Guinness World Records 2002

It is solely for sentimental and nostalgic reasons that this book is a part of my library. Back in primary school, we had to loan a book at the school library at a certain interval which the sands of time has eroded from my memory. The early 2000s were exciting times for visual mediums such as motion pictures and video games, so books were of little to no interest to us young guns. However, we would usually gravitate towards Guinness World Records, or finding something with a "cool" cover, in which the Goosebumps series reigned supreme.
This 2002 edition always stood out because of its more creative cover, compared to other editions in the early 2000s, and I specifically remember the featuring of a Crash Bandicoot picture with the record show more sales of the PlayStation 2. A lot of fun would stem from sitting with multiple record books and see how many fun, cool, or disgusting facts we could find. In the spirit of that, here are three random facts:
1. In 2001, entertainer Ken Edwards ate 36 cockroaches in a minute. (This was perfect for grossing out the girls in class)
2. Sony's latest MP3 player, NW-E3, was boasting a capacity for two hours of music runtime. The technology sections are among the most interesting because of how different that landscape is today.
3. In 1999, citizens in Bethel, Maine, USA, spent fourteen days building a snowman, named Angus, who rose to a respectable 34,64 meters in height. It took fifteen weeks for Angus to melt.

You're treated with an abundance of categories and subcategories to dive head first into, so it should be no uphill battle to find something to peak your interest. The trivia and records are compiled from a wide array of years, definitely more than a century which, in my assessment, counts against it as it feels too random. Although there's some interesting trivia here and there, I think the book is at its best when it sticks to contemporary records because when you pair it with the visual presentation it functions as a neat time capsule. The record for the most sold drum 'n' bass album is a perfect example of this. Together with cultural icons of the period, of course. Another amusing facet is the web integration which just screams early 2000s. Throughout the pages you will find URLs and access codes to a now sadly defunct website and forum where you could discuss the records and also get special ringtones. Those were the times! Naturally, it becomes a bit formulaic with the longest x, biggest x, richest x, youngest x, etc. records. I certainly only skimmed sections in categories I was less enthusiastic about. If you have a localized version of the book it should also feature records from your country specifically, which is a nice touch.

At the end of the day, Guinness World Records 2002 mostly does what it says on the tin. It's not exactly highly decorated literature, but it is enjoyable enough to sift through, especially with some good company. show less