In late October, Microsoft founder and philanthropist Bill Gates visited Luxembourg, and whoever runs his social media is due for a raise because it produced a viral moment. Besides meeting with Prime Minister Xavier Bettel, Gates had a run-in with local strongman Georges Christen, who lifted the billionaire with his teeth.
Christen is a local icon who holds 26 records for strength, RTL News reports. He has pulled a car weighing more than 20 tons and with his teeth and prevented three Cessna planes from taking off (one with his teeth, two with his arms). The 59-year-old is also known for tearing phone books in half and towing trains.
In the Instagram video, Gates—who recently reaffirmed his pledge to give away his entire fortune—pointed out that Luxembourg is the world's most generous country, contributing more of its national income to development aid than any other nation. Read on to see the video.
Gates posted video of the encounter to his Instagram. "Luxembourg may be small, but its generosity (and strength) is extraordinary," he wrote. In the clip, Christen is seen performing his trademark feat or tearing up a phone book. Gates then hands him an aluminum skillet, which he rolls into a tube.
In the last shot, Gates is seated on a disc, holding onto a rope, which Christen uses to lift him into the air—with his teeth. Keep reading to learn more and see the video.
Christen is known in Luxembourg for performing old-school feats of strength. He started in his 20s, when he watched a French TV show in which a man bent 50 nails with his bare hands. He decided to do better and bent 250 nails in 73 minutes. His inspiration was Luxembourg's first celebrity strongman, John Grün, who died in 1912.
The aspiring record-holder started performing live shows at night while working as an insurance salesman during the day. Ultimately, he went full-time. "Everyone thought I would do it for one or two years and quit," he said. "I must say, I'm grateful to my parents because they let me do what I wanted to do."
To earn one of his 26 Guinness World Records, Christen tore in half 28 phone books, each consisting of 1,032 pages, in two minutes on live television. He is also known for bending iron bars, tearing decks of cards, and toting tables (with occupants) with his teeth. He lifts weights for two hours a day, follows a vegetarian diet, and keeps doing his shows.
"If I'm still in good shape, I would like to continue even when I'm old," he told the Luxembourg Times. "Even if the things I'm doing aren't so heavy anymore. For me doing things at 50 shouldn't be a problem. I feel strong. My father, for example, could bench press 81 kilos when he was 90."
Gates was in Luxembourg to visit the European Investment Bank, which is a longtime partner of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. In July, Gates announced he was donating $20 billion to the foundation. He reiterated his intention to give away his entire $113 billion fortune.
Gates also met with Prime Minister Bettel at the Ministry of State, where they discussed "common priorities" and the current geopolitical situation as well as climate and energy issues and the role of innovation in achieving a "more sustainable future," RTL News reported.
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A recent world record for pulling a heavy object with one's teeth was set in Pretoria, South Africa, in 2016. Antonios Neonakis, 42, pulled a fire engine weighing 44,886 pounds for six feet.
Dubbed "the tooth king" and "a skinny hero," Neonakis only weighed 167 pounds himself. "I don't do weightlifting or take supplements, it's all natural," he said. "The reason I pull objects is to break the world record. I always tell my family nothing is impossible."
