Posted on 03/20/2010 6:22:47 AM PDT by Daffynition
(March 19) -- In 1965, a 14-year-old Canadian kid started building a chain of chewing gum wrappers, just like millions of other kids.
The only difference between Gary Duschl and your typical kid is that he never stopped, and his chain is now 12 miles long -- 42 times the height of the Empire State Building, twice the height of Mount Everest and long enough to cross 210 football fields.
"If you were to get in a car and drive 60 mph from one end of the chain, it would take you 12 minutes to get to the other," says Duschl, certain that he's got the math correct.
The 59-year-old Virginia Beach, Va., resident says he works on the chain about one hour a day "more or less" and attributes his unique achievement to "persistence" and a "very understanding wife."
"She's an amazingly tolerant woman," Duschl says. "I used to stretch it out through the house, and she set me up in a place in the den with a TV, so I can watch sports and build my chain."
The chain is now so large -- it weighs nearly 900 pounds -- he only takes it out about once every two years.
As he prepared to add the 3 millionth link to the amazing chain, Duschl loaded up a truck and brought it to Ripley's Odditorium in Times Square in New York, where Ripley's CEO Jim Pattison Jr. signed this labor of love.
"I'm just halfway there," said Duschl, who works as the general manager for Virginia Materials Inc., a supplier of industrial materials.
"I'm going to keep going until this is 26.2 miles -- the same length as a marathon."
[snip]
(Excerpt) Read more at aolnews.com ...
I’m glad Gary Duschl still has his teeth after chewing all that gum....or are those his teeth?
I had forgotten all about gum wrapper chains until I saw this photo!
Boxes of Gum from Rosie O'Donnell.
Things to make - Gum wrapper chain
Many people enjoy collecting such items as bottle caps and pull tabs from soda cans . Some people collect gum wrappers and fold each wrapper in a certain way and then weave them together to form a sort of chain. In case you would like to try making a gum wrapper chain, a description of the process is given below.
First cut the gum wrapper in half lengthwise so it becomes only half as wide and remains the same length. Then fold the wrapper lengthwise. Fold it lengthwise a second time. It should still be the original length.
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Next fold the paper in half so that it becomes half as long. Fold again by bringing each of the ends to the crease at the midpoint of the paper's length. |
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Do the same thing with the other half of the wrapper. Align the two pieces as in the diagram. |
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Push the ends of the one piece through the loops of the other piece. |
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Make a third piece and push it through the second piece. You can continue adding pieces to make the chain as long as you like. |
Gary Duschl has a web page showing and describing his world record gum wrapper chain. He keeps adding to the chain and so needs more Wrigley gum wrappers. If you would like to contribute, check out his web site at www.gumwrapper.com
I wonder if he is going to put those wrappers on E-Bay.
During WWII we saved all tin foil so they could recycle it.
It was hard to find gum.
| About the Chain: Began on March 11, 1965 Record Holder for 15 Years 12 Miles or 19.3121 kms 192 Soccer Fields |
Woah...
Good grief, and I thought I wasted a lot of time doing stupid stuff.
I live near the world’s largest twine ball.
http://www.roadsideamerica.com/story/2128
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