Man sets world record by visiting 42 museums in under 12 hours

CNN

29-01-2025

A British man has become a Guinness World Record holder after visiting an unparalleled 42 museums in less than 12 hours.
While Ben Melham, age 42, earned the record of 'most museums visited in 24 hours,' he actually completed his attempt in less than half that time.
Melham traversed London last October, beginning his journey at East London's Museum of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society at 9:03 a.m., and finishing it at the Royal Academy of Arts in Central London at 7:58 p.m., Guinness World Records said in a press statement.
In between, he visited some 40 other museums, ranging from world-renowned attractions including the Natural History Museum, the Tower of London and the British Museum, to the smallest of the United Kingdom's national museums -– the Sir John Soane's Museum.
Melham said he was inspired to attempt the record after reading a Guinness World Records book with his children.
After discussing how hard it could be to break a world record, his kids, Matilde and Henrik, 'challenged me to turn words into action,' Melham said, according to Guinness World Records.
He decided to undertake the challenge in London, which he called an 'obvious choice.'
'London's museums contain millions of objects. Each of these can give you a moment to connect to a point in time, a particular person or wonder of nature,' he said.
Melham, who works in the museum sector as an operations consultant, is now hoping to break the world record for most museums visited in one year.
As of last week, he had visited 85 museums since he beginning his challenge in October, documenting his journey on Instagram and Bluesky.
'Museums preserve and share the stories and objects that define us. They are spaces where we come together to reflect on our past, discuss our present, and imagine our future,' Melham said.
His world record for visiting 42 museums in 24 hours beat the previous title holders by 11 museums.
Sujoy Kumar Mitra and Swaroop Dawrani, both from India, set the previous record earlier in 2024, visiting 33 museums in one day, Guinness World Records said.