A look at Guinness World Records: This year's records, New Jersey holders and its origin

The oldest ninja athlete, most bungee jumps in an hour, most juggling catches in one minute are just some of the obscure new records in the historic Guinness Book of World Records. New Jersey has its fair share of records in Guinness' history and the United States is well represented in this year's edition.

Let's learn more about the story behind Guinness, some New Jersey record holders and this year's record-setters from the United States.

Guinness origin story

At the turn of every page in this year's edition, the reader can learn something new, but do you know about how the collection of records got its name and origin. Guinness calls themselves the ultimate authority in record breaking achievement. What became an international collection of accomplishments started out as an idea about how to solve debates in breweries, according to the Guinness website.

Sir Hugh Beaver, the managing director of the Guinness Brewery, attended a party where he was trying to figure out what was the fastest game bird, but could not find the answer in any reference book. This prompted Beaver to gather up fact-findings twins, Norris and Ross McWhirter, to compile a book of facts and figures to settle pub arguments so he can promote his own brewery.

The twins took their research to another level and put together a book that took 13 and a half, 90-hour weeks to make, which ended up being a best seller and the start to one of the most trusted novels of fact.

Some NJ Guinness records

New Jersey residents, companies and locations have some memorable Guinness records that still stand or have been in the books for some time. Here are some of them:

• One of the Garden State's most famous records is one for the lovers of all things spooky. New Jersey holds the title for largest gatherings of zombies. The Asbury Park Boardwalk made "The Walking Dead" a reality with 9,592 undead roaming around near the beach. The event known as the New Jersey Zombie Walk occurred in 2013.

• Parents may yell at their child for too much video games, but Nicolas under the name TCNick3 took his love for gaming to a new level as the Jersey City resident has the record for longest video game marathon playing a fighting game set at 69 hours and four minutes. This record was made in 2022 as he played Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.

• The heaviest chicken egg ever was laid by White Leghorn in Vineland back on Feb. 25, 1956. The egg weighed 16 ounces and had a double yolk and double shell.

• The most tongue pierces is 20, set by Francesco Vacca in Lyndhurst on Jan. 5, 2017.

• New Jersey has other iconic records from nearly a decade ago such as the longest ribbon cutting in 2013 for the re-opening of the Jersey shore in Seaside Heights in May of 2013 after the devastation of Hurricane Sandy in 2012. The ribbon was measured at 5.51 miles.

• The fastest woman to climb a five-meter rope was Isabella Wakeham. She set the mark in Hainesport in 6.25 seconds on Sept. 15, 2022.

• The oldest person to grow a new tooth hailed from Jersey. Erna Kohane, who was born in 1921, grew a new tooth at the tender age of 92 yeas and 144 days in Mount Arlington. This was verified on Jan. 15, 2014.

• Another obscure mark is the longest chain of eye glasses. The New Jersey Lions created a chain of 42,749 ft and 4.13 inches in Jersey City's Liberty State Park on May 1, 2022. It contained 100,000 spectacles that would we sent to Lions Club's Eye Glasses Recycling Center.

U.S. Winners from the 2024 List

Many records were shattered or started in the 2024 Guinness book, including these:

• Tommy from Massachusetts now has the record for the largest living steer at six feet and one inch. The monstrous animal continues to live in a dairy farm since his purchase in 2020.

• Simeon Graham now has the record for juggling catches in one minute for five, six and seven balls. The 15-year-old from Birmingham, Alabama had over 370 catches in all three juggling categories.

• A 14-year-old accomplished a physical record with the largest male afro. Amir Menendez from California registered his hair at 7.74 inches high, 9.77 inches wide and circumference of 88 inches.

The new Guinness Book of World Records released in September of 2023 and is currently available for purchase on their website or on many other online and in-store departments.

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Guinness Book of World Records: Fun facts you need to know