Many weird world records have been held over the years, and there’s no shortage of records set for some truly weird events. However, what’s even more peculiar is that these 10 Ken’s have all opted to attempt some of the more unusual disciplines. From owning the most toasters to cockroach eating champions, this list of odd world record setters makes men named Ken look like a unique bunch, indeed.
- Ken Blackburn – This just doesn’t seem fair at all. Ken Blackburn holds the Guinness World Record for longest paper airplane flight. Usually, anyone who is proficient with a paper airplane is a procrastinator or troublemaker in class, but Blackburn is an aeronautical engineer. The flight, which took place in 2008, lasted for 27.6 seconds. So – teachers beware – the next time you chastise a student for throwing paper airplanes, you could be stifling the talents of a future record holder.
- Kenneth Wayne Jennings III – This guy is always game for a challenge; in fact, he holds the record for both the longest winning streak on Jeopardy (74 games!), and all-time leading money winner on American game shows. Jennings is a man obsessed with trivia, so it’s no surprise that after bowing out of his Jeopardy run he went on to write the book; “Brainiac: Adventures in the Curious, Competitive, Compulsive World of Trivia Buffs.”
- Ken Jordon – Danger is Jordon’s middle name; well, not really, but he does court danger on a daily basis. The stuntman from Flint, Michigan broke what is perhaps his weirdest record in 2012, when he caught 13 arrows in two minutes from a single archer. These arrows were not in free fall or losing velocity, either. No, Ken Jordon caught the arrows while they were being shot within close proximity of his person. Essentially, this was a two person attempt, as Ken had to rely on the skill of the archer, who is ironically named David Archer.
- Ken Edwards – Everyone remembers that weird kid who ate worms during recess. Well, he grew up and became Ken Edwards – the World Record holder for eating cockroaches. Yes, you read that right; Edwards made history by devouring 36 roaches in less than one minute. He is quoted as saying, “It’s like having an anesthetic at the back of the throat,” because of the chemical that the gruesome bugs emit to keep predators at bay.
- Kenneth Huggins – Everyone knows what it’s like to run out of toasters, right? Huggins, however, made it his mission to never again fail to achieve golden brown perfection. He owns well in excess of 12,050 toasters, which earned him the Guinness World Record for his unusual collecting hobby. There is even a club for like-minded enthusiasts, of which Ken is a proud member, named “The Toaster Collectors Association.”
- Kenneth Tynan – Here’s a tip: if you want to achieve a world record, try to make sure it’s for something that will advance your chosen path in life. Kenneth Tynan holds the Guinness World Record for being the first person to use the “F” word on television. The faux pas was made in 1965 during the airing of a U.K. show titled “BBC3.” Due to the societal norms of the time, the slip was considered a moral outrage, and subsequently cost Tynan his television career.
- Ken Courtney – When you launch a company named “Ju$t Another Rich Kid,” start as you mean to go on. Courtney quickly earned himself a world record with the release of high-top Nike Dunks, which were coated in 18 carat gold. The five pairs of shoes were created for the a New York fashion show in 2007, and went on to become the world’s most expensive running shoes at $4,053 a pop.
- Dr Ken Looi – A 29.993km ride in Dubbo, Australia earned Ken Looi the Unicycle Hour record. The 2009 attempt earned Ken his second world record for the Unicycle Hour record, after he first held the record back in 2005. The attempt was achieved with the help of proud sponsors, Triple Medical Recruitment.
- Ken Solis – What do you do when you’re male, not a physical trainer and enjoy skipping rope? Promote the health benefits and break a world record, of course. Solis earned the Guinness World Record for jumping the most consecutive double jumps with a cross. What’s really weird, however, is that more boys are not encouraged to take up this fun and healthy sport at a younger age.
- Adolf Wolfeschlegelsteinhausenbergerdorff – In 1978, Adolf held the Guinness World Record for world’s longest name with; Adolph Blaine Charles David Earl Frederick Gerald Hubert Irvin John Kenneth Lloyd Martin Nero Oliver Paul Quincy Randolph Sherman Thomas Uncas Victor William Xerxes Yancy Wolfeschlegelsteinhausenbergerdorff. It is rumored that the surname was originally longer, but was shortened down to Wolfeschlegelsteinhausenbergerdorff because that makes this Ken’s name so much easier to say.
“Little pitchers have big ears.” Almost every parent knows this phrase and exactly what it means: You should always be careful what you say around your children, because they hear, understand and repeat more than you could imagine. It also means you need to be careful about what kinds of content you expose your children to, since they might inadvertently pick up some bad habits from something you thought was harmless. Case in point: swearing. As children learn more about the world around them and eagerly push their way into young adulthood, it’s possible they might wind up developing a habit for salty language. This isn’t a pleasant development — no parent wants their child dropping a series of casual F-bombs at school — but it doesn’t have to be cause for worry, either. There are several ways you can deal with the problem to make sure your child knows what he’s doing and learns to correct his behavior.
Some people are just made for the camera, and they know it. When you have the kind of face people want to see again and again, the entertainment industry is not a bad career path to choose. However, not everyone who courts the camera does so out of vanity. Some of the most photographed people in history find themselves in front of the camera simply because of who they are and their contributions to society. These 10 Kens have been photographed thousands of times, although they are all in the public eye for completely different reasons.
There’s nothing quite like getting stuck in a long line of traffic at the start of your day, especially when you have places to be and appointments to keep. Your boss won’t thank you, either, when you arrive late for work. There may be a number of different routes you could take on your commute, but the problem is finding them and hoping you won’t just run into even worse traffic in an effort to avoid your current traffic predicament. Luckily, there are plenty of very intelligent people out there, and some of them have created apps to help you beat the traffic. These 10 apps, especially, will help you plan your journey for the fastest commute times possible.