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Record Breakers 💫



This CST activities page celebrates the TV show 'Record Breakers' and looks at some of the most well known records which have been broken.


As you work through the pictures (if you click on the first one a slide show will open), discuss each record and how impressive they are, which is the most historically significant and so on.


Some video and music breaks are included, to make the session more engaging and enjoyable.


Begin by asking members to identify these presenters ...





1. Name the TV presenter?

What is the charity named after him concerned about?



2. Name the TV presenter?

Which Eurovision pop group was she part of?



3. Name the chap in the middle?

What was his sport?



4. Name the twins?

Hands up who had a 'Guinness Book Of Records' for Christmas?





Roy Castle was himself a record. breaker. He still to this day holds the world record for the fastest tap dance; 1,440 taps per minute, or 24 taps per second. In 1992, Roy was awarded an OBE, in recognition of his wide-ranging talents, and for his services to charity.





Record Breakers - Great Firsts Top 10


"Victory awaits him, who has everything in order - luck we call it. Defeat is definitely due for him, who has neglected to take the necessary precautions - bad luck we call it."


5. Who was the first man to reach the South Pole in 1911?


a. Roald Amundsen

b. Robert Falcon Scott

c. Robert E Peary




"This car of mine, I am tickled to death with it. The machine is nearly everything, its power, stability and balance. The driver, allowing for his experience and courage, is much less."


6. Sir Malcolm Campbell set a land speed record at Pendine Sands in Wales after hitting more than 150mph in 1925. What was the name of his iconic car?


a. 'Bluebird'

b. 'Rocket'

c. 'Falcon'




7. Amelia Earhart broke a flying record in 1928 as the first woman to fly solo where?


a. Across the Atlantic

b. Across the Pacific

c. Across Europe




"It is not the mountain we conquer but ourselves."


8. Who accompanied Edmund Hilary to the top of Everest in 1953?


a. Wang Fu-chou

b. Jurg Marmet

c. Tenzing Norgay




“However ordinary each of us may seem, we are all in some way special, and can do things that are extraordinary."


9. Which record did Roger Bannister break in 1954?


a. 3 minute mile

b. 4 minute mile

c. 5 minute mile




"That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind."


10. Which man was the first to step foot onto the moon in 1969?


a. Buzz Aldrin

b. Michael Collins

c. Neil Armstrong





"I decided to fly through the air and live in the sunlight and enjoy life as much as I could."


11. In 1971 Evil Knieval broke the record for the longest motorcycle jump ever, jumping 19 Dodge cars in Ontario. But which other record did he break?


a. The most broken bones in a lifetime (433)

b. The fastest motorcycle landspeed record (376 mph)

c. The biggest motorcycle jump when blindfolded (12 Dodge cars)




“Sometimes you have to go up really high to understand how small you really are.”


12. Which company funded Austrian skydiver Felix Baumgartner to complete a parachute jump from a height of 38,969.4 metres in 2012, reaching a speed of 843mph and breaking the sound barrier in his free fall?


a. 'Red Bull'

b. 'Gillette'

c. 'Brut'




"Everybody in the world needs to do this...It was so moving."


13. In 2021, William Shatner became the oldest person to go into space ("the final frontier"). How old was he?


a. 80 years

b. 85 years

c. 90 years




14. Who is the richest man in the world, worth $219?


a. Elon Musk ('SpaceX')

b. Jeff Bezos ('Amazon')

c. Bill Gates ('Microsoft')





15. How many people can fit into a new Mini car. The record was broken in 2014?


a. 9

b. 19

c. 29





Record Breakers - Animals, Including Humans


16. What is the biggest animal on the planet, at 98 feet in length and weighing 400,000 pounds (that's 33 elephants)?


a. Antarctic Blue Whale

b. Humpback Whale

c. Fin Whale




17. The elephant is the biggest land animal on earth. But which of the three types is largest?


a. African Forest Elephant

b. Asian Elephant

c. African Savanna Elephant




18. What is the most dangerous animal in the world, in terms of killing the most people each year?


a. Snake

b. Crocodile

c. Mosquito

d. Shark




19. The Cheetah is the fastest land animal, but how fast can it run?


a. 54 mph

b. 64 mph

c. 74 mph




20. The Peregrine Falcon is the fastest animal in the world, but how fast can it fly?


a. 40 mph

b. 140 mph

c. 240 mph




“You have to set yourself goals so you can push yourself harder. Desire is the key to success.”


21. Usain Bolt is the fastest man in the world. In 2009 Jamaican sprinter he set the world record in the 100-meter sprint at 9.58 seconds. How fast did he run?


a. 27.33 mph

b. 25.33 mph

c. 23.33 mph




At 5 years old, he was wearing clothes that would fit a 17 year old. He died aged 22 in 1940.


22. The world's tallest ever man was how tall do you reckon? (Robert Wadlow, from Illinois)


a. 6ft 11

b. 7ft 11

c. 8ft 11


NB His shoe size was 37AA if that helps?




He died of pneumonia in 2015, aged 79.


23. And the world's shortest man? (Chandra Bahadur Dangi, from Nepal)


a. 21.5 inches (1 ft 8)

b. 32 inches (2ft 8)

b. 44 inches (3ft 8)




“It is hard work, but I just love everything about Christmas.”


24. The Radford family in Heysham, Lancashire, is the biggest in the UK. How many children are there?


a. 20

b. 22

c. 24




"Always keep your smile. That's how I explain my long life."


25. Jeanne Calment, a French lady, was the longest ever surviving person in the world. But how old was she?


a. 102 and 164 days

b. 112 and 164 days

c. 122 years and 164 days





26. Where is the smallest house in Great Britain?


a. Chester

b. Conwy

c. Aberystwyth




Record Breakers - Things That Are Tallest, Biggest & Fastest


27. The 'Great Wall Of China' is the longest structure in the world, constructed in the Ming Dynasty (1368–1644). But how long is it?


a. 1,317 miles

b. 7, 317 miles

c. 13,171 miles




28. 'The Flying Scotsman' was the first steam train to travel at 100mph, in 1934. But the Chinese 'Maglev' is today's fastest train. How fast do you reckon it can travel?


a. 206 mph

b. 246 mph

c. 286 mph


Here it is ...






29. This James Bond Aston Martin car, from the 1964 movie 'Goldfinger', broke two records. The first was the number of barrel roll flips it made during a movie stunt, which was 7 instead of the planned 2. The other is the price it fetched at auction in 2019. How much do you reckon it went for?


a. £1.26m

b. £3.26m

c. £5.26m




30. 'Concorde', which was retired in 2003, was the fastest passenger jet. It could cruise at Mach 2.04, but how fast is that?


a. 554 mph

b. 954 mph

c. 1,354 mph




"I am a very physical actor and I love doing them (the stunts). I study and train and take a lot of time figuring it all out. I have broken a lot of bones."


31. Here is Tom Cruise on the outside of the tallest building in the world in the 2011 movie 'Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol'. But what is the tallest building in the world (163 floors)?


a. 'Petronas Towers' in Kuala Lumpur

b. 'Burj Khalifa' in Dubai

c. 'One World Trade Centre' in New York




32. The world's biggest cruise ship is Royal Caribbean's 'Wonder Of The Seas'. How many passengers and crew do you think can fit on board?


a. 2,988 passengers & 1,300 crew = 4,288

b. 4,988 passengers & 1,700 crew = 6,688

c. 6,988 passengers & 2,300 crew = 9,288




33. The 'Sydney Harbour Bridge', which opened in 1932, is the widest and tallest steel arch bridge in the world at 439ft above sea level, 3,679 ft long and 160 ft metres wide. Earlier this year, it was announced which flag would fly permanently at the top of the bridge?


a. Aboriginal

b. Commonwealth

c. Independence




34. Which of these ancient wonders of the world is the oldest?


a. Machu Picchu, Peru

b. Stonehenge, England

c. Collosseum, Rome

d. Great Pyramids, Egypt



35. Which of these modern wonders of the world is newest?


a. Statue Of Liberty, USA

b. Taj Mahal, India

c. Eiffel Tower, France

d. Christ The Redeemer, Brazil






36. Which of these London landmarks is the biggest tourist attraction, in terms of footfall (tickets) per year?


a. London Eye

b. Tower Of London

c. British Museum

d. Buckingham Palace





According to the Guinness Book of World Records, Elvis Presley is still the best-selling artist in music history with more than 1 billion album and song sales worldwide.


Here is a medley of some of his greatest hits - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ls3BMUBum4k


37. Before listening, name as many Elvis hits as you can?






1. Roy Castle / Lung Cancer (he was diagnosed with it, the cause being passive smoking)


2. Cheryl Baker / 'Bucks Fizz' (won Eurovision in 1981)


3. Chris Akabusi / Sprinting & Hurdles (Gold Medal in the 1990 European Championships)


4. Ross & Norris McWhirter


5. a. Roald Amundsen


6. a. 'Bluebird'


7. a. Across the Atlantic


8. c. Tenzing Norgay


9. b. 4 minute mile


10. c. Neil Armstrong


11. a. The most broken bones in a lifetime (433)


12. a. 'Red Bull'


13. c. 90 years


14. a. Elon Musk ('SpaceX')


15. c. 29


16. a. Antarctic Blue Whale


17. c. African Savanna Elephant


18. c. Mosquito


19. c. 74 mph


20. c. 240 mph


21. a. 27.33 mph


22. c. 8ft 11


23. a. 21.5 inches (1 ft 8)


24. b. 22


25. c. 122 years and 164 days


26. b. Conwy


27. c. 13,171 miles


28. c. 286 mph


29. c. £5.26m


30. c. 1,354 mph


31. b. 'Burj Khalifa' in Dubai


32. c. 6,988 passengers & 2,300 crew = 9,288


33. a. Aboriginal


34. a. Machu Picchu, Peru - contructed about 1450 A.D. (572 years old)

b. Stonehenge, England - constructed between 3000 and 1500 B.C (5,000 years old) *oldest

c. Collosseum, Rome - constructed between 70 and 72 A.D. (1,952 years old)

d. Great Pyramids, Egypt - constructed 2550 to 2490 B.C. (4,500 years old)


35. a. Statue Of Liberty, USA - completed in 1886

b. Taj Mahal, India - completed in 1648

c. Eiffel Tower, France - completed in 1889

d. Christ The Redeemer, Brazil - completed in 1931 * newest


36. a. London Eye - 3.5m

b. Tower Of London - 2.74m

c. British Museum - 6.42m * most visited, but then admission is free!!

d. Buckingham Palace - 1.6m





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