Michelle Obama and hundreds of school-age kids jumped at the chance to try to break a world record on Tuesday. The first lady, in conjunction with her “Let’s Move!” initiative, was attempting to get into the Guinness Book of World Records for the most people to complete at least one minute of jumping jacks within a 24-hour period.
But Mrs. Obama wouldn’t be the first member of a first family to enter the record books — several past presidents apparently hold titles for their unusual feats.
{mosads}Just a few months ago, former President George W. Bush helped break the record for most people wearing sunglasses in the dark by sporting a pair of shades at a Texas Rangers game.
Bush also holds another, perhaps dubious, honor, for most revisions to a Wikipedia article. According to the Guinness Book’s website, as of December 2010, the entry on the ex-president had been revised 44,169 times. The website claims that a large number of the edits constituted vandalism.
He might not have made the official record books for it, but former President James Madison has earned a small distinction. At 5’4,” the nation’s fourth president was also its shortest.
While Octomom might have caught flak for her bountiful brood, former President John Tyler had her beat in the kid department. The 10th commander in chief was married twice and fathered 15 little ones, smashing the record for the most children fathered by an American president.
Finally, Michelle Obama wouldn’t be the only member of the family to secure a spot in the Guinness Book of World Records — because her husband is already in it. The Guinness website names President Obama as the record-holder for following the most friends on Twitter. His Twitter account was following 703,744 friends on the site as of February. That would also mean that Obama holds the record for most friends on Twitter for any U.S. president. Never mind that the micro-messaging site didn’t really take off until Obama was in office, putting him at a bit of an advantage over prior presidents.
Still, Obama’s Twitter numbers are impressive. He has more than 10.5 million followers, while Mitt Romney, the front-runner for the 2012 GOP presidential nomination, has slightly fewer than 130,000, and is only following 235 friends.