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Strongman breaks record by pulling a bus 70 feet ... with his hair
12 Nov 2009Manjit Singh has broken a world record for pulling a double-deck bus the farthest distance with his hair.
Mr Singh, 59, dragged the bus 21.2 metres (70 feet) at Battersea Park today. The stunt was held on the fifth annual Guinness World Records Day - 24 hours of record-breaking attempts globally
Meanwhile, commuters set aside their usual indifference towards fellow rail passengers when they set a new world record for hugging.
The 112 people, many of them total strangers, made an unfamiliar sight at St Pancras station in central London as they embraced for 60 seconds.
Smiles appeared on the faces of the suit-wearing participants who appeared to enjoy the physical contact in groups and pairs.
Around 200,000 people around the world were set to take part in a bid to make it into the record books, organisers said.
A spokesman for Guinness World Records said the St Pancras effort created a new record, which was the most people hugging for one minute.
"These were normal commuters on their way to work, as well as some students," he said.
Gallery: Guinness World Records Day
"People were a little bit nervous but at the last minute everyone sprung into action.
"It was a spectacular way to start Guinness World Records Day."
Dozens more stunts were being staged across the UK and around the world.
In Australia, spectators watched scantily-clad men and women strut their stuff at the largest swimwear parade.
They wore Budgy Smugglers or Smugglettes brands for the event, which raised money for the Australian Indigenous Mentoring Experience.
But Guinness World Records said the 228 Australians who took part were not enough to set a new world record for largest bikini parade.
There was more success in Britain, however.
"Ironman" Manjit Singh, who runs a security firm in Leicester and has achieved numerous feats in the past, broke a world record for pulling a double-decker bus the furthest distance with his hair.
He managed to drag an 8.5 ton bus 21.2 metres at Battersea Park in London today.
It was something of a comeback for the 59-year-old, who failed to break the record for pulling a bus with his ears two years ago.
He said of his latest achievement: "I will never be discouraged by defeat because I know that success can be waiting around the next corner.
"The only way to get there is to try again and stay positive."
Weird and wacky stunts continued all over the UK, with British Masters squat power lifting champion Shaun Jones, from Norwich, claiming the record for fastest hot water bottle burst with his own breath - in 18.81 seconds.
Other challenges were set to include the longest conga on ice at London's Alexandra Palace, the largest gathering of people wearing underpants in Woking, Surrey, the largest human mattress dominoes in Dungannon, Northern Ireland and the largest salsa lesson in Southampton.
Records were also broken around the world, such as the fastest vehicle crossing of the Egyptian western desert in 13 hours 33 minutes, the fastest time to eat a bowl of pasta (1 minute 30 seconds) in Italy and a Norwegian attempt to make the largest gingerbread man (651kg).
Editor-in-chief of Guinness World Records Craig Glenday said: "It's a wonderful feeling knowing that so many hundreds of thousands of people around the world are taking in part in fun, inspirational, courageous and awe-inspiring record attempts for Guinness World Records Day 2009.
"Irrespective of age, sex, culture, race or religion, wannabe record holders can share in the joy of record-breaking and at the same time raise money for charity, benefit from some mental and physical exercise, and get their names in the record books."
Guinness World Records Day commemorates the day in 2004 when the book became the world's bestselling copyright title with 100 million copies sold.
Any records set today will be short-listed for inclusion in next year's edition of the book, organisers said.
Reader views (4)
I´m with Squiz of Islington. We definitely need news items like this to brighten the day.
- Graham Rodhouse, Helmond, Netherlands, 13/11/2009 12:29
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Easy peasy with this toy town bus now try it with an Artic bus!!!
- Melvyn Windebank, Canvey Island, Essex, 12/11/2009 20:09
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Is this a pre-cursor to us all having to pull buses around London in order to cut down on emissions?
- Nobby Clark, Perth, the Scottish one, 12/11/2009 16:20
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"It was something of a comeback for the 59-year-old, who failed to break the record for pulling a bus with his ears two years ago." As one does. This amused me no end. Nice to see some cheery news for a change.
- Squiz, Islington, 12/11/2009 14:58
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