Thailand sells herself as the “Land of Smiles”, but she could just as well be the “Land of World Records”. In 2009 alone, the south-east Asian nation has given Guinness World Records™ the tallest girl, the largest aqua-aerobics display (both adjudicated) and somewhat stranger records, such as the longest duration living with scorpions (a frightening 33 days). Even Thailand’s most revered figure is in on the act. On 9 June 2009, King Bhumibol Adulyadej (Rama IX) celeberated 63 years since his coronation; he is the longest-reigning monarch alive.
Thai Yahama Motor Co., Ltd, followed the record-breaking trend on 8 August 2009 when they invited Guinness World Records Adjudicator Ralph Hannah to Nakorn Nayok province for an attempt to set the new record for the largestparade of automatic motorcycles. Automatic motorcycles have become incredibly popular with Thai teenagers, both because they are easy to use and for their stylish designs. The Yamaha Fino is arguably the most popular model in Thailand and this record attempt was organized specifically for Fino enthusiasts, who travelled from all over the country to attend the event.
The Guinness World Records guidelines state that the parade must extend for at least 3.2 km (2 miles) and there can be no significant gaps between each participating motorcycle. This parade was over 5 km (3.1 miles), long with the finish point being the picturesque Khun Dan Prakarnchon Dam. Ralph counted all the motorcycles as they finished the parade and ensured there were no significant gaps between them. Despite the rainy conditions – it is currently monsoon season in Thailand – exactly 2,474 Yamaha Finos took part in the parade, which was more than enough to set a new Guinness World Records record!
At the Fino rainy music festival, organized for all the parade participants and other Fino fans later that evening, Ralph presented the certificate to all the top management at Thai Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd, who after several months of hard work and organization had realized their dream of a new Guinness World Records achievement: the largest parade of automatic motorcycles.
Tallest Dog Gibson Dies from Cancer:
A few months ago we wrote that Gibson, the tallest dog in the world, had sadly lost a leg to osteosarcoma, a form of canine bone cancer. Although terrible news, we were pleased to hear that, nevertheless, our big canine friend was doing well and seemed to be on the road to recovery. Unfortunately, we have recently learned that Gibson has lost his fight with cancer and has passed away.
"We will miss Gibson very much as he was a wonderful record-holder and a memorable member of the Guinness World Records family" said Stuart Claxton of Guinness World Records. "We extend our condolences to his owner Sandy Hall with whom we shared many happy moments as we celebrated Gibson and his record all over the world".
Gibson, a 7-year-old Harlequin Great Dane and Guinness World Record holder for the world’s Tallest Dog (42.2 in tall) passed away from cancer on Friday, Aug. 7 2009 near Sacramento, California, USA.
Heaviest Item Airlifted:
Antonov airlines are continuing to break records with their very impressive Antonov 225 aircraft – also known as “Myria”, meaning “dream”. This incredible plane already holds a number of records, including that of the only plane to have a maximum take-off weight of over 600 tonnes and the plane with the widest wing-span, at 88.4 m (290 ft).
Antonov airways were the current holders of the record for the heaviest item airlifted: in 1993, the Antonov 124 carried an item (which must be a single piece not requiring further assembly) weighing 126 tonnes (124 tons). The Antonov 124 and 225 aircraft specialize in lifting heavy cargo, though they require a runway capable of accommodating adequate landing space as these are extremely large and heavy aircraft.
The crowds had started gathering before myself and the commercial director of Antonov airlines, Mr Valery Kulbaka, arrived at 9:30 a.m. Once two cranes had taken the weight of the cargo, which was a generator needed in a power plant in Armenia, I measured its weight; at a staggering 190.6 tonnes (187.6 tons), it was indeed the heaviest item ever prepared to be airlifted. This was just the start of the operation, though: there followed a very intense and complicated process to get the item loaded into the massive 225. Many countries had been involved in getting the generator to Germany’s Frankfurt Hahn airport, where this record attempt took place; all worked extremely well together and the operation went according to plan.
After they managed to load the generator carefully onto the specially prepared ramp, which had to be set at precisely 2.5 degrees, the team proceeded to winch the 187.6-ton item slowly into the aircraft. Once it was fixed in place inside the aircraft, the Antonov team received a round of applause from the onlooking crowd. The record was not broken yet, though, as the aircraft still had to become airborne.
The crew continued to work extremely hard to get everything in place ready for take-off. By now it was past 11 p.m., but crowds of people were still flocking to the airport to get a view of this record-breaking lift-off.
Myself and Mr Kulbaka, accompanied by all the press teams, headed towards the end of the runway where the 225 was set to take off – and take off it did, the plane leaving the runway with a smooth elegance and grace, giving every appearance of being weight free. I then presented Mr Kulbaka with his well-deserved Guinness World Records™ certificate in front of the media; the onlooking crowds pressed up against the fences to witness this historical moment.
Longest catwalk:
On 1 August 2009, at the Centro de las Artes Centenario in San Luis Potosi, Mexico, a fashion show was performed on the longest catwalk ever walked. Each one of the 81 models walked a distance of 1,320.45 m (4,332 ft 2 in), surpassing the previous record of 1,111 m (3,645 ft), which had stood since 1998.
The event was organized by the state government of San Luis Potosi through its tourism secretary. The models presented an exclusive collection created for the occasion by the internationally renowned Mexican designers Cristina Pineda and Ricardo Covalin (of Pineda Covalin); the duo received their GWR certificate upon the completion of the show along with Marcelo de los Santos, the governor of San Luis Potosi, who presided over the event.
Among the guests in the show were the ambassador of France in Mexico, Daniel Parfait, and the famous Mexican wrestler El Hijo del Santo.
All funds raised were to benefit AMANC, the Mexican Association for Helping Children with Cancer. Carlos Martínez of Guinness World Records™ attended the event and ratified the record on site.
Most trees planted in 24 hours by a team of 300 people:
On Wednesday, 15 July 2009, Guinness World Records™ Adjudicator Aadil Ahmed attended the record attempt for the most trees planted in 24 hours by a team. The event took place in Keti Bundar, Thatta District, which is about 200 km (125 miles) south-east of Karachi in Pakistan.
Aadil's journey for the event started with a three-hour car trip from the city of Karachi followed by a 40-minute boat journey to the location of the attempt, which was in quite a remote region, green and lush and surrounded by a lovely blue sea. It was a beautiful warm day with a nice breeze coming in over the water; Aadil received a warm welcome, with local town members throwing petals and a local band playing traditional music. The day turned into a festive event; fresh from the victory of the T20 Cricket World Cup the Pakistanis were determined to achieve a new GWR feat.
The event was organized by the Ministry of Environment (Government of Pakistan) and was part of their planned initiatives to mark 2009 as the National Year of Environment in Pakistan. The attempt took place in collaboration with the Forest Department Sindh and the National Bank of Pakistan.
The team of 300 planters – local community members who had experiencing of working in the costal area – were carefully selected and well prepared for the event. Due to nature of the land being used the planters knew they had a difficult task on their hands, as they had to plant as many trees as they could before the tide came in: once the tide was in, planting would have to stop for a few hours. Mudflats were chosen as the location for this event, as this is the best location for the type of tree that was to be planted.
The planters had chosen mangrove (rhizophora mucronata) saplings, as this kind of tree plays an important role in carbon seizure and acts as a protection against natural disasters such as tsunamis. Mangrove forests are also a great breeding ground for fish, shrimps, prawns and other wildlife.
Fifteen teams took part, each consisting of 20 members; every team was given a dedicated portion of land to work on, which was clearly marked out with flags. The event took place on two islands that are next to each other and a total of 322 hectares (795.85 acres) of land were used in the record attempt.
Mr Tahir Qureshi, an International Union for Conservation of Nature member, and Marvi Memon, a National Assemble member, were elected as independent witnesses and were present throughout the event, making sure everything was conducted in the correct manner.
The record attempt was attended by many local dignitaries and media, including the Minister of Environment for Pakistan, Hamidullah Jan Afridi, who had travelled from the capital Islamabad to attend the event. Mr Kamran Lashari (Secretary for the Ministry of the Environment) played a large role in creating the festivities surrounding the event, making sure the locals and guests enjoyed the day; throughout the event Mr Lashari encouraged the planters by trying to boost morale in the teams.
The record attempt took seven months to plan and involved many members of the Forestry Wing within the Ministry of Environment, including: Dr Muhammad Iqbal Sial (Inspector General for Forests); Dr Shazad and Mr Qaimkhani (Deputy Inspector Generals for Forests); Mr Naeem Raja (Assistant Inspector General for Forests); event co-ordinator Mr Tanveer Haider and Pakistan Wetland Programme leader Mr Richard Garstang. Mr Riaz Ahmed Wagon (Conservator for Forests) and Mr Agha Tahir Hussain (Divisional Forest Officer) and their team played a key role in organizing the record attempt.
The record attempt started at 6:45 a.m. and by 7:35 p.m. it was all over. The previous record had been set in India: the 21 JAT Regiment (Indian Army) had planted 447,874 trees in the Shrigram Reserve Forest in Dhubri, Assam, on 12–13 June 2009. That record had now been broken!
The most trees planted in 24 hours by a team (of 300 people) is now 541,176 and was achieved by the Ministry of Environment (Government of Pakistan) in collaboration with the Forest Department of Sindh and the National Bank of Pakistan in Keti Bundar, Thatta District, Pakistan, on 15 July 2009.
The certificat
e was presented to Dr Muhammad Iqbal Sial and Mr Rahim Bux Awan, Chief Conservator of Forest, Forest Department of Sindh, who were in charge of the tree plantation.
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