Cory Booker's Marathon Speech

Have you ever had to wait for a grown-up to finish talking? Well, Senator Cory Booker talked for a super, super long time! He spoke for 25 hours and 5 minutes. That's longer than a whole school day and then some! He did this to share his feelings about some important things happening in the government. It was so long it broke a record!

Before Senator Booker, another person named Strom Thurmond talked for a very long time, too. His talk was 24 hours and 18 minutes. That's like talking from the morning of one day all the way to the next afternoon! But Senator Booker talked for 47 minutes longer than that. That's almost a whole hour more of talking! It's like beating a race by just a little bit, but in talking!

Senator Booker didn't just talk to hear his own voice. He was trying to get people to listen to his message. He was worried about some big decisions being made. By talking for so long, he made sure everyone noticed what he was saying. It's like when you really, really want your parents to hear you, so you keep asking until they do!

Senator Booker started his big talk when it was getting dark, at 7 p.m. on March 31. He kept talking all through the night, while everyone else was sleeping! Then, he kept talking when the sun came up, and even through lunchtime. He finally finished at 8:05 p.m. on April 1. That's a lot of talking for one person!