The insect considered to be the most bioluminescent is the firefly (Pyrophorus noctilucus) which has been documented as having a surface brightness of 45 millilamberts. The light emitted by fireflies (which are actually beetles, not flies) is unique as almost 100% of the energy is given off as light. In a lightbulb only 10% of the energy is light with the other 90% given off as heat. A lambert is a unit of luminescence and equals 3,183 candelas/m² A millilambert equals 3.183 candelas/m² A candela Continue reading →

Donald Gorske of Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, USA consumed his 23,000th McDonald’s Big Mac on 17 August 2008.  He is now in his 37th consecutive year of eating Big Macs on a daily basis.

Unlike squids, which include many bioluminescent species, the only significantly bioluminescent species of octopus is a red deepwater species from the eastern USA called Stauroteuthis syrtensis. Its bioluminescent ability remained unknown to science until 1997, when Edith Widder (USA) of Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institution in Fort Pierce, Florida, USA studied a live specimen captured in the Gulf of Maine; when dark, the specimen presented a row of sucker-like structures running the length of each of its tentacles glowing blue-green and emitting most light at 470 Continue reading →

The most blood donated was 315 whole blood units by John W. Sheppard (USA) who made the latest donation in Florida, USA, in May 2011. John W. Sheppard hopes that his experience might be an incentive to promote the positive aspects of blood donations by healthy individuals without any adverse affects to their health and meeting the standards of the government, national, state and international Blood associations.

Richard Burke (USA) donated his 1,411th unit of blood on his 1,193rd blood donation visit made on 4 June 2004. This is equivalent of 634.95 litres (139.6 gal/167.73 US gal). He has been donating blood since 14 January 1975. Apheresis – A procedure in which blood is collected, part of the blood such as platelets or white blood cells is taken out, and the rest of the blood is returned to the donor. Also called pheresis. the components which are separated and withdrawn include: Plasma Continue reading →

The most blocks in an NBA career is 3,830, in 1,238 games by Hakeem Olajuwon (USA) playing for the Houston Rockets from 1984-2001 and the Toronto Raptors 2001-02.

The most bar spins on a BMX in one minute is 62 by Jim DeChamp (USA) at Miller Motorsports Park in Tooele, Utah, USA, on 18 November 2008 for the MTV show ‘Nitro Circus’. The GWR episode will air January 2009.

The most blunt to fakies (ollie blunts) in one hour on a skateboard is 849 by Kyle Decot (USA) at The Flow Skatepark, Columbus, Ohio, USA, on 17 January 2011.

The world record for the most blooms in one night for the same plant is 40 for a night blooming cereus (Selenicereus grandiflorus) during the night of 12–13 August 2004. The plant is owned by Michie Taylor of Berwyn, Pennsylvania, USA. The plant, which is also known as Queen of the Night, belongs to the cactus family. The buds bloom once per year, during midsummer and generally wilt before dawn. A further 23 bloomed on the following evening.

The most blood pressure readings taken in 8 hours at multiple locations was 6,923 by Kaiser Permanente, San Diego (USA) in San Diego, California, USA, on 24 February 2011. Kaiser Permanente attempted the record at 24 different locations, although totals from six of them were discounted for not meeting the required minimum of at least 25 readings being taken.