The world’s tallest cayenne pepper plant

A Mississippi environmental group may have set a Guinness World Record with a 16.5-foot cayenne pepper plant.

Henry Pope, a plant geneticist with the Mississippi Foundation for Renewable Energy, spent seven years cross-pollinating peppers for vertical gardening. Breaking a record wasn’t his goal — he aimed to create a self-sustaining food source.

The current record, set in 1999, stands at 16 feet. Pope’s plant was officially measured at 16 feet, 5.5 inches, and evidence has been submitted to Guinness for verification.

$50 Garage sale find may be a long-lost Van Gogh

A New York art firm claims a painting bought for $50 at a Minnesota garage sale is an undiscovered work by Vincent van Gogh.

Titled Elimar, the piece was previously dismissed by the Van Gogh Museum due to “stylistic features.” However, LMI Group International, which acquired it in 2019, released a 450-page report arguing it was painted in 1889 during van Gogh’s time in a French asylum, where he also created Starry Night. The firm’s experts analysed the painting’s materials, handwriting and even a red hair embedded in the paint, identified as human. If authenticated, Elimar could be worth $15 million.

The world’s thinnest handmade noodle

A Chinese chef showcased his noodle-making skills on the set of an Italian TV series by hand-rolling a noodle just 0.18 millimetres (about 0.007 inches) thick.

Li Enhai attempted to reclaim the Guinness World Record for the thinnest handmade noodle on the set of Lo Show Dei Record in Milan.

He had previously held the record, but another chef surpassed him with a 0.14-millimetre noodle. This time, Enhai successfully regained the title with his 0.18-millimetre creation.

Rare 1904 Olympic Gold Medal auctioned

A rare gold medal from the 1904 St Louis Olympics, the first Games held in the US, sold for $545,371 at auction, Boston-based RR Auction announced. Awarded to American hurdler Fred Schule, the medal features a victorious athlete on the front and Nike, the Greek goddess of victory, with Zeus on the back.

The 1904 Games were the first to award gold medals, which were then made entirely of gold. Of the roughly 100 awarded, few remain.

The auction also featured medals from various Olympics, including 1932, 1964 and 2012. Olympic memorabilia continue to command high prices, with past sales including a 1936 Berlin silver medal for $488,000 and a 2010 Vancouver gold for $68,750.

Published in Dawn, Young World, March 1st, 2025