Ivy CoscaCalifornia is the state that has the “most” of a few things. For instance, the mainland’s tallest mountain is located here (Mount Whitney, Sierra Nevada), and the lowest point in North America also lies here (Death Valley). Moreover, the tallest trees in the world can also be found here in Redwood National Park. But another thing that can be found in the Golden State is California world records that the residents achieved to make — and break.
8 Amazing (and Odd) California World Records
1. Most fruits and veggies that were donated within 24 hours
Let’s start with one of the most inspirational California world records — in 2016, Visit Sacramento hosted a food drive. And they collected 493,977 pounds of fruits and vegetables in 24 hours. The heaps and heaps of produce were then distributed to agencies that Visit Sacramento partnered with.
The fruits and vegetables were donated to several food banks. Additionally, Visit Sacramento also hosts the Farm-to-Fork Festival that will take place on September 7 to 23, 2023.
2. Largest margarita ever made
If a New York resident once made the most number of cocktails in 1 hour, the largest cocktail ever blended was done in Sacramento, CA. In 2012, Nick Nicora made a 10,500-gallon margarita at the California State Fair!
Bonus trivia: Long Beach native, cannabis connoisseur, and rapper Snoop Dogg — who always rapped about gin and juice — also holds the world record for making the largest gin and juice ever!
3. Most number of people who filled in their brows
Makeup brand Benefit Cosmetics wanted to celebrate “National Brow Day” on October 2nd, 2018. The stunt that they initiated was to gather as many people as they can — in San Francisco’s Union Square — to simultaneously fill in their eyebrows. A total of 295 people participated. In the end, they achieved the world record!
4. Most people who rode their skateboards in a music video
Californians love skating! According to an article by Red Bull, more than half of the US skateboarders are from the Golden State. Plenty of articles also say that modern-day skateboards were invented in California. Furthermore, it’s often cited that “Santa Cruz,” a California-based skateboard company, was the first official skateboard brand ever manufactured.
But that’s not all — Tony Alva, the legendary skateboarder, who’s considered to be “the pioneer of vertical skateboarding” is also a Cali native. Therefore, you can say that skateboarding is a huge part of the California culture.
If those skateboarding-related California world records weren’t enough, rock band Weezer filmed the music video for their song “Troublemaker” in LA and they had 22 people simultaneously ride a skateboard! It then became a world record.
Bonus trivia: The music video for “Troublemaker” also features the largest game of dodgeball. But the record was broken a few years later by University of California, Irvine participants — 6,804 participants, to be exact!
5. Largest water gun fight
University of California, Irvine students seem to have a penchant for making California world records in the form of childhood-reminiscent play fights! Nine years ago, 3,875 students participated in the largest water pistol fight!
It’s worth noting that the students routinely try to break world records every year — because the University of California, Irvine students also hold the world record for the largest pillow fight!
6. Fastest 1-mile fireman’s carry
Every person should live a healthy lifestyle. And fitness is one of the key factors in achieving that. However, not everyone will be fit enough to carry a person who’s of equal weight as them — let alone run a mile while carrying that other person who weighs just as much as them.
What’s even more difficult to achieve for the majority of people is to get recognition from the Guinness World Record for being the fastest person to run a mile while carrying another individual over their shoulders! But that’s exactly what a Fresno local did! Bret Gaitan carried his dad and ran the distance of a mile within 10 minutes and 21 seconds!
7. Most expensive guitar ever sold at an auction
In 2020, the world’s most expensive guitar was auctioned in Los Angeles. The owner of the guitar was none other than the lead singer of the grunge band Nirvana — Kurt Cobain. The 1959 Martin D-18E guitar was used by the frontman for the now-iconic 1993 MTV Unplugged in New York — and the price of the guitar was auctioned for $6,010,000!
Bonus trivia: Kurt Cobain’s green cardigan, which he also wore in the 1993 MTV Unplugged is also the most expensive sweater/cardigan ever sold at an auction — for a whopping $334,000!
8. The largest collection of olive oil bottles
We love our salads! But we also love our dressings and vinaigrettes. One of the many staple ingredients that we drizzle on our greens is olive oil! However, we don’t often think of collecting the bottles! Unless you’re Beverly Hills resident, Ron Popeil — as he held the largest collection of olive oil bottles…2,440 bottles!
Bonus trivia: Ron Popeil was also an inventor and marketing personality. He appeared on the Showtime Rotisserie infomercial and popularized the phrases “Set it and forget it!” as well as “But wait, there’s more!” Ron Popeil passed away on July 28, 2021 at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center — but his coined phrases and world record live on!
All Things Considered…
If we can sum up the California world records in one word, it would be: “amazing!” Not only did we list one world record that was meant for a good cause, but we also know how to create and break world records for the purpose of, well, having fun!
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