Texas is a land of great and mighty deeds, from rocket launches to technological innovations to a bevvy of historical events. But it doesn’t stop there! There are also plenty of fascinating and eccentric achievements that reflect the creativity and passion of the Texas people.
Here are a few of the amazing world records broken by people in Texas!
World records broken in Texas
Longest ice-cream dessert
Where: College Station
When: March 24, 2018
College Station was the place to be on March 24, 2018, no doubt about it!
Over 4,000 attendees at the Spirit of Texas Festival used over 500 gallons of H-E-B Texan Tackle Crackle Ice Cream, 2,000 cans of whipped cream, about 300 gallons of chocolate and strawberry syrups, around 20,000 maraschino cherries and 25 pounds of sprinkles to make an ice-cream sundae measuring about 4,550 feet long!
If you think that’s impressive, the entire thing was completely made and eaten in less than 30 minutes.
Largest serving of chili con carne
Where: College Station, Texas
When: March 4, 2017
The Spirit of Texas Festival in College Station was the location for many world records, including this record for largest chili con carne weighing almost 4,800 pounds!
Record holder Cynthia Caronna used around 300 pounds of diced pepper, 1,500 pounds of beef, 750 pounds of diced onions, 192 jars of minced garlic and 1,300 pounds of diced tomatoes! No beans, though, which is surprising.
Largest attendance at a basketball game
Where: Cowboys Stadium, Dallas
When: February 14, 2010
This Valentine’s Day game must have been a love affair for the ages for basketball fans back in 2010. So many people bought tickets for the NBA All-Star Game at the Cowboys Stadium that it broke a world record for crowd attendance! There were 108,713 people, which is more than the population of the city of Boulder, Colorado!
World’s largest gingerbread house
Where: Bryan, Texas
When: November 30, 2013
The Traditions Club in Bryan, Texas built a full-size gingerbread house in 2013, breaking a world record all the while raising money for charity.
The gingerbread house was about 42 feet wide, 60 feet long and 10 feet tall, large enough to house a bona-fide Santa Claus! Visitors meeting the Christmas-y character offered donations, which ended up going toward a new trauma center for St. Joseph’s Hospital.
Tallest house of cards
Where: Dallas, Texas
When: October 16, 2007
We don’t mean to downplay your own card-building skills, because we’re sure they’re great! However, unless you can beat the 25-foot house of cards built by Bryan Berg at the Texas State Fair, then you might need to do some extra construction.
Largest playable electric guitar
Where: Conroe, Texas
When: May 25, 2001
Sure, there are some pretty large instruments out there, but none nearly as impressive as this fully functional electric guitar that’s well over the size of a car!
Scott Rippetoe, a student at Conroe Independent School District Academy of Science and Technology, started building his musical masterpiece in October of 1999, modeling the guitar off a 1967 Gibson Flying V. The finished product was a 1:12-scale replica of the guitar, measuring 43 feet long and 16 feet wide. The entire thing weighed over 2,000 pounds, so forget about slinging this thing over your shoulder during a concert!
Oldest cat ever
Where: Austin, Texas
When: August 3, 2004
The oldest cat to have ever lived was a sweet feline named Creme Puff who lived for 38 years and 3 days with her owner in Austin, Texas.
The secret to her longevity? A pretty great life! Owner Jake Perry fed Creme Puff a balanced diet of dry cat food, vegetables, turkey bacon and the occasional eye dropper filled with red wine. A cat after my own heart.
Most prolific cat
Where: Bonham, Texas
When: June 12, 1952
If cats had to pay for daycare, this sweet tabby would be bankrupt.
A tabby cat born in Bonham, Texas, in 1935 gave birth to 420 kittens in her nearly two-decade-long life.
Largest Frito pie
Where: Dallas, Texas
When: October 1, 2012
Everything's bigger in Texas, including the iconic Frito pie, made using Fritos corn chips, chili and cheddar cheese.
Frito-Lay organized the record-breaking attempt at the 2012 State Fair of Texas, using 635 bags of chips, 660 cans of chili and 580 bags of cheese. The giant pie weighed over 1,300 pounds and served over 5,000 people!
Most haircuts given in an hour
Where: Austin, Texas
When: August 22, 2008
It’s quantity over quality in this record-breaking case of barbershop skill! Ivan Zoot, a barber at Men’s Grooming Center in Austin, gave 34 haircuts in just one hour!
If you had the chance to break (or set) an obscure world record, what would you pick as your challenge? Maybe one day we’ll write about a resident from our Dallas apartments!
Enjoy!
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Featured photo courtesy Pixabya/OrnaW
Colleen Ford is a South African who now lives on Oahu in Hawai'i. She loves to travel, camp, spearfish and hike. She's also part of a super cool canoe club and is pretty decent at it. Colleen enjoys Star Wars and also not being cold ever.
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