BBC News | UK | Record book for one finger typist

A man who took 16 years to type a million words with one finger is just one of the entries in the new edition of the Guinness World Records book.

Les Stewart of Queensland, Australia began typing the numbers from one to a million - in words - in 1982.

Les Stewart, surrounded by his 19,990 page manuscript
Les Stewart and his 19,990 page manuscript
He finished 16 years and seven months later, having got through seven manual typewriters, 1000 ink ribbons and 19,990 sheets of paper making it the world's longest typewriting marathon.

Mr Stewart embarked on his Herculean task after injuries sustained in a house fire left him unable to work. His condition also meant he could only type with one finger.

It took him two hours to complete each page and he averaged three pages a day.

The 1,000 new records in this year's Guinness book, also include:

Youngest DJ - eight years old.

Longest post-earthquake survival by a cat - 80 days.

Biggest mass dismissal for e-mail abuse - 23.

Youngest supermarket consultant - seven years old.

Most expensive beetle �56,000.

The world's smallest submarine at just 4mm in length and 0.65mm in diameter is the size of the letter 'l' on a keyboard.

The tiny device is used in medicine and instead of travelling under water, it travels through the human body.

It can "sail" along arteries carrying medicine, a camera and a light, and repair damaged or blocked blood vessels.

Big news for tiny paper

Also winning a place for its diminutive size is Vossa Senhoria, a weekly Brazilian newspaper.

At 3.5cm by 2.5cm it is the size of a large postage stamp and has been confirmed as the world's smallest newspaper.

The publication runs to 16 pages and covers news, features, politics and poetry.

It also has a children's page and carries pictures and advertising.

Now in its 47th edition, Guinness World Records is printed in 23 languages and is available in more than 100 countries around the world.

The book first appeared in 1955 and has since sold more than 90 million copies worldwide, making it a record-breaker itself as the best selling copyright book in the world.


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