7 of the Craziest World Records Were Set Here in Louisiana

Get our free mobile app

There's actually a world record for just about everything. The folks at Guinness have been keeping track of both incredible and weird feats and facts for the entire world since 1955.

Who's got the stretchiest skin in the world? They've got a record for that. How about the widest mouth, longest fingernails, or the longest nose? There are Guinness records for all of those.

You can literally spend an entire day searching through the Guinness website and along with your giggles and gasps at some of the craziness, you might also learn something.

I say that because that is exactly what happened to me yesterday. And I was astonished to find that some of the wildest, craziest records were actually set right here in the Bayou State.

We've got our share of what I would deem, "normal" records like the largest fruit cobbler and the heaviest grapefruit, but these seven really caught my eye.

• Largest Prison Farm. We've all heard of Angola, officially known as the Louisiana State Penitentiary, but did you know it was home to the largest prison farm? At 28 square miles, it's the biggest in the entire world.
• Most Family Members to Graduate From the Same University - Set in 2010, the number is 40. In all, 40 members of the Wayne family from Marion, Louisiana, graduated from Grambling State University in a stint that began in 1956.
• Largest Serving of Gumbo - Weighing in at a whopping 6,800 pounds, this honor belongs to our very own Walk-On's in Shreveport! Cooked for the huge Independence Bowl tailgate party on December 27,2018 by Chef John Folse
• Most People Twerking Simultaneously - Yes sir! Louisiana holds another of those records we are so proud of. It was November 15, 2014 at the Big Freedia and Central City Festival in New Orleans when 406 people simultaneously set this auspicious record.
• Largest Litter of Hamsters - No one has yet to break the record set in 1974 when a hamster belonging to the Miller family in Louisiana gave birth to 26 babies.
• The Longest Bridge Over Water - Completed in 1969, at 23.87 miles long, the record holder is the Second Lake Pontchartrain Causeway, which joins Mandeville and Metairie, Louisiana
• Largest King Cake - It's only fitting that this record should belong to Louisiana. This monster cake, weighing over 4,073  pounds was baked by Haydel's Bakery at the Superdome on September 22, 2010.  Measuring 2,643 feet long, it completely circled the Superdome.