1

Paul Bunyan

Image: Abby Savage

Paul Bunyan , the colossal lumberjack of American folklore, is said to have cleared forests from the Northeast to the Pacific Northwest. With his blue ox, Babe , he performed incredible feats of strength, like carving out the Grand Canyon just by dragging his axe behind him, and creating the Great Lakes with his footprints.

Originating in oral traditions among lumberjacks, Bunyan’s exaggerated exploits gained momentum with the American westward expansion during the 19th century and soon became deeply ingrained in the popular imagination.

2

Johnny Appleseed

Image: Aarón Blanco Tejedor

Born John Chapman, Johnny Appleseed wandered the American frontier planting apple trees and spreading goodwill in the early 19th century. A devout Christian, he became a folk hero for his kindness, environmentalism, and pioneering spirit.

Contrary to the popular image of Johnny Appleseed randomly scattering apple seeds, he was a skilled nurseryman who meticulously planted apple tree nurseries. Each nursery was carefully fenced to shield the saplings from livestock and wildlife. After establishing these nurseries, he entrusted them to neighbors but revisited them periodically.

3

Pecos Bill

Image: JosephHershMedia

Pecos Bill , a fictional cowboy raised by coyotes in the wilds of Texas, became a larger-than-life figure known for taming cyclones and roping tornadoes. His adventures, first popularized in the early 20th century, embody the frontier spirit and Texas mythology, blending humor with tales of rugged individualism.

Among his many tales, one credits him with creating the Gulf of Mexico . According to legend, during a severe drought in Texas, Pecos Bill lassoed a storm cloud in California and brought it to Texas. The resulting deluge caused extensive flooding, ultimately forming the Gulf.

4

Davy Crockett

Image: Joseph Corl

Davy Crockett , known as the "King of the Wild Frontier," was a real-life frontiersman later turned politician whose exploits were mythologized even during his lifetime. Born in East Tennessee, he quickly gained fame for his sharp hunting skills and captivating storytelling.

During his time in the U.S. Congress, he staunchly opposed many of President Andrew Jackson’s policies, particularly the Indian Removal Act, and championed the rights of small landowners. Crockett’s life ended with valor at the Battle of the Alamo , solidifying his folk legend as a symbol of courage and patriotism. His legacy remains an enduring part of American history.

5

Calamity Jane

Image: Vidar Nordli-Mathisen

Martha Jane Canary, better known by her alias Calamity Jane, was a frontierswoman and scout famed for her sharpshooting skills and daredevil exploits. During her youth, she stepped up to provide for her large family, taking on various jobs, from ox team driver to scout for Fort Russell. Eventually, she embraced the rough and adventurous lifestyle that made her a legend.

Despite her fearsome reputation, Calamity Jane was compassionate and often helped those in need. Her adventures in the Wild West alongside figures like Wild Bill Hickok cemented her status as a legend of the American frontier.

6

Molly Pitcher

Image: Garry T

Molly Pitcher, the nickname given to Mary Ludwig Hays McCauley, became famous for her bravery during the American Revolutionary War. Although several historical figures are known by this moniker for similar deeds, Mary Ludwig Hays distinguished herself during the Battle of Monmouth in June 1778, where she served as a water carrier for the soldiers.

When her husband, an artilleryman in the Continental Army, fell to enemy fire, she took his place, swabbing and loading the cannon with such bravery and determination that she earned a commendation from George Washington.

7

Daniel Boone

Image: Scott Longerbeam

Daniel Boone was a legendary frontiersman and explorer who blazed trails through the Appalachian Mountains and into Kentucky. Born in 1734, Boone became famous for his expert hunting and survival skills, as well as his role in establishing the Wilderness Road, a trail that facilitated westward migration through the Cumberland Gap.

After serving as a militia officer during the Revolutionary War, he was briefly taken in by the Shawnees in the Northeastern Woodlands. After a few years, he returned and continued to help protect the Kentucky settlements.

8

Buffalo Bill

Image: Judy Beth Morris

William Frederick "Buffalo Bill" Cody was a legendary figure of the American West, known for his Wild West shows that toured the United States and Europe. Born in 1846, Cody was a skilled buffalo hunter, Army scout, and showman who brought cowboy skills and frontier life to audiences worldwide.

He earned his nickname after the Civil War by providing Kansas Pacific Railroad workers with buffalo meat, hunting record numbers of the animal. He even engaged in hunting competitions with his partner, Bill Comstock. His legendary figure has been frequently portrayed in film and television, especially during the height of the Western genre in the 1960s.

9

Wild Bill Hickok

Image: Pablò

James Butler Hickok, famously known as Wild Bill Hickok, was a legendary figure of the American Old West. Born in 1837, Hickok gained fame as a skilled marksman, gambler, and lawman.

Though his exploits were certainly exaggerated by the outlandish tales he told about himself, he was involved in several notorious gunfights during his life. Most notably, he dueled with Davis Tutt, a local gambler with whom he had various disagreements, particularly over their mutual affection for the same woman.

10

John Henry

Image: Lucio Patone

John Henry was a legendary steel-driving man whose man-against-machine tale epitomized the strength and resilience of the American worker. An African American freedman, his dangerous job involved hammering steel drills into rocks to create holes for explosives used to blast open railroad tunnels.

According to the legend, John Henry's prowess was tested in a race against a steam-powered drill. He won the race but tragically died after victory, hammer in hand when his heart gave out from the immense physical stress.

1

Highest vehicle mileage

Image: Max Andrey

Over 3 million miles in a Volvo bought in 1966. The registered number is 3,039,122 miles , to be precise. Irvin Gordon , from Brooklyn, New York City, broke the record in 2013 somewhere around Girdwood, a town near Anchorage, Alaska. The Guinness World Records indicate that his car’s mileage is the equivalent of 120 circumnavigations of the planet.

Gordon kept driving his car even after breaking the world record, so by the time he passed away in 2018, he’d reached 3,260,257 miles. And that wasn’t his only car, either–he had another car that Volvo gifted him after achieving one million miles on his first. Gordon sold that one after driving 450,000 miles on it.

2

Woman to win the most Grand Slam Singles

Image: Todd Trapani

Serena Williams won 23 Grand Slam singles titles in the Open Era, marking over two decades of establishing herself as one of the best tennis players in history. Keep in mind that she was pregnant with her daughter, Alexis Olympia, when she won her 23rd title at the 2017 Australian Open. It was her sister, Venus Williams, whom she defeated in that final.

The athlete from Compton, California retired in 2022 after awing the world with an outstanding career. She won over 73 individual tournaments in her life, earning numerous world-class distinctions. For example, she is also the only person in history to have won career Golden Slams (the four Grand Slams plus an Olympic Gold Medal) both in singles and doubles tournaments.

3

Most Olympic Gold Medals won

Image: Guduru Ajay bhargav

No other Olympian athlete has been more decorated than legendary swimmer Michael Phelps . He retired in 2016 after an incredible career of breaking speed records and competing against the world’s best swimmers. Some consider "the Baltimore Bullet " one of the greatest athletes of all time. Spanning from the 2004 Athens Olympics to the 2016 Rio Olympics, Phelps earned 28 medals, 23 of which were gold.

Funnily enough, "The Flying Fish" also holds a record in a completely unrelated sport: golf . He enjoys the sport in his free time, and before retiring from swimming, he implied that he might consider taking it up professionally. His odds aren’t bad: In 2012, he set the record for the longest televised putt in history (159 feet).

4

Oldest woman to fly in space

Image: Pixabay

For 23 years, this title had been held by astronaut John Glenn, who had returned to space at age 77 aboard NASA’s Space Shuttle Discovery. But Wally Funk made history in 2021 when she embarked on a rocket from Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin company. She was 82 .

Funk had passed NASA’s rigorous astronaut training program for women, known as "Mercury 13," back in the ’60s and went on to lead an outstanding career as an American aviator following the program’s cancellation. Blue Origin’s New Shepard spacecraft took her on a suborbital flight, fulfilling her long-awaited dream. For a few months only, she was the oldest person to have flown in space, until Canadian William Shatner did it too—he was 90 years old.

5

Most prolific record-breaker

Image: absteress

In 1979, Ashrita Furman, from Brooklyn, New York, set out on an odd quest: to break as many world records as he possibly could. In doing so, he also earned the Guinness World Record for the most world records set by a single individual. As of today, he has broken around 700, with 200 still standing.

Some of the eccentric challenges in which he left his mark included pushing an orange with his nose for a mile and playing 434 hopscotch games in 24 hours. Why, though? Furman explained that his motivation relies on a desire for self-transcendence , and his philosophy that the mind can achieve anything it sets itself to. A strange coincidence: Furman was born exactly four days after the first Guinness Book of World Records was published.

6

Longest number counted aloud

Image: Skitterphoto

In 2007, it occurred to Jeremy Harper that he could film himself counting out loud from the number one to one million . So he did. It’s difficult to grasp the immensity of this feat until you learn that it took him 89 days. He spent 16 hours a day counting, without leaving his home, and viewers could stream live video of him counting.

You can watch the recording online of him pronouncing the final numbers and celebrating by doing a chicken dance . Through this feat, Harper, from Birmingham, Alabama, raised over $10,000 for his chosen charity, Push America, and was inscribed in the Guinness Book of World Records.

7

Best-selling musical album in history

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In the early ‘80s, Michael Jackson set out to create an album where "every song was a killer," and he did not miss his mark. Thriller became the best-selling album of all time, with over 70 million copies sold worldwide. The nine-track album featured a star-studded lineup, including Paul McCartney, the first artist ever to be featured on a Michael Jackson album.

Quincy Jones was the producer of this record and had a relentless pursuit of perfection. Some of the songs, like "Billie Jean," had to be recorded over 30 times before the artists were satisfied. At the 1984 Grammy Awards, the album won a record-breaking eight awards in a single night. Santana’s Supernatural surpassed that record by winning nine awards in 1999.

8

Female Entertainer with the Longest TV Career

Image: Anna Tarazevich

The beloved Sue Ann from The Mary Tyler Moore Show and Rose from The Golden Girls were just a few of the iconic characters that Betty White gifted us. Betty White made her television debut in 1939 and remained active for over 80 years, giving her the longest career of any female television entertainer.

Apart from that, she was the first woman to produce a sitcom when the series Life with Elizabeth premiered in 1953, a show in which she also starred. Here’s another record Betty White broke: in 2010, after a Facebook campaign requested she host Saturday Night Live , she became the oldest person ever to do so, at the age of 88.

9

Crossing the U.S. in a wheelchair

Image: Marcus Aurelius

Matt Eddy crossed the country in his motorized wheelchair , starting in Lynn Beach, Massachusetts, and ending in Long Beach, California. No one had ever done this before. A survivor of a muscular dystrophy disease, Eddy, from Boston, controlled his chair with just two fingers.

The feat took him 126 days, that is, four months. He rode for five hours a day, sometimes enduring extreme desert temperatures that affected the functioning of his chair. Though this incredible journey was inscribed as an official record in 2010, Eddy had already done it before. Only two years prior, in 2008, he had successfully completed a first run of what he called the " Journey of a Million Smiles ."

10

Most surfers on a single surfboard

Image: Juan Samudio

On the first day of summer in 2015, 66 people hopped onto a super-scaled surfboard and rode one wave together at Huntington Beach, California. The massive orange board measured 42 feet long and 11 feet wide and had to be towed into the sea. They chose this beach to make history because of its 100-year-long love affair with surfing.

Thousands of spectators watched from the beach and the pier as the surfers rode the wave to shore, where it was immediately proclaimed an official Guinness World Record. They had surpassed the achievement of 47 surfers who had ridden on the same board in Queensland, Australia in 2005.

1

Darth Vader (Star Wars)

The first time Darth Vader appeared on the big screen in Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope (1977), his presence was mysterious and ominous . Was he a robot? A human? A monster? This enigmatic figure with a mechanical voice and unmistakable heavy breathing terrified his enemies and allies, too.

One of the most frightening elements of Darth Vader is, perhaps, his unpredictability; he could be talking with a crew member of his ship, and suddenly lift them in the air while choking them using the Force. Darth Vader said one of the most iconic quotes ever in one of the greatest plot twists in cinema history, when talking to Luke Skywalker: "I am your father."

2

The Wicked Witch of the West (The Wizard of Oz)

Margaret Hamilton brought to life the unforgettable green-skinned Wicked Witch of the West in The Wizard of Oz (1939), scaring generations of children with her sinister laugh. In the movie, she relentlessly pursues the protagonist, Dorothy Gale (Judy Garland), and her friends and delivers one of the most quoted villain lines ever: " I'll get you, my pretty… and your little dog, too !"

The witch also commanded an army of Winged Monkeys in some of the most memorable and nightmare-inducing scenes. The American Film Institute ranked The Wicked Witch of the West as the fourth greatest movie villain of all time in 2003.

3

Joker (Batman)

First introduced in the premiere Batman comic book in 1940, the Joker has been portrayed countless times in movies, animated fare, and TV shows, and it's hard to pick the best rendition. The iconic villain has so many characteristic features that make him unique: his exaggerated smile, green hair, and especially his twisted, vicious laugh . The first time The Joker made his big-screen debut was in Batman (1966) with Cesar Romero in the role, though he inarguably became an icon in Batman (1989) when Jack Nicholson breathed life into the character.

The Joker is Batman’s greatest enemy, and unlike many powerful villains, he doesn’t have powers . His only tool is his intelligence, which he uses to come up with the most macabre methods to terrorize Gotham. In 2009, actor Heath Ledger won a posthumous Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance playing The Joker in The Dark Knight (2008).

4

Norman Bates (Psycho)

Who could forget the shower scene massacre of Marion Crane (Janet Leigh) in Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho (1960) at the hands of Norman Bates (Anthony Perkins) — perhaps the most well-known murder scene of all time.

Belying the violent psychopath that lurks within, Norman Bates is the mild-mannered owner of the Bates Motel, and his notorious Mommy issues lead him to murder. Bates was ranked as the second greatest movie villain of all time by the American Film Institute.

5

Hannibal Lecter (The Silence of the Lambs)

The cold-hearted and calculating Hannibal "The Cannibal" Lecter became world-famous thanks to The Silence of the Lambs (1991) and the fantastic performance of Anthony Hopkins —earning him an Oscar for Best Actor. Hannibal’s refined manners are unsettling when you know the brutality of his actions, creating an agonizingly tense atmosphere every time he’s on screen.

Hannibal uses his deep understanding of human psychology to manipulate almost everyone he meets, including FBI trainee Clarice Starling (Jodie Foster), with his iconic "Hello, Clarice" greeting. Hannibal Lecter was named the greatest villain of all time by the American Film Institute.

6

The Terminator (T-800) (The Terminator)

Even though Arnold Schwarzenegger has over 50 onscreen credits, his most recognizable performance was playing the T-800 in The Terminator (1984), a relentless cyborg assassin sent from the future by the artificial intelligence Skynet that will never stop pursuing his target, no matter what.

The T-800 looks human, though beneath the skin, he’s an indestructible machine with a metal skeleton, and he is tasked with the mission of eliminating Sarah Connor (Linda Hamilton). During the movie, the T-800 delivers the staple line of the saga: "I’ll be back."

7

Freddy Krueger (A Nightmare on Elm Street)

The idea of a homicidal maniac who can murder you in your dreams while you are sleeping is absolutely spine-chilling and still haunts many of us. Freddy Krueger was introduced in A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984), revolutionizing horror by attacking teens in a place where their parents couldn’t save them .

Freddy became an all-time horror icon thanks to his burned face, red-and-green striped sweater, brown fedora, and glove fitted with razor-sharp blades. Of the nine movies in which Freddy is featured, Robert Englund portrayed him in eight, which makes him one of the longest-running actors to play the same villain.

8

Michael Myers (Halloween)

Michael Myers, originally appearing in Halloween (1978), wears one of the most famous props in movie history: his mask. The undying, knife-wielding killer — whose chief target in the first film and many sequels is Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis) — has been portrayed by several different actors over the years, but Nick Castle played him in the original film, turning Michael into a defining villain of the slasher genre .

Like many other villains on this list, Michael Myers’ outfit is unmistakable, and his slow, deliberate walk is a mark of the character. In contrast with other major villains, Michael never speaks, and his silence adds to the mystery surrounding him .

9

Cruella de Vil (101 Dalmatians)

Cruella de Vil’s film debut was in One Hundred and One Dalmatians (1961), and although the animated Disney movie is a lovely classic, we cannot say the same about her. The eccentric heiress has an obsession with Dalmatians because she wants to make a spotted fur coat , so she terrifies a family trying to steal their puppies.

Her appearance, with her black-and-white hair (a nod to the Dalmatians), red gloves, and bold makeup, is impossible to ignore . Cruella de Vil became even more famous after Glenn Close portrayed her in the live-action films 101 Dalmatians (1996) and 102 Dalmatians (2000).

10

Nurse Ratched (One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest)

Unlike the rest of the villains on this list, Nurse Ratched — brought to life by Louise Fletcher in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975) — doesn’t rely on violence; instead, she controls others through quiet authority and emotional manipulation . Ratched is the head nurse of a psychiatric hospital where patient Randle P. McMurphy (Jack Nicholson) battles against her for freedom and control.

Her calm yet intimidating demeanor makes her one of cinema’s most chilling antagonists, and in 2003, the American Film Institute (AFI) ranked Nurse Ratched as the fifth greatest movie villain of all time — the highest-ranked female villain on the list.