World Filibuster Record

I was just talking to a good friend of mine about the Senate filibuster, and at the end of our discussion he asked me this question: "Dipini, you have a degree in government, so you should know the answer to this question: Who holds the unofficial world record for the longest filibuster?"

I learned in one of my government courses that a state senator here in the United States held the world record for the longest filibuster. But I couldn't remember his name. In other words, I didn't know the answer to the question. (And it does not follow that because I have a bachelor's degree in government under my belt, I ought to know the answer to the question. There are lots of things I don't know.)

So I did a little research online. According to Wikipedia, the world record for filibustering is a state record. In 1977, Texas State Senator Bill Meier filibustered a worker's compensation bill for forty-three hours:

In May 1977, near the close of the regular session, Meier spoke for forty-three hours against a worker's compensation bill that he considered "anti-business" in scope. His activity blocked the bill from being considered in the waning hours of the session.

But this Wikipedia entry is ranked #1 in Google search results for "world record filibuster":

The world record is held by US Senator Strom Thurmond in 1957 by filibustering against the Civil Rights Act of 1957 for 24 hours and 18 minutes.

A lot of people -- pundits, voters, etc. -- believe this. But it's not true. Strom Thurmond holds the Senate record, not the world record.

UPDATE: I'm interested to find out what are some of things Bill Meier read on the floor of the Texas senate for all those hours. Recipes for Texan-style cooking? Shakespeare passages? The phone book?