David Blaine Breaks World Record for Holding Breath

David Blaine set a new world record today for breath-holding. The odd magician who says breaking the record has been a lifelong dream, held his breath for 17 minutes and 4 seconds.

The magician broke the record while being suspended in sphere filled with water on The Oprah Winfrey Show . According to Guinness World Records, the previous record was set on February 10, by Switzerland's Peter Colat at 16 minutes and 32 seconds.

If you remember, Blaine attempted this feat less than two years ago, after spending a week in an aquarium at New York's Lincoln Center with an oxygen mask. But it unfortunately ended early when he went into convulsions.

Before entering the sphere that was 8 feet in diameter, Blaine inhaled pure oxygen through a mask to saturate his blood and flush out carbon dioxide. This is legal for up to 20 minutes, according to Guinness.

Blaine is known for his magic and odd endurance attempts. He has lived for suspended in a glass box for a month by the River Thames in London, buried alive for a week in a see-through coffin in New York City and he was encased in a block of ice for 63 hours in Manhattan.

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