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Gymnastics record -

In 2023, American gymnast Simone Biles won her sixth all-around gold medal at the Artistic Gymnastics World Championships, becoming the most decorated competitor in the sport's history.

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Highest-attended women's sporting event -

In 2023, the University of Nebraska's volleyball game against Omaha became the highest-attended women's sporting event in history. Over 92,000 people filled the University of Nebraska’s football stadium to watch the game.

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The hottest year on record -

It's almost certain that 2023 will be the hottest year on record. The temperature for the first 11 months of the year, between January and November, was 0.13°C (32.23°F) higher than the average for the same period in 2016, which is the warmest year on record.

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Canada sees a record number of wildfires and surface area burnt -

Around 6,500 wildfires burned some 45.7 m acres (18.5 m hectares) of land in Canada in 2023. That's more than 1% of the country.

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World record marathon time (men’s) -

Kelvin Kiptum of Kenya won the 2023 Chicago Marathon professional men's division and set a world record time of 2:00.35.

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World record marathon time (women) -

In September 2023, Tigst Assefa of Ethiopia broke the women's marathon world record in Berlin, at 2:11:53. It was an improvement of over two minutes on the previous world record.

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Scuba diving in the most countries -

Scuba diver Karin Sinniger dived in more than 180 countries, setting a new world record in 2023.

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Kamala Harris made history (again) in 2023 -

In 2021, Kamala Harris became the first Black woman and Indian-American US vice-president. In May 2023, Harris made history again: she cast her 32nd tiebreaking vote in the Senate, which was the most in the chamber's history.

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The hottest month -

According to the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and the European Commission’s Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S), July 2023 was the hottest month on record. The month had the hottest three-week period and the three hottest days on record.

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The longest curling game in history -

A group of 10 curlers from the Capital Winter Club in Fredericton, New Brunswick, in Canada, curled for 120 hours, 3 minutes, and 8.80 seconds. The game raised funds for a mental health charity.

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Taylor Swift broke multiple records in 2023 -

Taylor Swift’s 2023 records include: being the first woman with four albums in the Billboard chart top 10 simultaneously; most number one albums by a woman in history; most streamed country album in a single day on Spotify; and being the first woman with new number one albums in five consecutive years.

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Taylor Swift broke multiple records in 2023 -

But there’s more! Taylor Swift also broke the following records: she’s the first woman with simultaneous top 10 songs from three albums, and she can boast putting on the most attended concert by a female artist in the US. Finally, Taylor Swift's Eras Tour became the first tour in history to cross the US$1 billion mark.

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Oceans reached a world surface temperature record -

In June 2023, the average sea surface temperatures across the North Atlantic were the warmest on record. But ocean surface temperature rose across the globe. In Florida, the water temperature reached 38°C (100.4°F), and in the Mediterranean it reached a record 28.7°C (83.66°F).

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Sam Whitelock broke a number of records at the Rugby World Cup -

The New Zealand player became the most capped All Black with 152 appearances. Whitelock also broke the record for the most appearances in a Rugby World Cup (25), and the most wins in a Rugby World Cup (23 wins in 25 games).

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World's largest collection of surfboards -

Donald Dettloff, from Haiku, Maui, in Hawaii, started to build a fence in the 1990s. He now has the world's largest collection of surfboards, with 647 boards on display.

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The most-attended wrestling event in history -

In 2023, All Elite Wrestling brought the wrestling event ‘All In’ to London's Wembley Arena. It was the most-attended wrestling event in history, with over 80,000 tickets sold.

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Most squat lifts of one's own bodyweight in one minute (female) -

British powerlifter Karenjeet Kaur Bains entered the Guinness World Records with a total of 42 reps.

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Record heatwave in the Phoenix -

Phoenix, Arizona, experienced a record 31-day heatwave in 2023. In July, temperatures soared to over 43.3°C (109.94°F).

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Max Verstappen set an unprecedented number of records in 2023 -

In 2023, the Red Bull F1 driver won more races and scored more points than any driver in the sport's history. Verstappen’s records include: Formula One’s highest percentage of wins in a season; most wins in a season; most consecutive wins; most wins from pole in a season; and being F1’s only driver to win three times in one country during a single season.

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Max Verstappen set an unprecedented number of records in 2023 -

Other records broken by Verstappen in 2023 include: most hat-tricks in a season; most points in a season; most podiums in a season; most consecutive top two finishes; most laps led in a season; highest percentage of laps led in a season; most pitstops by the winning driver in one race; biggest points gap between first and second in the championship; most races left in a season before championship win; most consecutive points scored; most consecutive races as championship leader; and highest percentage points difference between first and second in championship.

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World’s largest bluegrass band -

The world's largest bluegrass band, consisting of about 510 musicians and singers, gathered at Yellow Creek Park in Owensboro in Kentucky in October this year.

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Most-watched women’s cricket event -

The women’s International Cricket Council’s T20 World Cup in South Africa set the record for the most-watched women’s cricket event, with a total of 192 million hours of viewership.

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Most academic degrees held by a female -

Dr. Stephanie Attwater from Canada broke the world record for the most educational degrees received, with a total of 32.

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Indy 500 records -

Alex Palou of the Chip Ganassi Racing team broke the record for the fastest pole speed in Indianapolis 500 history, with a four-lap average speed of 234.217 mph (376.935 km/h).

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Most candles extinguished by a single whip crack -

Wang Chuanfei from China set the Guinness World Record for the most candles extinguished by a single whip crack. Chuanfei extinguished 42 candles.

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Fastest time to solve a rotating puzzle cube (3x3x3) under water -

On June 19, 2023, Daryl Tan Hong An of Singapore solved a rotating puzzle cube (3x3x3) under water in 9.29 seconds.

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Morocco breaks the 50°C barrier for the first time -

On August 11, 2023, Agadir’s weather station recorded a record temperature of 50.4°C (122.72°F) in the city.

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Fastest 5 m on hind legs by a horse -

Alvin, a Shetland pony from Skåne, Sweden, set the world record for the fastest 5 m on hind legs by a horse, at 16.70 seconds.

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Most t-shirts removed while heading a soccer ball -

Agim Agushi of Kosovo set the world record for the most t-shirts removed while heading a soccer ball: 24.

Sources: (Guinness World Records) (World Record Academy) (United Nations) (European Commission) (The New York Times) (The Guardian) (Reuters) (Track & Field News)  (Autosport) (Planet Rugby) 

See also: World records that Guinness refuses to accept

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