A Zimbabwean man named C.H.A. Kilner swallowed 565,939 pills over 21 years, earning him a spot in the Guinness World Records.
Kilner's record-breaking journey started on June 9, 1967, after doctors removed his pancreas. The surgery left him dependent on daily medication for the rest of his life.
The numbers are staggering. By 1978, he had taken 280,131 pills. A year later, the count reached 311,136. The tally kept climbing until his death in 1988.
Breaking it down, Kilner swallowed roughly 73 pills every day for two decades. That's about three pills every hour during his waking hours.
Guinness noted that if someone lined up all those pills end to end, they would stretch for two miles.
The record shows both human endurance and the realities of living with serious medical conditions. It also raises questions about what achievements deserve recognition in record books.
Guinness World Records no longer tracks this category, likely recognizing that encouraging pill-swallowing competitions could be dangerous.
Kilner's record remains unbroken—and will probably stay that way.
