The “Guinness Book of World Records” has propelled some of the planet’s most extraordinary individuals into the spotlight. Although some of the organization’s records are conventional — for example, the fastest mile —  others are just a tad more bizarre. If you’ve ever wondered the world record for the most piercings in a lifetime, then Guinness has you covered (it’s 4,225). Or, if you’re an animal person, then you might find it interesting that the longest tongue on a dog ever was 17 inches.

When it comes to odd world records, Lee Redmond of Salt Lake City, Utah, is surely among the strangest. Redmond, who is in her 80s, holds the world record for the longest fingernails ever on a woman. Her nails were their longest in 2008 when they reached a combined length of 28 feet and 4 inches, which is as long as a school bus, according to Guinness World Records.

The organization reports that Redmond first started growing her nails out in 1979. Although they were a mere 2 inches long, the record-holder-to-be decided to stop filing her nails to see how long she could grow them. What makes Redmond’s nails particularly unique — besides the fact that they grew so long — is that they didn’t twist and bend out of shape, which is typical after nails grow past a certain point. Rather, Redmond’s nails grew out in neat, white arcs, in part due to her rigorous routine of dipping them in olive oil every day.

“There is something quite unique about Lee’s fingernails because they were quite beautiful,” said Guinness World Records Editor-in-Chief, Craig Glenday, in 2014.

Redmond has used her platform as a world-record holder to foster children’s self-esteem in schools across the country.

“One of the greatest things that I have done with them is going around to the junior high schools and talking about self-esteem. I go to self-esteem classes and tell the kids, ‘It’s OK to be different, as long as you are not hurting anyone.’ And because, heaven knows, they need self-esteem,” Redmond said.

Sadly, Redmond lost her status as the current record holder after getting into a car accident in 2009. That year, the SUV Redmond was in lost control, crashing into four cars. The Mirror reports that Redmond was launched out onto the road.

“The first thing I spotted was a fingernail and I started crying,” Redmond told The Mirror. The crash had destroyed her nails.

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“Losing my fingernails has been the most dramatic thing that’s happened in my life. I think it was my grandson that said, ‘Grandma, they are like your baby; you’ve taken care of them for 30 years and lost them in a second’,” Redmond told Guinness World Records.

Due to the crash, Redmond no longer holds the current record for the longest nails. That honor belongs to Ayanna Williams, whose nails measured a combined 18 feet and 9 inches long.

However, Williams recently said goodbye to her record-breaking nails, too.

In April 2021, Williams had them cut at a dermatology office in Fort Worth, Texas. The dermatologist, Dr. Allison Readinger, had to use a handheld rotary saw to remove each of the massive fingernails, ending Williams’ decades-long journey of having the most eye-catching nails on the block.

Ayanna Williams (2015), (Zak Hussein/Corbis/Getty Images)

In an April 2021 video from Guinness World Records, Williams explained that she’s “just about tired of (her nails)” and that “it is time for them to go.”

Before having them cut, Williams wasn’t able to perform everyday tasks like washing dishes, and adding nail polish to her nails would take up to three days. With that said, Williams took time in her most recent interview to tell viewers not to worry about what other people think and to grow their nails if they want to, emphasizing that she doesn’t regret her experience. That’s why it’s also no wonder that her appointment with Dr. Readinger was an emotional and bittersweet one. On the one hand, Williams said that the pain in her thumb, which was caused by having such long nails, had subsided and that it felt good not to have such a burden. On the other hand, however, she had to literally part ways with a piece of herself. In the end, Williams kept a positive attitude.

“I’m gonna always be the queen that I am with or without my nails, because my nails don’t make me, I make my nails,” Williams said.

According to USA Today, Williams’ record-breaking nails will be on display at Ripley’s Believe It or Not! Museum in Orlando, Florida. And as for Williams’ future plans, she says that while she plans to grow her nails out, she doesn’t anticipate ever reaching her previous length.

The world record holder first started growing her nails nearly 30 years ago.
“I was dating a guy at the time”, she says in a 2017 video, “and I had let them grow a little long — maybe 3 inches. He seemed to like it and encouraged me to keep going. Next thing I knew I had these.”

What do you think of Redmond’s story? If you could break any world record, what would it be? Let us know — and be sure to pass this story on to others.

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