A small amount of water and a piece of an Alka-Seltzer tablet are placed in a plastic film canister. The lid is quickly snapped on and the canister turned upside down. Within a few seconds the canister explodes with a loud pop, sending the bottom of the canister flying through the air.
At just under 25 inches tall, Jyoti Amge of Nagpur, India, is the world's shortest woman. She's a college-bound student, with dreams of making it as an actress. Still, she weighs just 12 pounds -- only nine pounds more than she did at birth. Even among dwarfs, Amge is tiny.
On Junrey Balawingâs 18th birthday party, he received more than the usual set of gifts: he got a Guinness world record. (PHOTOS: The Fastest Woman in the World on a Motorcycle) Balawing, the son of a poor blacksmith in Sindangan, Philippines, was crowned the worldâs shortest man, measuring 23.6 inches tall. The previous record-holder, Nepalâs Khagendra Thapar Magar, is 26.3 inches tall and held the title for about eight months.