Dubai seeks glory in world records
Dubai seeks glory in world records
September 7, 2016 | 12:03 AM
The United Arab Emirates held 165 world records, including 129 set in Dubai, according to Guinness.
September 7, 2016 | 12:03 AM
Last Updated: September 7, 2016 | 12:03 AM
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DUBAI — Superlatives like "the world's biggest" and "the world's first" are almost as ubiquitous in Dubai where skyscrapers and mega-projects have come to define this city-state on the Arabian Peninsula, home to the tallest building and the busiest international airport on Earth.
The United Arab Emirates held 165 such records, including 129 set in Dubai, according to Guinness.
Among them are the architectural marvels of Dubai, like the Burj Khalifa, the world's tallest building at 828 meters (2,716 feet), and the continent-shaped islands of The World, the largest man-made archipelago. The world's longest driverless metro line passes by the twin towers of the J.W.
Marriott Marquis, the world's tallest hotel at 355 meters (1,165 feet).
Then there are the stranger feats, like when Indian national Maharoof
Decibels won the Operation board game with surgical precision in a world-record 21.87 seconds in 2008. Or when Mohamed Ahmed Al-Mulla, an Emirati, typed the fastest blindfolded Arabic text message in 2009. The two-sentences included the phrase: "the razor-toothed piranhas of the genera Serrasalmus and Pygocentrus."
Some records are more infamous. The largest tanker ship ever hijacked? The UAE-based Sirius Star, later released by Somali pirates for a $3 million ransom. The highest shortage of women, according to Guinness?
One place the UAE isn't ahead, however, is in the number of overall world records. The United States leads the pack with 6,874. But the UAE and Dubai dominate the Middle East, Guinness spokeswoman Leila Issa said.
"The UAE's initiative to be the first in all industries and their drive for success and to be the best is what drives them to attempt Guinness World Records titles," she said.
The Emirati push for world records corresponds with academic research on social comparison. Studies show that the higher ranked a person becomes in a field, "the more thirsty you are to get to that No. 1 position," said Stephen Garcia, an associate professor of psychology at the University of Michigan.
"Even with adults, if you say, 'First one to the tree is the coolest person in the world,' you're going to get the adults running to the tree," Garcia said. "That's such a childhood game, but people are ready to run with it. Whenever you create a competition, people tend to buy in, even around these trivial dimensions, like this Guinness World Record."
Decibels won the Operation board game with surgical precision in a world-record 21.87 seconds in 2008. Or when Mohamed Ahmed Al-Mulla, an Emirati, typed the fastest blindfolded Arabic text message in 2009. The two-sentences included the phrase: "the razor-toothed piranhas of the genera Serrasalmus and Pygocentrus."
Some records are more infamous. The largest tanker ship ever hijacked? The UAE-based Sirius Star, later released by Somali pirates for a $3 million ransom. The highest shortage of women, according to Guinness?
One place the UAE isn't ahead, however, is in the number of overall world records. The United States leads the pack with 6,874. But the UAE and Dubai dominate the Middle East, Guinness spokeswoman Leila Issa said.
"The UAE's initiative to be the first in all industries and their drive for success and to be the best is what drives them to attempt Guinness World Records titles," she said.
The Emirati push for world records corresponds with academic research on social comparison. Studies show that the higher ranked a person becomes in a field, "the more thirsty you are to get to that No. 1 position," said Stephen Garcia, an associate professor of psychology at the University of Michigan.
"Even with adults, if you say, 'First one to the tree is the coolest person in the world,' you're going to get the adults running to the tree," Garcia said. "That's such a childhood game, but people are ready to run with it. Whenever you create a competition, people tend to buy in, even around these trivial dimensions, like this Guinness World Record." 
