A Chain of Staples Nearly as Long as the Titanic
By: CNN
Updated: February 21, 2012
If you've ever checked the Guinness Book of World Records, you know there are many different categories with record holders of all ages.
A high school student in Vermont is going after a wacky record to call his own.
"Well, a lot of my friends, they already know I'm up to it. But other people are like, you have your own stapler? That's pretty weird," says Jeffrey White, a sophomore at Spaulding High School in Barre.
The 16-year-old will soon be an official world record holder.
"Normally people don't have a world record. It's something you don't really see every day," Jeff says.
"This is just the latest in a long line of really original and creative ideas that kids are bringing forward," says Spaulding High Principal Chris Hennessey.
After completing a science test early, Jeff strung together a small chain of clamped staples. Curious about his new creation, he checked the Guinness World Records book and found that the world's longest chain of staples was 422 feet, held by a man in Bangladesh.
"And so I thought, oh, that could be easy enough, so all summer I just worked on it longer and longer until I got my record," he explains.
But after five dollars worth of staples and more than three months of work, Jeff's mindset is a little different.
"My friend in art class was saying how staples logo was, 'that was easy,' I should send a picture to them saying, 'that wasn't easy'," he says.
Every couple of months, the students at Spaulding gather together in the auditorium for a school assembly and variety show. Jeff chose this opportunity to show off his achievement.
"It's 133 feet shorter than the Titanic," he tells the crowd.
"Often times it's sort of hidden talents that our students have that you would least expect," says Principal Hennessey.
At 750 feet, 9 inches, the staple chain is already more than three times longer than a Boeing 747 -- Jeff eventually hopes to reach 1-thousand feet.
"Uhh, there's approximately 20,250," Jeff says.
"He got a great idea and had an original notion and put it out there. He contacted the Guinness World Records," Principal Hennessey explains.
Jeff is now in the process of filing paperwork to validate his staple chain with the world's record authority. He says that once the record is his, he's not giving it up any time soon.
"I don't know if I ever will. I'll keep going. If someone tries to beat the record, I'll just keep adding more and more."
He's a soon to be official world record holder who plans on keeping his quirky record.
A high school student in Vermont is going after a wacky record to call his own.
"Well, a lot of my friends, they already know I'm up to it. But other people are like, you have your own stapler? That's pretty weird," says Jeffrey White, a sophomore at Spaulding High School in Barre.
The 16-year-old will soon be an official world record holder.
"Normally people don't have a world record. It's something you don't really see every day," Jeff says.
"This is just the latest in a long line of really original and creative ideas that kids are bringing forward," says Spaulding High Principal Chris Hennessey.
After completing a science test early, Jeff strung together a small chain of clamped staples. Curious about his new creation, he checked the Guinness World Records book and found that the world's longest chain of staples was 422 feet, held by a man in Bangladesh.
"And so I thought, oh, that could be easy enough, so all summer I just worked on it longer and longer until I got my record," he explains.
But after five dollars worth of staples and more than three months of work, Jeff's mindset is a little different.
"My friend in art class was saying how staples logo was, 'that was easy,' I should send a picture to them saying, 'that wasn't easy'," he says.
Every couple of months, the students at Spaulding gather together in the auditorium for a school assembly and variety show. Jeff chose this opportunity to show off his achievement.
"It's 133 feet shorter than the Titanic," he tells the crowd.
"Often times it's sort of hidden talents that our students have that you would least expect," says Principal Hennessey.
At 750 feet, 9 inches, the staple chain is already more than three times longer than a Boeing 747 -- Jeff eventually hopes to reach 1-thousand feet.
"Uhh, there's approximately 20,250," Jeff says.
"He got a great idea and had an original notion and put it out there. He contacted the Guinness World Records," Principal Hennessey explains.
Jeff is now in the process of filing paperwork to validate his staple chain with the world's record authority. He says that once the record is his, he's not giving it up any time soon.
"I don't know if I ever will. I'll keep going. If someone tries to beat the record, I'll just keep adding more and more."
He's a soon to be official world record holder who plans on keeping his quirky record.
