a shock to many. The buyer was identified by The New York Times as Saudi prince Bader bin Abdullah bin Mohammed bin Farhan al-saud. The painting is set to go on display in the Louvre Abu Dhabi. Spitting is gross. But watching a guy push a stream of water out of his mouth continuously for almost a minute straight is strangely impressive. Officially, the record broken by Ethiopia s Kirubel Yilma is Longest Time to Spray Water From the Mouth. But really it should be World s Most Impressive Human Fountain. After taking in a few bottles of water, and strategically somehow storing the liquid in his body, Yilma craned his neck and pushed it all back out. This article is available at 5 reading levels at 6

7 2 Read the section "Most Time With Face And Head Fully Covered In Living Bees." Which sentence from the section supports the inference that this record might not have been set had it not been to create news for another event? Despite sounding like a bizarre form of torture, the stunt known as bee-bearding has been around for over a hundred years. The spectacle involves hanging a queen bee near your chin and allowing thousands of other bees to swarm your face. Earlier this year a Canadian man wore one for longer than anyone else on record: 61 minutes. It was a promotional stunt for a movie called Blood Honey. 3 Which sentence from the article would be MOST important to include in a summary of the article? This year, people all over the globe broke records, reached new heights and did silly things to ensure their immortality at least until someone comes along to top them. They re all monuments to achievement (human and otherwise), in their own ways. Taking plane rides between continents, he covered some 18,000 miles to best Verne s classic fictional record. A group of Salt Lake City employees of a multi-level marketing company gathered to set the record for most people dressed as scientists. 4 Which statement is a MAIN idea of the article? Kirubel Yilma was able to spit out water from his mouth for seconds. A rabbit set a record for seven slam dunks in one minute. This year was a year for many incredible and unusual records. A man kept a "bee beard" on his face for 61 minutes. This article is available at 5 reading levels at 7

78 Days...2 Wheels...1 Cyclist!

THE ENGLISH NEWS WEEKLY PODCAST 06/11/2015 SEPTEMBER The Emotional Robot 1 of 13 22 2017 EP I SO D E 308 FLASHBACK ENW 102: A 40,000 KM TREK! 78 Days...2 Wheels...1 Cyclist! ENW 308 Introduction This week