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Everybody knows that the holder of a world record is often either the best of the best at what that record entails or a person with a unique trait. One place where you can find out about many of these unique individuals and feats is a book entitled Guinness World Records 2026. This book contains a plethora of world records, and it is very interesting.Â
Not only do I enjoy learning about world records, but I also buy each Guinness World Records book in order to stay up to date as a new one is published annually. I highly recommend the newest edition, Guinness World Records 2026, for the following reasons.
Reason 1: You Learn About Extraordinary People from Around the World
One reason to read this book is that it helps you learn about extraordinary people from around the world. For example, Jyoti Amge, an Indian woman, is the world’s shortest living woman at 2 feet and 0.7 inches. Aristotellis Valaoritis, a Cypriot, holds the record for the most wine glasses balanced on one’s head (319 glasses), which he achieved while dancing. Kim Bruneau, a Canadian, was the model of the photoshoot taken at the deepest elevation ever, at 131 feet underwater. The photos were taken by Chilean photographer Pia Oyarzún.
Reason 2: You Get to Learn More About History
Throughout the book, there are some subsections that cover the first-ever achievements of certain feats. For instance, the first numerical weather forecast was done by the United Kingdom native Lewis F. Richardson in 1913. The first female self-made millionaire was American woman Madame C. J. Walker. Walker ran a business that sold hair-care products targeted towards African American women and died in 1919. Regarding recent history, Chun-Li, a fictional character, became the first female playable character in a fighting game with her appearance in Street Fighter II (1991).
Reason 3: You Get to Learn More About Pop Culture
Another reason to read Guinness World Records 2026 is that one can learn more about pop culture. For example, Sazae-san (1969-present) is the longest-running animated TV show, which is a record that I personally thought belonged to The Simpsons (1989-present). Bewitched or cursed rings are the most common cursed objects that appear in horror movies, appearing in 188 films. Metropolis (1927) is the most critically acclaimed movie on Metacritic with an average score of 98 out of 100.
Reason 4: You Get Proof that People Can Do Great Things Regardless of Age
Guinness World Records 2026 can also be seen as an inspirational book, as many of the records involve feats obtained by people who are either children, teenagers, or elderly. For instance, Cavan Sullivan, an American athlete, became the youngest player in Major League Soccer at 14 years and 293 days old. Joseph Harris-Birtill, a boy from the UK, became the youngest member of Mensa, a society for high-IQ individuals, at 2 years and 182 days old. Australian athlete Arisa Trew became the youngest triple gold medalist at the X Games in 2024 at 14 years and 49 days old.
Proving that it is never too late to find love, Bernard Littman and Marjorie Fitterman became the oldest newlyweds. Both Littman and Fitterman were centenarians when they married. John Symmonds, a man from the UK, became the oldest wind walker when he did a wind walk in 2023. At the time, he was 95 years and 138 days old. Japanese musician Kyosen Kineya is the oldest person to release a debut album. Her album, 105: The World of Kangoro V and his Art of “Nagauta”, Inherited by his Daughter, was released in 2019. At the time, she was 104 years and 160 days old.
Reason 5: You Get to Learn About Extraordinary Places
Another reason to read Guinness World Records 2026 is to learn more about extraordinary places. For instance, New York City has the most billionaires. In terms of specific places rather than cities, Banca Monte del Paschi di Siena is the oldest continuously operating bank. It was founded in 1472 and is in Italy. Another extraordinary place is the Bet Medhane Alem in Ethiopia. It holds the record for the world’s largest monolithic church.
Conclusion
In the end, I highly recommend reading Guinness World Records 2026 to learn more about the world. It teaches its readers about extraordinary people and places, fascinating history, and entertaining pop culture, and it showcases inspirational proof that one can achieve one’s dreams regardless of age. I hope that you choose to read this book and enjoy it as much as I did.Â