The Strangest Guinness World Record Ever
The Guinness World Records book is filled with extraordinary, inspiring, and sometimes downright bizarre achievements. Among the strangest records ever documented, one that often captures the attention of the curious is the record for the longest fingernails on a single hand.
This record belongs to Shridhar Chillal from India, who didn’t cut the fingernails on his left hand for an astonishing 66 years. Starting in 1952, after being scolded by a teacher for accidentally breaking his long nail, Chillal vowed never to cut his again. What began as a personal challenge soon turned into a historic feat.
By the time they were officially measured in 2014, the combined length of Chillal’s nails was 909.6 centimeters (about 29 feet 10 inches). His thumbnail alone measured over 197.8 cm (6.47 feet). Maintaining these nails came with a heavy price: nerve damage in his fingers, a permanently disfigured hand, and extreme difficulty sleeping due to the delicate care required.
Despite the inconvenience, Chillal took great pride in his unique record. In 2018, he decided to cut the nails and donate them to the Ripley’s Believe It or Not! Museum in New York City, where they are now preserved and on display.
This record stands out not just for its physical extremity but for the dedication it required. Growing fingernails for over six decades may not be the most glamorous pursuit, but it certainly represents the human capacity for endurance, commitment, and the desire to be remembered in an extraordinary way.
Guinness World Records continues to amaze with wild and unexpected entries, but few are as jaw-droppingly strange—and as visually unsettling—as Shridhar Chillal’s record-breaking nails.
