15 Longest Anything: From Hiccups to Hair
Human beings have always been fascinated by extremes—the biggest, fastest, strongest, and, of course, the longest. These record-breaking feats capture our imagination, inspiring awe at what’s physically possible and sometimes making us wonder about the dedication, luck, or misfortune involved.
Whether achieved through deliberate effort or experienced as an unintended condition, these extraordinary records show just how variable the human experience can be. Here is a list of 15 remarkable ‘longest’ records that demonstrate the fascinating extremes of human experience and achievement.
Longest Hiccups
Charles Osborne from Iowa holds the unenviable record for the longest bout of hiccups, lasting an incredible 68 years from 1922 to 1990. His hiccups began while weighing a hog for slaughter and continued at a rate of about 20 per minute, eventually slowing to around 20-25 per hour.
Remarkably, Osborne adapted to his condition, getting married twice and fathering eight children despite his persistent hiccups that finally stopped mysteriously just one year before his death at age 97.
Longest Hair
The longest documented hair belongs to Xie Qiuping from China, whose hair measured 18 feet 5 inches when last measured in 2004. She began growing her hair at age 13 in 1973, maintaining this extraordinary length through careful daily maintenance that takes several hours.
Caring for such lengthy locks requires special washing techniques and protective styling to prevent tangling, with the weight of the hair itself presenting physical challenges for neck and back muscles.
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Longest Fingernails
Shridhar Chillal from India grew the longest fingernails ever recorded on a single hand, reaching a combined length of about 29 feet 10 inches before finally cutting them in 2018. He grew his left-hand nails for 66 years, beginning in 1952 after being scolded by a teacher for breaking one of the teacher’s nails.
The extraordinary length forced him to adapt his daily activities significantly, including sleeping in specialized positions to protect his brittle nails from breaking.
Longest Time Without Sleep
Randy Gardner set the scientifically documented record for the longest time without sleep when he stayed awake for 264 hours (11 days) in 1964 as part of a high school science project. Monitored by researchers, Gardner experienced mood changes, concentration problems, paranoia, and hallucinations during the experiment.
This dangerous record attempt is now discouraged by record-keeping organizations due to the serious health risks associated with extreme sleep deprivation.
Longest Marriage
Herbert and Zelmyra Fisher held the Guinness World Record for the longest marriage, staying wed for almost 87 years from 1924 until Herbert’s death in 2011. The North Carolina couple witnessed incredible historical events together, from the Great Depression through two World Wars and the dawn of the internet age.
When asked for their secret to such a long-lasting union, they simply stated they never went to bed angry and always worked through disagreements with respect and communication.
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Longest Human Tunnel Traveled
Illusionist David Blaine holds the record for the longest human tunnel traveled through by a skateboarding person, moving through a tunnel of 100 people lined up with legs apart in New York City. The stunt, performed in 2016, required precision balance and control to navigate the extended human path without crashing.
This unusual record category demonstrates how record-keeping organizations continue creating new categories to accommodate increasingly creative human achievements.
Longest Breath Hold
Aleix Segura Vendrell from Spain set the incredible record for the longest breath hold, remaining underwater for 24 minutes and 3 seconds in 2016. This extraordinary feat involved special preparation using oxygen to saturate his body before the attempt, technically making it a ‘static apnea with pure oxygen’ record.
Without pre-breathing pure oxygen, the record stands at 11 minutes and 35 seconds, still an astonishing achievement showcasing the body’s adaptability under extreme conditions.
Longest Name
The longest personal name ever used belongs to Hubert Blaine Wolfeschlegelsteinhausenbergerdorff Sr., with a full surname containing 747 characters. The German-born Philadelphia resident commonly went by Hubert Wolfe+585 Sr., using the number to indicate the additional letters in his surname.
His extraordinary name has been featured in the Guinness Book of World Records and represents an extreme example of Germanic compound naming traditions taken to a fascinating excess.
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Longest Journey by Taxi
Three friends—Paul Archer, Johno Ellison, and Leigh Purnell—completed the longest journey by taxi, traveling 43,319 miles in a 20-year-old London black cab named Hannah. Their 2011-2012 adventure spanned 50 countries across four continents, raising money for charity while setting an unusual record.
The taxi required numerous repairs throughout the journey but completed the entire trip, demonstrating the surprising durability of a vehicle designed primarily for urban transportation.
Longest Time Buried Alive
Geoff Smith from the UK spent 150 days buried in a coffin beneath the beer garden of a pub in 1998, setting the record for the longest time buried alive. The coffin included a tube for food and water, while a toilet pipe allowed for waste removal during his extended subterranean stay.
Smith passed the time reading books and listening to the radio, emerging from his voluntary confinement having lost considerable weight but otherwise in reasonable health despite the extreme psychological challenge.
Longest Ears
Luo Fuxing from China holds the record for the longest ears, with each earlobe stretching to 4.3 inches in length. His unusually long earlobes are partly natural and partly the result of specialized weights he attached to them over many years.
In his local culture, long ears are traditionally associated with wisdom and good fortune, motivating his unusual body modification journey that has turned him into something of a local celebrity.
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Longest Nose
Mehmet Özyürek from Turkey has the world’s longest nose, measuring 3.46 inches from bridge to tip. His extraordinary nose has been verified multiple times by Guinness World Records, most recently in 2010.
While sometimes drawing unwanted attention, Özyürek has embraced his distinctive facial feature, even appearing on television programs to showcase what he calls his ‘heritage from his father and ancestors’ with good humor and pride.
Longest Time Spent Watching Television
Alejandro Fragoso and Molly Ennis set the record for the longest television binge-watching marathon, spending 94 hours continuously viewing shows. The 2016 achievement required them to watch programming without looking away from the screen for more than five seconds at a time, with only short breaks permitted every eight hours.
The pair reported hallucinations and body pain during the final stretch of their viewing marathon, which tested mental endurance as much as physical stamina.
Longest Fingertip Whistle
Jennifer Davies from the UK produced the longest fingertip whistle, sustaining the piercing sound for 27 seconds on a single breath. This unusual record category measures a person’s ability to create the loud whistle produced by placing fingers in the mouth while controlling breath with exceptional precision.
Davies achieved the record in 2013 after practicing the technique for years, demonstrating how even seemingly minor skills can be developed to record-breaking levels with sufficient dedication.
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Longest Documented Headstand
Yogi Paranjape of India set the record for the longest headstand, maintaining the inverted position for 10 hours and 8 minutes in 1986. Requiring extraordinary core strength, balance, and circulation adaptation, this feat demonstrates the physical control possible through dedicated yoga practice.
Paranjape reportedly trained for years to achieve the necessary physical conditioning and mental focus, showcasing how ancient yoga techniques can be pushed to modern extremes.
Beyond Measure
These record-breaking achievements represent just a tiny fraction of the countless ways humans push boundaries and explore the extremes of endurance, growth, and peculiarity. Some records arise from deliberate attempts while others occur through circumstance or natural variation, yet all speak to our species’ remarkable diversity and adaptability.
Whether inspiring, amusing, or occasionally concerning, these ‘longest’ records provide a unique window into human potential and perseverance. They remind us that extraordinariness comes in countless forms—from the length of our hair to the endurance of our relationships—proving that when it comes to the human experience, there will always be new boundaries to explore and records waiting to be broken.
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