Record-Breaking Physical Feats That Blew Everyone Away

Let's face it: humans are weird. We're awesome, idiotic, adventurous creatures, always pushing ourselves to the very limit to achieve things never before thought possible. Everyone loves a hero, and real-life heroes are even better than fictional ones. These record-breaking physical feats could rival even Captain America's death-defying stunts, so forget the spandex-clad champions leaping around on the silver screen — these folks are the real heroes. Superman who?

Is there any greater symbol of endurance than Mount Everest? Since it was named the world's highest mountain in 1856, thousands have toiled to conquer the ice-clad slopes, and plenty have died before reaching the peak. This is a mission that requires sharp wits and good health — which makes Erik Weihenmayer's story even more inspiring.

At 13 years old, Weihenmayer lost his sight to retinoschisis, a degenerative condition of the eyes. Determined not to let his blindness "sweep him to the sidelines of life," Weihenmayer vowed to surmount the world's highest heights. As recorded by Guinness World Records, in 2001 he became the first blind person to climb Mount Everest. To this day, he's the only blind person to do so. The climb tested Weihenmayer to his limits, from the long trek over the dangerous Khumbu icefall to battling stiff winds as he neared the peak. 

It took Weihenmayer two months to climb Everest ... but he didn't stop there. The blind mountaineer had already triumphed over the highest mountain in the USA (Denali), and after climbing five more peaks Weihenmayer completed the "Seven Summits" challenge, having traversed the highest point on each continent — you can read about Weihenmayer's quest on his blog. The next time you feel like getting out of bed is too much trouble, think of Weihenmayer's amazing achievements. (Then roll over and go back to sleep because your bed is much warmer than a frozen mountaintop.)

Some of us would be satisfied with being the senior VP for one of the world's most powerful companies, but not Alan Eustace. For Google's vice president, the sky was literally the limit, so in 2014 he set out to break the world record for the highest free-fall jump. Working in secret, Eustace and his team designed a balloon that would lift him to the stratosphere, allowing him to ascend 1,600 feet per minute. The modest computer scientist has a reputation as a thrill-seeker, and he trained for months to endure the G-force that would be inflicted on him. When he did, his jump from the edge of space surprised and amazed the world.

Upon reaching his goal altitude of 135,890 feet (more than 25 miles), Eustace untethered himself from the balloon with a small explosive device and plummeted back down to Earth at incredible speeds. The dive only took 15 minutes, and the 57-year-old man even broke 822 mph, passing the sound barrier (at 767 mph) and creating a sonic boom that was heard by his team on the ground. Speaking to the New York Times after the jump, Eustace waxed lyrical about seeing the "darkness of space and layers of atmosphere," describing his incredible fall as "a wild, wild ride."

In 1965, Randy Gardner conducted a personal experiment, vowing to stay awake as long as possible. In the era of acid tests and free love, Gardner's drug of choice seemed mundane. But surprisingly, his sleep-deprived trip was no less psychedelic, and far more dangerous, than dropping a tab.

At first everything seemed fine. Gardner felt sluggish as exhaustion set in, and he was already suffering nausea and reduced cognitive function. As recorded by the Psychiatric Times, Gardner veered from mood swings to vivid hallucinations. By the fourth day he was mistaking street signs for people and insisting that he was in fact a famous African-American football player. As ScienceAlert notes, although he beat one of his doctors at pinball on the tenth day, confusion and paranoia set in, and on the 11th day Gardner became almost unresponsive, unable to remember what he was doing or why.

Having beaten the world record, Gardner was rushed to the hospital and caught up on some much-needed sleep. But unfortunately, the story doesn't end there. In December 2017, a 71-year-old Gardner spoke to NPR about the long-term effects of his teenage study. He reports that he now suffers from extreme insomnia, and even after strict sleep training he can only sleep six hours a night. At least he still has his world record title — Guinness World Records has banned sleep deprivation contests for being too dangerous. Of course, that's not much consolation for the man who can't sleep.

The sea is a strange and dangerous place. Though humanity has spread across the Earth, even setting foot on the Moon and sending robots to Mars, we know very little about the oceans that cover 70 percent of our home planet. Getting lost on the vast expanse of water is a terrifying thought — but for Jose Salvador Alvarenga, this was his reality for 438 days.

In January 2014, Alvarenga washed up on the Marshall Islands, setting a world record for the longest anyone has survived being lost at sea. A simple fishing trip had turned into a waking nightmare when Alvarenga's boat got caught in a storm, blowing him off course, destroying the radio, and washing away all his supplies. During his time as a castaway, the El Salvadoran fisherman survived by drinking turtle blood and rainwater, and eating whatever fish or birds he could catch.

Alvarenga was initially accompanied by novice fisherman Ezequiel Cordoba, but even this silver lining turned to torment when the 22-year-old grew ill from eating a bird that had been poisoned by a sea snake. Shaken by the sickness, Cordoba refused to eat the few creatures Alvarenga caught, and soon died. Speaking to Telegraph a year after he returned to dry land, Alvarenga described how he "befriended" Cordoba's corpse and found it difficult to throw him overboard. Alvarenga was later sued by the Cordoba family for allegedly eating Cordoba, although he denied it.

Stig Åvall Severinsen is famous for holding his breath for an incredible 22 minutes. That's enough to get through an entire episode of The Big Bang Theory, but the "Danish daredevil" has far more interesting applications for this talent. In 2013, Severinsen combined his love of yoga, his development of "Breatheology" — the art of holding and controlling your breath — and his swimming expertise by setting a world record for the longest swim under ice.

Clad only in swimming trunks, Severinsen plunged beneath the ice on Qorlortoq Lake, Greenland, swimming 236 feet in just 1 minute and 26 seconds, and achieving something no one else dared to do. Accolades should also go to the camera operators who filmed Severinsen's journey under the ice, which resulted in the very impressive video above. Speaking to Thrillist, Severinsen advocated the benefits of breath training and taking a dip in icy water, explaining that he enters a meditative state when he does so, feeling enveloped in an overwhelming sense of peace.

Well, despite the "health benefits," you probably shouldn't go diving under Greenland ice anytime soon.