DOTHAN, Ala. (WTVY) – When it comes to college football, the state of Alabama is known for setting records. However, more than just record-setting football plays come from this great state. From the world’s largest brick to the world’s smallest block, the Yellowhammer State boasts some interesting world records.
ANNISTON
Miller’s Office Furniture – Sitting outside Miller’s Office Furniture in Anniston, Alabama, is the World’s Largest Office Chair. The chair, seemingly built for a giant’s conference room, stands 33 feet tall, 20 feet wide and weighs around 2,000 pounds.
BIRMINGHAM
Aww Shucks – While food trucks abound all around Birmingham, Alabama, one food truck stands out. ‘Aww Shucks,’ a food truck selling fire-roasted corn, hosts a team of four world record holders. Phillip Powell, Avrie Powell, Jarris Brooks and Brandale Oliver currently hold the Team World Record for the Most Corn Shucked in One Minute – they shucked 38 ears of corn to take the world record in 2021.
Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum – With over 1,800 motorcycles and racing cars from the mid 19th Century to modern models lining the five stories of its 144,000-square-foot facility, the Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum holds the title of the World’s Largest Motorcycle Museumin Birmingham, Alabama. On any given day, more than 1,000 bikes are displayed, the oldest of which dates to 1867. The museum, which celebrates the history of motorsports, also partners with a multitude of charities for children.
Jeremy Harper – There are nearly 8 billion people on Earth. Only 1 of them has counted to one million. Jeremy Harper, a man from Birmingham, Alabama, holds the World Record for Highest Number Counted Out Loud. Harper started his journey to count to one million in June 2007. For 89 days, Harper live-streamed himself verbally counting every number up to a million. Harper took on the counting challenge to promote his fraternity’s philanthropy, Push America. According to the Guinness Book of World Records, Harper counted for around 16 hours daily and averaged about 11,200 numbers per day.
Patrick O’Mara – Many people admit to anxiety around public speaking, but not Patrick O’Mara. In 2024, the public speaking trainer from Birmingham, Alabama, earned the World Record for Most Speeches in 24 Hours. To promote his public speaking business, O’Mara gave 32 ten-minute, impromptu speeches in 24 hours. He attended over 30 venues, had crowds of at least 10 people, and used fortune cookies to provide unplanned topics. The fortune cookie topics ranged from ‘how not to give up’ to ‘the practice of being patient.’
The Vulcan – What kind of city builds a huge statue of a burly, bearded, bare-bottomed man to tower over its entire population? Birmingham, Alabama, does. Reflecting Birmingham’s roots in the iron and steel industry, the Vulcan statue, which depicts the Roman god of fire and forge, holds the record for the Largest Cast Iron Statue in the World. The statue, built in 1904, stands 56 feet tall. It rests upon a 123-foot tall pedestal, has a chest circumferences of over 22 feet, and weighs 120,000 pounds.
DOTHAN
The Pig – Ready to go hog wild? Dothan, Alabama, sure is! The World’s Largest Hog Sculpture is a happy sight for drivers around the Ross Clark Circle. Known locally as ‘the Schnitzer Pig,’ the Pig sculpture, made entirely of scrap metal, has been used as an advertising staple since the late 1960s. First used to promote a feed mill with the slogan, “Going Whole Hog for Bob’s Feeds,” the Pig is now owned by Schnitzer Southeast (Radius Recycling), a scrap metal recycling company. Each year, the 26-foot-long, 13-foot-tall Pig gets a new paint job reflecting either the University of Alabama or Auburn University – depending on which football team wins the Iron Bowl that season!
Just down the block – While the size of a city block can vary, one thing is certain: Dothan, Alabama, is home to the World’s Smallest City Block. Located behind the Dothan Civic Center, the block sits at the intersection of North Appletree Street, North College Street and East Troy Street. The block was originally proclaimed smallest by the newspaper column “Ripley’s Believe It or Not,” in the early 1960s. In 1964, the Camellia Garden Club sponsored a granite monument placed on the block. Now, the tiny patch is home to its granite marker, a street sign, a yield sign, and a stop sign.
Les Davis – Born and raised in Dothan, Alabama, Les Davis has held six world records. Inspired by the strength of Samson from the Bible, Davis said he feels like the younger generation needs to see, “extraordinary things.” Davis currently holds the World Record for Most Iron Bars Bent with Teeth. Mr. Davis bent 50 iron bars in under 5 minutes, and 10 iron bars in under 60 seconds.
ENTERPRISE
Insecti-SIZE – Many people admit to disliking bugs. That’s not the case in Enterprise, Alabama. Residents in the City of Enterprise love their bugs. In fact, Enterprise holds the record for the World’s Largest Boll Weevil Statue! The boll weevil is a small cotton-eating beetle that descended on the Wiregrass in 1915. By 1918, farmers were losing entire crops of cotton. Realizing the battle against the bug was futile, farmers transitioned into peanut crops. Now, peanut farming is the cash crop of Southeast Alabama – there’s even an entire Peanut Festival held for peanut history every year! As a reminder of how the people of Enterprise adjusted in the face of adversity, a 13-foot monument and fountain honoring the Boll Weevil was constructed at the intersection of College and Main Street in 1919.
GOODWATER
Horn this way – They aren’t called ‘Texas Longhorns’ for no reason. Those long horns can often be record-breaking in size! Poncho the Texas Longhorn, a resident of Goodwater, Alabama, once held the record for the Longest Set of Horns in the World. At last count, Poncho’s horns were about the same height as an elephant – eleven feet and 4.25 inches! According to his people, Poncho likes to hang out with his best friend (a donkey named Lefty) and eat marshmallows whenever possible.
GULF SHORES
The Octopus Shop – Sprawling across the entrance to a souvenir shop in Gulf Shores, Alabama, is a giant, purple, (sometimes) spotted octopus. The Purple Octopus—named after its smiling overlord—is located between 2nd and 3rd Avenues and Highway 59 in Orange Beach. Also known as the Gulf Shores Souvenirs & Gifts store, the octopus has welcomed tourists into the shop for at least ten years. The octopus (and its shop) claim the record for the World’s Largest Purple Octopus Sculpture, according to the World Record Academy.
LIVINGSTON
UnbeLEAFable – The average 2-liter soda bottle stands around 12.4 inches tall. In contrast, the World’s Largest Oak Leaf beats that height! The oak leaf, found by Claire Larkin while walking in Livingston, Alabama, in 2020, measured 16.53 inches long and 15.63 inches wide.
LUVERNE
Peanuts galore – Across the South, people like to boil things. Crawfish boils, low country boils, peanut boils… Wait – peanut boils? Yep! After boll weevils destroyed cotton crops across Alabama, peanuts became entwined with Alabama culture. One way peanuts are celebrated is by partaking in the delicacy of boiled peanuts. In Luverne, Alabama, the Crenshaw County Alcazar Shrine Club holds the World’s Largest Peanut Boil. According to its Facebook page, the Alcazar Shrine Club boiled 32 tons of peanuts for the 2024 season!
The Crenshaw County Alcazar Shrine Club kicked off its annual World’s Largest Peanut Boil.
MONTGOMERY
Acme Brick, Tile & Stone Store – Montgomery, Alabama, has historically been known as the birthplace of the Civil Rights Movement. Far fewer people know about another first from that city: the Acme Brick, Tile & Stone store in Montgomery is home to the World’s Largest Immobile Brick Made of Bricks, according to the World Record Academy. Standing at 25 feet tall and consisting of much smaller bricks, the Acme Brick seems like something straight out of a cartoon!
WINSTON COUNTY
Chad Fell – Bubblegum is a staple for many, and blowing bubbles can be just plain fun. In 2004, Chad Fell set the record for the World’s Largest Bubblegum Bubble. At Double Springs High School in Winston County, Alabama, Fell blew a bubble of 50.8 centimeters – that’s about 20 inches – which is the same height as an average toddler!
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Publish date : 2024-09-21 05:00:00
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