New Kansas City experience goes deep on world records, from Chiefs gear to Rubik’s cubes
Remember picking up the book with the sparkling and shining cover filled with impressive feats inside at your school book fair as a kid? Or telling your kid to put that book away?
You can now learn how those feats in the Guinness World Records books were accomplished at Union Station’s latest exhibit — and try your hand at setting your own.
The Science of Guinness World Records takes Kansas City guests behind the scenes to see what it takes to set new records, challenge old ones and potentially make the history books themselves. The interactive exhibit features opportunities for guests to take a crack at some of the world record-setting activities Guinness has captured.
The traveling exhibit makes its first appearance in Kansas City, and the setup is much different than exhibits of the past. There are 70 interactive displays and around 30 artifacts for kids and adults to look at during their visit, making each experience unique to the visitor, said John Corcoran, the exhibition director for The Science of Guinness World Records.
Not everything can be a world record, Corcoran said. Guinness has a strict criteria on what it takes to set one; it has to be measurable, breakable, standardizable and verifiable. You won’t see a world record for the world’s ugliest dog since that’s subjective, but you will see a record for the world’s largest collection of Chiefs memorabilia, some of which is on display as you enter the exhibit.
What’s inside The Science of Guinness World Records?
There are seven zones guests can explore inside The Science of Guinness World Records, two of which are exclusive to Kansas City. The first zone, Intro Theatre & Locomotive, introduces visitors to the history of the Guinness Book of World Records and includes “Plane Loco,” a world-record steampunk locomotive engine measuring over 20 feet long, 9 feet high and 13 feet wide, built entirely of matchsticks by Iowa-based artist Patrick Acton.
Before you see the first zone, you are introduced to Union Station’s local connections space, featuring the Chiefseum with items from Manhattan, Kansas’ Curt Herrman’s world record collection like the the game ball from the first Chiefs game in Kansas City in 1963. You will also see a mockup of his game day setup, including a TV showing the game where Chiefs fans once again broke the record for the loudest stadium roar in the world in 2014, peaking at 142.2 decibels.
A wall as you walk into the exhibit features a scrolling list, honoring records set by Kansans and Missourians. Union Station associate vice president of marketing Lauren Korvana said that number sits at 250. One of the records was set by fans of the University of Kansas for the largest gathering of people wearing holiday sweaters during a men’s college basketball game against the University of Montana on Dec. 19, 2015.
The second exclusive zone, Be Inspired, invites visitors to look at the world’s smallest handmade sculptures crafted by British artist Willard Wigan. Be sure to set the microscope correctly so you can see his creations clearly.
Five other zones, Ignite, Explore, Focus, React and Endure, are designed to teach visitors how world records are created and test your abilities against some of the records. An activity in the Endure section invites guests to see how long they can hold themselves up hanging from a bar. Good luck passing the world record of 80 minutes, 41 seconds.
Other activities on hand include dueling Pop-A-Shot basketball hoops (and a smaller version for kids), speed tagging buttons on a wall to test your reaction time and a large arcade cabinet for Pac-Man. Or you and your kids can take a break and relax in one of two video nooks inside, where you can see what records were set in 2024 or read through 70 years’ worth of published Guinness World Record books.
“We believe everybody in the world can be the best at something,” Cocoran said. “Let’s find out what that is for you, let’s make it official according to our strict standards and let’s potentially celebrate your success of being a Guinness World Record title holder.”
You can opt to create an avatar as you try these activities and see how your times and points compare to others who’ve attempted during the day and throughout the duration of the exhibit. Have fun crushing my record of 12.416 seconds in matching all 10 shapes of the board game Perfection. (The world record is 6.526 seconds).
Kansas City is also trying to set the world record for the largest collection of claps and is inviting all who visit to help be a part of it, Cocoran said. You can participate by registering three claps that are loud enough inside a small sound booth.
After that, you can see how tall entryways needed to be for the tallest man and the shortest married couple or watch a video behind the science of setting the record for the fastest time to solve a Rubik’s cube.
How much are tickets to The Science of Guinness World Records?
You can buy tickets for the exhibit online, and it will be open from March 8 to Sept. 2. Prices are:
- $13.50 for Union Station members
- $15 for children ages 4-12
- $16 for adult ages 55 and over
- $17.50 for everyone else
Union Station chief marketing officer Michael Tritt said some schools around the Kansas City area have already booked their field trips for the space and talks are underway for a potential combo package with the exhibit and Science City.
Tritt and Cocoran both hinted at a future world record attempt taking place inside the space, but wouldn’t share more on the attempt or when it’ll happen.
