You’ve got a very special lineup today: the worldwide record holder for most entertaining Atlantic-branded trivia published on March 20, 2026.
Atlantic Trivia
The Guinness World Record for oldest software system in continuous use belongs to a database used by what U.S. federal agency notorious for its outdated practices?
Americans deal with it every April.
And by the way, did you know that in addition to the nearly 70,000 active records that Guinness maintains, it has a handful that it has consciously discontinued? Largest pie fight is out on the grounds of food waste, and largest penny pyramid ended in 1984 out of (prescient!) fear of a penny shortage.
Heaviest cat was cut for animal welfare, largest balloon release for environmental welfare, and most guitars smashed during a concert tour for, in Guinness’s words, “guitar welfare.” It also got rid of trickiest tongue twister in the name of—what? Lingual welfare? Alas, no: subjectivity. That one was last recognized in 1974, meaning that The sixth sick sheik’s sixth sheep’s sick keeps the crown forevermore.
Have a great weekend!
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