The largest photo-mosaic in the World

The largest photo-mosaic in the World was realized by the Romanian magazine Unica. The 1.014.653 photos were uploaded by the readers of the magazine and were assembled to form an unique giant photo. Statistically, 41% of photos uploaded represent children, 21% pets, 16% family, 10% friends, 7% holidays, and 5% miscellanea. The mosaic was exposed at Băneasa Shopping City, Bucharest.

The software that plays the mosaic image was created especially for this project by Arxia company in Cluj. Browsing the images is very easy - the mouse helps you do zoom in and zoom out in the crowd of shots. The world record is to be approved by Guinness Book of World Records.

World's strongest kid

Giuliano Stroe (born 18 July 2004) is a Romanian bodybuilder and gymnast. Giuliano Stroe has been lifting weights since he was two-years-old in Florence, Italy where his family lives. Giuliano's father Iulian, said he has been taking Giuliano with him to the gym ever since he was born, but he is careful not to push Giuliano too hard. Stroe insists his son's workout schedule isn't excessive. "He is never allowed to practice on his own, he is only a child and if he gets tired we go and play," Iulian said.

In 2009, he was recorded in the Guinness Book of World Records after setting the record for the fastest ever 10 m hand-walk with a weight ball between his legs. Stroe performed the stunt in front of a cheering live audience on an Italian TV Show, and has become an Internet sensation as hundreds of thousands of people have watched the clip of him performing the stunt on YouTube.



On February 24, 2010 he broke the world record for number of air push-ups, which is an exercise where push-ups are performed without letting your feet touch the ground. Stroe managed 20 'air push ups' beating his previous record of 12, live on Romanian TV.



On the same TV show, he broke another world record, for 'the human flag' - an exercise in which he had to support all the weight parallel to the ground, the hands hanging by a bar.

The longest relay in the World

This month, in the Herăstrău Park in Bucharest ended the Gillette Phenomenal Tour, the longest relay in the world. In this competition were covered over 3,000 km in 15 days, by 15 professional athletes participating at the event which runs in shifts of five, joined by amateur athletes. The group consists of an escort of four cars plus a runner. The run round the clock, in three teams, which changed every eight hours.


A representative of Guinness Book of World Records recorded the details of the event and has validated the performance. The previous record was about 1,500 km and was made in Japan.


The tour was opened by Răzvan Lucescu, the coach of the National Football Team of Romania on September 21, in Union Square; the relay passed through 24 important cities of Romania and concluded in the evening of October 5, by Ionuţ Lupescu, from the Romanian Football Federation. Also participated in the relay famous sportmen such as Ivan Patzaichin, Silviu Lung Jr. and Cristi Balaj.

Iolanda Balaş-Söter

Iolanda Balaş (married Söter, born December 12, 1936 in Timişoara) is a Romanian former athlete and an Olympic champion in high-jump, considered one of the greatest high jumpers ever.


Iolanda Balaş got into athletics through her caretaker, former high jumper Luisa Ernst-Lupşa. She made her debut in 1949, and developed a jumping technique which was not deemed advantageous, a variation of the scissor technique but without the rotation of the torso and with the legs opening, instead of coming together towards the bar.


In 1955, before the Melbourne Olympic Games, she jumped 1.75 m setting the first of her 14 world records (plus 4 indoor). She was the favorite at the Australian Olympics, but she placed only fifth and the winner, the American Millie McDaniel, broke Balaş's world record. On 22 June 1958 in Cluj, she became the first woman to exceed 1.80 m. She won her first gold at the 1960 Rome Olympic Games, reaching 1.85 m, 14 cm more than the second placed. "My first obstacle is the bar. It would be good to have a rival", she often repeated at the time. In Japan, at Tokyo Olympic Games, despite suffering from tendon and knee problems, she won the gold by jumping 1.90 m. The tendon problems forced her to abstain from the European Championships in 1966, but for years she was to be associated with other well-known abstainers, who forfeited to avoid gender checks, which had recently been introduced by the International Federation. She retired officially in 1967, losing a competition after 140 consecutive victories (unbeaten since 1958). During her career she won two European golds (1958-62), and one silver (1954), apart from the indoor gold in 1966. Her last world record, 1.91 in 1961, lasted for 10 years. After retiring she married her former coach Ian Söter, taught physical education in Bucharest, and from 1988 to 2005 was president of the Romanian Athletics Federation.


Those with gray hair still remember “La fenomenale romena”, “La grande bionda”, “The Deer”, “The Flamingo of the Carpathians”, “The Dragon Fly of Romania” and perhaps, most of all, “Please be quiet, Iolanda Balas is jumping!”… For his incredible 140 consecutive competitions won, she was included in the prestigious Guinness Book of World Records.

Ştefan Popa POPA'S

Ştefan Popa POPA'S (a.k.a. POPA@S, June 11, 1955, Caransebeş), is a famous Romanian cartoonist, included in the Guinness Book of World Records for his achievments.


He studied at the High School of Fine Arts, then moved to the Special School for Mathematics, getting the first place in the Balkan Mathematics Contest. He graduated from Polytechnic University in Timişoara and the Academy of Visual Arts in Poitiers, France.


He started drawing at 5 years and published the first cartoon at 7yo in a local newspaper. At 14 years, Popa published in the only humorous magazine of the time, Urzica. At 19 years he was discovered by Henri Coursaget, first President of UNESCO and president of the Festival in Confolens, during his travels in France, he discovered the universe of cartoons and became a professional. In 1990 he released his first album with satirical cartoons. He worked with famous artists as Salvador Dali, Jerry Robinson (Superman, Batman), Vasquez De Sola, Plantu, Emerson, La Palma, Tim, Morchoisne, Kruger.


Ştefan Popa is member of the Foundation for Science and Arts of the Citá Academy in Rome and of the Association of Plastic Artists (UNESCO). He founded Popa's Academy, a cartoon school. He is now an honorary citizen in 26 cities in the country; in Romania he earned over 100 awards, and other 60 at international contests. He published in major newspapers and magazines worldwide, and over 200 Heads of State and Government have signed portraits made by Popa. His outstanding achievements in the field of graphics have imposed him as one of the most prestigious personalities of contemporary art.


At the International Cartoon Festival of Saint-Estève (France), Ştefan Popa has set the world record of resistance (1527 color portraits in ten days and ten nights). In 1995 he knocked down his own record, with 2772 color cartoons in ten days and ten nights. Also, he has overcome the world record for speed in an hour, which belonged to the Belgian Emile Robin (106 caricatures in an hour), making 131 the caricatures in an hour, and was declared the fastest cartoonist in the world, according to Guinness Book of World Records. In October 1995, André Baur wrote: "(Stefan Popa Popa's) is a force of nature... is the only man who was four seconds faster than the computer".