Ziad Fazah
Lebanon
Lebanese-born Ziad Fazah claims to read and speak 59 languages, a feat listed in the Guinness World Records. However, the record is highly controversial -- in 2000 he failed multiple language tests on a Chilean television program. The most rigorously documented historical polyglot is Italian cardinal Giuseppe Mezzofanti, reputed to have known 72 languages in the 19th century. The ambiguity around defining "fluency" makes verification in this field exceptionally difficult.