Burping
Paul Hunn is the undisputed World Burping Champion. His world record 110 decibel burp is just shy of the 118 decibel volume as a clap of thunder
Cheese-rolling
The annual Cooper's Hill Cheese-Rolling and Wake is a tradition in Gloucester, England, that dates back nearly 200 years. Competitors in this "absurd" and "dangerous" contest sprint, "flip, somersault, and tumble" down a steep 200 yard hill, chasing a seven-pound wheel of Double Gloucester cheese, says Justin Delaney at Aol.
Wife-carrying
Couples from 15 countries head to Finland each year for the Wife-Carrying World Championships, a race in which a husband runs with his wife hanging upside-down on his back. It's certainly isn't the most "dignified" way to get your wife from points A to B, says the Daily Mail. Here, Finnish couple Mari Peltola and Keijo Sivill conquer a wooden obstacle.
Pooh sticks
Inspired by A A Milne's Winnie the Pooh books, the World Pooh Sticks Championship draws over 500 competitors each year to Oxfordshire, England, for a competition that involves racing sticks down a stream under a bridge. 2011's esteemed winner was nine-year-old Saffron Sollitt.
Shin-kicking
Before the World Shin-Kicking Championships, er, kick off, competitors are found frantically stuffing their trousers with straw, "like their lives depended on it." After all, the goal of the contest is quite simple — and quite painful. Using a series of "swift kicks," says Fox News, a competitor must bring an opponent to his knees.
Gurning
"Gurning" contests — in which entrants compete to make the ugliest, most distorted face possible — are a British tradition. The contests are traced back to feudal England, when serfs made ugly faces to express disapproval of the lords. The World Gurning Championship, in which contestants frame their faces through a horse collar, takes place each year at the Egremont Crab Fair, dating back as far as 1267
Paul Hunn is the undisputed World Burping Champion. His world record 110 decibel burp is just shy of the 118 decibel volume as a clap of thunder
Cheese-rolling
The annual Cooper's Hill Cheese-Rolling and Wake is a tradition in Gloucester, England, that dates back nearly 200 years. Competitors in this "absurd" and "dangerous" contest sprint, "flip, somersault, and tumble" down a steep 200 yard hill, chasing a seven-pound wheel of Double Gloucester cheese, says Justin Delaney at Aol.
Wife-carrying
Couples from 15 countries head to Finland each year for the Wife-Carrying World Championships, a race in which a husband runs with his wife hanging upside-down on his back. It's certainly isn't the most "dignified" way to get your wife from points A to B, says the Daily Mail. Here, Finnish couple Mari Peltola and Keijo Sivill conquer a wooden obstacle.
Pooh sticks
Inspired by A A Milne's Winnie the Pooh books, the World Pooh Sticks Championship draws over 500 competitors each year to Oxfordshire, England, for a competition that involves racing sticks down a stream under a bridge. 2011's esteemed winner was nine-year-old Saffron Sollitt.
Shin-kicking
Before the World Shin-Kicking Championships, er, kick off, competitors are found frantically stuffing their trousers with straw, "like their lives depended on it." After all, the goal of the contest is quite simple — and quite painful. Using a series of "swift kicks," says Fox News, a competitor must bring an opponent to his knees.
Gurning
"Gurning" contests — in which entrants compete to make the ugliest, most distorted face possible — are a British tradition. The contests are traced back to feudal England, when serfs made ugly faces to express disapproval of the lords. The World Gurning Championship, in which contestants frame their faces through a horse collar, takes place each year at the Egremont Crab Fair, dating back as far as 1267