Oddee.com - A Blog on Oddities: the odd, bizarre and strange things of our world!

Subscribe:

 

World's Longest

Published on 10/5/2009 under Misc - by Gracie Murano - 153,050 views

World's longest living marriage (85 years)

Herbert and Zelmyra Fisher, of North Carolina, have been married for 85 years as of May 13, 2009. Zelmyra is 101 years old and Herbert turned 104 on June 10th, 2009. They have shared the same home in the Brownsville community of New Bern for 50 years. (Link 1 | Link 2)


World's longest serving bartender (77 years)

Angelo Cammarata is, according to the Guinness Book of World Records, the world's longest-serving bartender. He's been pouring for most of his 77 years at Cammarata's Café, the West View watering hole. But now, the place he still helps his sons John and Frank run, has been sold, and the Cammaratas will be out of there within weeks, when the new owners are approved by the state. "Camm," as people call him, started serving beer at his father's North Side grocery the moment Prohibition ended, at midnight on April 7, 1933. The memory is as clear to him as the strike of the library clock that signaled it was time to start opening bottles of Fort Pitt. His immigrant father built a bar on that site in 1935, and Angelo kept working there, taking a break to serve in the Navy in World War II. In 1971 he sold the bar to his sons. In September 2009, the Café was sold and Camm, 95, decided it was time to retire. (Link)


World's longest point in professional tennis (29 minutes)

This year, 2009, marks the 25th anniversary of a historic tennis match. At a Virginia Slims tournament in 1984, Vicki Nelson and Jean Hepner exchanged 643 shots. It remains the longest single rally in the history of professional tennis. The 6-hour-31-minute marathon was itself the longest match in tennis history for nearly 20 years and remains the longest match completed on a single day. The rally that put Nelson-Dunbar and Hepner in the record books came at set point for Hepner, who was ahead in the second-set tie breaker, which lasted 1:47 on its own. The 13-11 tiebreaker lasted 1 hour 47 minutes - the longest in the history of professional tennis - and had one point that lasted 29 minutes, with the ball crossing the net 643 times. Nelson finally won the game. (Link 1 | Link 2)


World's longest speech (124 hours)

Frenchman Lluis Colet broke the world record for the longest speech after rambling nonstop for 124 hours about Spanish painter Salvador Dali, Catalan culture and other topics. The 62-year-old Catalan and local government worker spoke for five straight days and four nights to set the record in the southern French town of Perpignan. Three notaries were on hand to recognize the feat which allowed Colet to enter in the Guinness Book of Records. The previous record was held by an Indian man who delivered a 120-hour speech. (Link)





World's longest burning lightbulb (107 years)

The world's longest lightbulb, a low-watt firehouse bulb, has been burning continuously since 1901. Long after his retirement, ex-firefighter Tom Bramell still likes to visit Station No. 6 for old times' sake, whistling in amazement at all the changes. But one thing remains exactly the same. The sturdy little object hangs from the ceiling in the firehouse's engine bay, emitting its familiar faint orange glow. At 107 years and counting, the low-watt wonder with the curlicue carbon filament has been named the planet's longest continuously burning bulb by both Guinness World Records and Ripley's Believe It Or Not.

The Livermore lightbulb has never been turned off, which many suspect is the secret to its longevity. Livermore's bulb has burned for nearly a million hours. (Link 1 | Link 2)


World's longest movie (87 hours)

Directed by John Henry Timmis IV, "The Cure for Insomnia" is officially the world's longest movie, according to Guinness World Records, as of its release in 1987. Running 5220 minutes (87 hours) in length, the movie has no plot, instead consisting of artist L. D. Groban reading his lengthy poem of the same name over the course of three and a half days, spliced with occasional clips from heavy metal and pornographic videos. (Link | Photo)


World's longest running soap opera (72 years)

The world's longest running soap opera, Guiding Light, has been on for 72 years following the lives of four families in America. Starting out as a radio play in 1937 before graduating to CBS daytime TV in 1952, it was funded by Procter & Gamble, which employed Irna Phillips, the "mother of the genre", to write it. In the mid-60s, it was one of the first soaps to feature African-American actors in regular roles. Its fictional "anywhere America" location moved around until 1966, when it settled in a town called Springfield. Kevin Bacon, Calista Flockhart and Mickey Rourke all started out on the show. The show won dozens of awards in its seven-decade span and ran up more than 15,700 episodes, each ending in a cliffhanger. (Link)


World's longest reigning monarch (63 years)

Thailand's King Bhumibol Adulyadej, 81, is the world's longest-reigning monarch. He ascended to the throne following the death of his brother, King Ananda Mahidol, on June 9, 1946, and was formally crowned on May 5, 1950. Thailand abolished absolute monarchy in the 1930s, so the king wields little power although he recently appealed for unity amid Thailand's four-year-long political crisis. He remains a deeply revered figure and enjoys immense popularity. (Link 1 | Link 2)


World's longest blackout (66 days)

In 1998 Auckland had a blackout power crisis for five weeks. Almost all of downtown Auckland in New Zealand was supplied electricity by Mercury Energy via four power cables, two of them 40-year-old oil-filled cables that were past their replacement date. One of the cables failed on January 20, possibly due to the unusually hot and dry conditions, another on February 9. Due to the increased load from the failure of the first cables, the remaining two failed on February 19 and 20, leaving about 20 city blocks (except parts of a few streets) without power during 66 days. 7500 businesses and residents were affected. Estimated loss due to the power failure was $156 million USD. (Link 1 | Link 2)


World's longest engagement (67 years)

Next time your fiancée starts to bug you about the wedding date you can comfort her by telling her about Octavio Guillen and Adriana Martinez, who hold the record for the world's longest engagemant and quite possibly, the world's coldest feet.

Octavio Guillen and Adriana Martinez were engaged in Mexico in 1902 ,but kept putting the wedding off over and over again. After 67 years, in June 1969, Octavio Guillen must have run out of excuses and the world's longest engagement ended with their vows. They were both 15 years old when they were engaged and 82 years old on their wedding day. (Link)


World's longest movie kiss (3min 5sec)

In 1941, a kiss made movie history. Jayne Wyman and Regis Toomey kissed for three minutes and five seconds during the film You're In The Army Now. This actually took up 1/25th of the film's total running time. This comedy film is about two vacuum-cleaner salesmen who are accidentally inducted into the army and the hijinks that follow. (Link 1 | Link 2)


World's longest solar eclipse of the century (6min 32sec)

The solar eclipse of July 22, 2009 was the longest total solar eclipse of the 21st century, lasting as much as 6 minutes and 39 seconds in some places. It caused tourist interest in eastern China, Nepal and India. In some parts of the continent, the moon completely blocked out the sun for more than six-and-a-half minutes. The eclipse - the longest since July 1991 - was visible in India, Nepal, Burma, Bangladesh, Bhutan and China. There won't be a longer eclipse than that day for another 123 years (June 13, 2132).

(Link)

Reader Contributions

World's Longest Running Tv Show (47 years)
by Orevalc on 11/22/2009
The world's longest running TV variety show is Sábado Gigante (Univision Television Network, USA), w(...)
(Source)
Longest TV Show
by Whoo on 10/17/2009
Saturday Night Live, has been on air, for more than 34 years, and still counting!
Longest show
by Marlee on 10/13/2009
The canadian show Broue is running since 28 years now and it's still on stage!
(Source)
See More Contributions...

Have a great addition to the article? Contribute!

Subscribe by RSS:
Subscribe by E-mail:
Share this:

E-mail it

Del.icio.us
Share

Corrections?
Factual
Grammar/Spelling
  

If you enjoyed this article, you might also like...
World's Oldest

 
15 Coolest Photos You Won't Believe Are Not Photoshopped
Another 12 Embarrassing Moments in Sports
12 Most Controversial Video Games
Another 15 of the Meanest CAPTCHAs ever
10 Amazing Things You Didn't Know About China
10 Funniest Wedding Fails
12 Craziest DIY Creations
15 Creative Sculptures Made of Beer Cans
Another 12 Cool USB Flash Drives
10 Craziest Stuff Done While Skydiving
18 Funny ChatRoulette Screenshots
8 Unconventional Ways to be Buried
12 Most Curious Facts About the Oscars
10 Most Creative Resumes
Another 10 Coolest Ice Cube Trays
10 Coolest Foosball Tables
12 Things and Places Inspired by Coffins
Another 12 Unfortunate Logos
12 Most Creative Home Wallpapers
Another 16 Offensive, Banned and Rejected Ads
12 Things You Didn't Know About Boobs
15 Coolest Photos You Won't Believe Are Not Photoshopped
10 Geekiest Ties
15 Cool Money Artworks
12 of the Most Bizarre Wedding Dresses
10 Unbelievable Autoamputation Stories
12 Coolest Sheets & Blankets
12 Funniest Cover Up Tattoos
15 Funny and Creative 404 Error Pages
10 Amazing Little Heroes
15 Creative Bottle Stoppers
15 Coolest Lounge Chairs
10 Hilarious Robbery Stories
15 Creative Recession Time Graffiti
12 Most Controversial Video Games
Another 12 Embarrassing Moments in Sports
12 of the Worst Movie Posters Ever
15 Vintage Valentine Cards with Funny Messages
10 of the Strangest Mc Donald's Meals
10 Facts you Didn't Know about Living in Outer Space
10 Bizarre Explosions That Shouldn't Have Happened
10 of the Dumbest Cops Ever
13 Funny Panties with a Message
10 Amazing Free Fall Survivors
12 Creative Beverage Packaging Designs
10 Amazing Grottoes & Caves
Another 10 Far-out Valentine's Gifts
Another 12 Cool Google Street Finds
12 Wackiest Masks
15 Funny Yahoo Answers Fails
10 Most Bizarre Comic Books
Pareidolia Craziness: 15 Curious Faces Found In Unexpected Places
12 Most Creative Candles
8 Unbelievable iPhone Stories
12 of the Most Fascinating Butterflies
15 Wackiest Fashion Runway Trends
10 Craziest New Types of Tattoos
Wild toughness: 12 Amazing Photos of Animal Fighting
12 Most Realistic Lego Sculptures
10 Creative Shower Curtains
8 Weirdest Live Stuff Busted by Customs Control
12 Awful Celebrity Tattoos
10 Unbelievable Inheritance Stories
10 Lamest MockBuster Movies
15 Embarrassing Moments in Politics
Painted Alive: 12 Amazing Pieces of Body Painting
13 Weirdest Pizzas
10 of the Dumbest Gadgets Ever Made
10 Most Bizarre Sex Toys
15 Coolest Police Cars
10 Craziest Plastic Surgeries to Look Like Someone Else
15 Funny Facebook Fails
10 Craziest Baby Pacifiers
Another 10 Most Creative Beds
10 Weirdest Portable Stuff
10 Most Bizarre TV Shows
Genetic Craziness: 10 Two-headed Animals
20 Bizarre Google Search Suggestions
More Articles »  

 
10 Far-out Valentine's Gifts
10 Geekiest T-Shirts
10 Coolest Computer Mice
12 Strangest Ties
12 Funniest Wedding Cake Toppers
10 Coolest Bottle Openers
10 Most Creative Holders
10 Coolest USB Flash Drives
10 Coolest USB Accessories
10 Most Creative Ice Cube Trays
10 of the World's Worst Jobs
15 Funny Facebook Fails
10 of the World's Greatest Jobs
World's Oddest Mothers
12 Coolest Google Street Finds
10 Strangest Animal Incidents
15 Coolest Photos You Won't Believe Are Not Photoshopped
10 Most Bizarre Sex Toys
12 Accidental Deaths You Won't Believe
10 Craziest Plastic Surgeries to Look Like Someone Else
Another 12 Embarrassing Moments in Sports
10 Audacious Amputee Tattoos
15 Coolest Google Earth Finds
12 Most Bizarre Police Sketches Ever
10 Unbelievable Facebook Stories
Another 12 Cool Google Street Finds
12 Most Creative Indoor Staircases
12 Most Controversial Video Games
15 Most Stupid Forehead Tattoos
10 of the World's Most Bizarre Laws
Worst Birthday Cakes Ever
12 Coolest Steampunk Gadgets
15 Funny Yahoo Answers Fails
World's Tallest
12 of the Wackiest Condoms ever
World's Oddest Couples
14 Funny Toilet Graffiti
12 Things You Didn't Know About Boobs
10 Real Houses Inspired by Cartoons
When Cosplay Goes Wrong
10 Most Bizarre Comic Books
10 Clever Ads on Buildings

Oddee by Category: Art  |  Advertising
Signs  |  Names
Places  |  People
Objects  |  Gifts
Science  |  Medicine
Stories  |  Tech
Design  |  Misc

Search Oddee.com:
Sites we like:
I-am-bored | 2leep
CollegeHumor | Leenks
URLesque | UniqueDaily
Uncoached | Unreality
DRB | Inspiratorium
WebUrbanist | Ecoist
Gajitz | Dornob
GorillaMask | Eat Liver Neatorama | Uphaa


Oddee.com makes PC Magazine's Top 100 Web Sites of 2008!

Great articles on other blogs: