It’s no secret that Ohio is the greatest state in the country. However, in many cases, it is in fact the greatest state, literally. Ohio is home to some of the largest, smallest, fastest, wackiest, and most high-pitched things in history. Here are my top ten favorites in no particular order, all according to the Guinness Book of World Records.
1. Most People Making S’Mores Simultaneously. Now, this is an event I can get in on. On October 21, 2017, a record-breaking 566 people gathered at Blue Creek Metropark in Whitehouse, Ohio, and hosted this bonfire for the books.
2. Longest Milk Tooth. For those of you (like me) who didn’t know, “milk teeth” is the technical term for baby teeth. The longest one ever removed was from the mouth of Columbus’ own Curtis Buddie on January 17, 2018. The beast of a biter was measured at 2.4 centimeters, longer than the average wisdom tooth. The tooth fairy must’ve had to break the bank for that one.
3. Heaviest Watermelon. The heaviest watermelon in the world weighed in at 350.5 lb at the Operation Pumpkin Festival in Hamilton, Ohio on October 5, 2013. It was grown by a man named Chris Kent. For reference, according to BlueBulb Projects, that’s the exact weight of an adult reindeer!
4. Longest Baby. This one is especially intriguing because not only was the baby tall, so was his mother. “Giantess” Anna Bates, who measured up to a towering 7’11”, gave birth to her 28-inch baby son on January 19, 1879, in Seville, Ohio. The baby was affectionately referred to as “Babe”, but unfortunately wasn’t given an official name because he wasn’t expected to live another day. He passed away 11 hours after birth.
5. Fastest Marathon Finished Dressed as a Chef. The headline of this one is enough to bring anyone a smile. This feat was carried out by Helen McWilliams on September 24, 2016, in the Akron Marathon. Her final time was 4 hours, 54 minutes and 49 seconds. Mamma Mia!
6. Largest Collection of Troll Dolls. The largest collection of trolls is 8,130, and was achieved by Sherry Groom in Alliance, Ohio, on September 20, 2018. Hey, man, everybody has their own thing. Sherry’s is Troll dolls. Don’t hate.