6 bizarre Guinness World Records set in Russia

1. The world's smallest book on a poppy seed

Russian scientist placed the micro-book on top of a gold plate on the shear of a poppy seed. Credit: Vladimir Aniskin

Vladimir Aniskin, a Russian scientist from the Siberian city of Novosibirsk, has created the smallest book in the world on the shear of a poppy seed, Russian media reported in early March 2016. The book's pages are about 70 to 90 microns (0.07 mm to 0.09 mm) in size, which is 88 times smaller than the size of a book created by Japanese masters in 2013 and registered in the Guinness Book of Records.

Writing micro-books is Aniskin's lifetime hobby. The sсientist works in the Siberian Department of the Russian Academy of Sciences, where he is responsible for the development and creation of microsensors for aerodynamic research and other areas of science.

2. The world's first speed record on Arctic ice

 

Фото опубликовано Алан Енилеев (@alan_enileev)Фев 22 2016 в 8:08 PST

Russian driver Mikhail Aleshin set a Guinness World Record by accelerating his race car to the top speed of 228 km/h (140 mph) on the surface of a frozen lake in Russia’s north in February 2016. Aleshin drove his race car on frozen Lake Lovozero in the Murmansk Region (1,180 miles north of Moscow), making it the first sprint by a race car above the Arctic Circle. The achievement was recorded by a Russian representative of Guinness World Records with the help of a special device fixed onto the car’s body. Aleshin has a professional racing driver background; he won the Formula Renault 3.5 Series championship in 2010.

3. World's riskiest walk in high heels

Russian performer Oxana Seroshtan set a record for the longest tightrope walk in high heels in February 2016. Seroshtan is a circus artist who decided to take part in the Guinness Book of Records Italian Show, a video series featuring record attempts. She walked 15 meters along a tightrope in 12-centimeter heels.

4. The world's biggest reading marathon

Tolstoy working in his library at Yasnaya Polyana. Painted by V. Meshkov. Credit: Public domain

Thanks to Leo Tolstoy, Russia has one of the world’s greatest and thickest book collections. The online reading project of Tolstoy’s novel Anna Karenina took place in October 2014 on the initiative of Google and the Yasnaya Polyana Lev Tolstoy House-Museum.

The event entered the Guinness Book of World Records in the "Largest audience for an online reading marathon" category. The reading marathon was watched by viewers from more than 106 countries. Over 700 Russian actors and writers read the famous novel from cover to cover for 36 hours non-stop.

5. The world’s northernmost mosque

Credit: RIA Novosti

The Nurda Kamal Mosque is located in Norilsk (1,800 miles northeast of Moscow), an industrial city in northern Siberia. Opened in 1998, the building is listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as the world’s northernmost mosque.

6. Pedicured elephant performs fancy tricks

In 2012, residents of Rostov-on-Don (620 miles south of Moscow) were treated to a display by one of the best masters of the ring in Russia. An elephant twirled hoops while standing on its front legs at a city circus show. This trick saw the elephant officially entered in the book of Guinness World Records. And yes, the elephant was pedicured, because it’s a she.

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