The desire to be famous is a basic human instinct. All of us seek fame, even if it’s for a small period of time. One of the best ways to become famous is to set a world record. Every day, people all over the world are trying to set a unique world record or trying to beat one. They are pushing on every set of boundaries. As a result, the world of records is ever changing and becoming more and more unbelievable. Some world records are immensely creative, while some are just plain bizarre. Here are 10 world records you probably never knew existed.

1 A New Jersey woman rolled a pair of dice 154 times continuously at a craps table without losing. Her 154-roll winning streak is now a world record. The probability of this occurring was roughly 1 in 1.56 trillion.

Craps is a gambling game that is played in virtually every casino in the world. It is played with two dice. The player can roll until the dice add up to 4,5,6,8,9 or 10. When a shooter rolls a 7, the turn ends. Craps is actually a game of chance rather than skill, and even novices can win if they are lucky. Its house advantage is 1.4% which makes it harder to win at than some other gambling games like blackjack.

On 23 May 2009, a new world record was set at the craps table in a casino of Atlantic City. Patricia Demauro, a grandmother from New Jersey, set the record by rolling a pair of dice 154 times continuously without throwing a seven. The chance of this happening is roughly 1 in 1.56 trillion. According to Thomas Cover, a Stanford University statistics professor, the probability of this outcome is smaller than getting struck by lightning (1 in million) or even winning the lottery (1 in 100 million). (1, 2)

2 On January 22, 1943, the temperature in Spearfish, South Dakota set a world record when it changed from -4°F to 45°F in just two minutes. The change was caused by a Chinook wind which increased the temperature eventually up to 54°F before dying down and dropping the temperature back to -4°F.

In the interior West of North America, a dry, warm wind blows known as “Chinook winds.” If it blows strongly, it can evaporate one-foot-deep snow within 24 hours. The Chinook winds caused one of the fastest recorded changes in temperature ever in the world. The incident occurred on 22 January 1943 in Spearfish, South Dakota. At about 7:30 a.m. MST, the temperature in the city was -4°F (-20°C). At that moment, a Chinook wind started blowing at a rapid speed. Within two minutes the temperature rose to 45°F (7°C). It is the world’s fastest recorded temperature change ever, and it holds true even today.

At 9:00 a.m., the temperature was recorded at 54°F (12°C). After that, the Chinook wind died down suddenly, and within 27 minutes. the temperature plummeted back to -4°F (-20°C). This sudden change in temperature caused cracks in glass windows and car windshields frosted over. (source)

3 There is an official world record for time traveling which is held by Cosmonaut Sergei K. Krikalev who has spent more than 803 days in orbit around Earth. As per Einstein’s theories of relativity, this would mean Sergei effectively has traveled about 22.68 milliseconds forward in time.

Time travel has inspired generations both in real life and in fiction. While the world of fiction has gone ahead of real life by launching characters like Doctor Who, in reality, we are far from achieving any success. Or are we? The truth is that there are some people who have time-traveled even though it is only for a few hundredths of a second. The current official world record for time traveling is held by Russian Cosmonaut Sergei K. Krikalev.

Sergei Krikalev had spent a total of 803 days, 9 hours, and 39 minutes in space. While he was in space, he experienced less gravitational time dilation because he was further from the center of Earth than the people on the ground. This means in space, his time ran slightly faster. So, when he came back to Earth, he actually “came back” to the past. Taking into consideration the total time Sergei Krikalev had spent in space, he had traveled 0.02 seconds into his own future. (1, 2)

4 The world record for keeping a pair of ferrets in your pants is 5 hours and 30 minutes. It is set by 76-year-old retired school teacher Frank Barlett.

Keeping ferrets trapped in one’s trousers is an endurance test/sport that originated in England a long time ago. In this sport, the contestants tie the trousers around their ankles. Then they place ferrets inside the trousers and tie it securely with belts. Sans their underwear, the contestants try to endure the claws and teeth of ferrets for the longest possible time. The last one to release the animals becomes the winner. Currently, the person who holds the world record in this competition is 76-year-old Frank Barlett. He set the world record in 2010 when he managed to keep a ferret down his trousers for 5 hours and 30 minutes. (1, 2)

5 Burt Munro, a motorcycle racer and subject of the movie, created the under-1,000cc world record of 296.2593 km/h (184.087 mph) at Bonneville in 1967 which stands to this day. He was 68 years old and was riding a 47-year-old bike.

Burt Munro was a motorcycle racer from New Zealand. His motorcycle, an Indian Scout, was a 1919 model with the top speed of 89 km/h. Since Munro bought it in 1920, he called it a 1920 model. Not satisfied with the speed of the Indian, he began modifying it. Working in his garden shed, Munro developed his beloved motorcycle over a period of 46 years.

Finally, on 26 August 1967, 68-year-old Munro rode his 47-year-old streamlined Indian and set a world record in the category “Streamlined Motorcycles Under 1,000cc.” His record speed at that time was 295.453 km/h (183.59 mph). In 2014, his son John noticed a calculation error, and upon correction, it was found to be 296.2593 km/h (184.087 mph). To this date, no one has been able to break Munro’s record. (1, 2)