Guinness World Records
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Guinness World Records, known from its inception in 1955 until 1998 as
The Guinness Book of Records and in previous
U.S. editions as
The Guinness Book of World Records, is a
reference book published annually, listing
world records,
both human achievements and the extremes of the natural world. The book
itself holds a world record, as the best-selling copyrighted book of
all time.
[2][better source needed] It is one of the most frequently stolen books from public libraries in the United States.
[3]
As of the 2016 edition, it is now in its 62nd year of publication. The
international franchise has extended beyond print to include television
series and museums. The popularity of the franchise has resulted in
Guinness World Records
becoming the primary international authority on the cataloguing and
verification of a huge number of world records; the organization employs
official record adjudicators authorised to verify the authenticity of
the setting and breaking of records.
[4]
History
On 10 November 1951, Sir
Hugh Beaver, then the managing director of the
Guinness Breweries,
[5] went on a shooting party in the
North Slob, by the
River Slaney in
County Wexford, Ireland. After missing a shot at a
golden plover, he became involved in an argument over which was the fastest
game bird in Europe, the
golden plover or the
red grouse (it is the plover).
[6] That evening at
Castlebridge
House, he realised that it was impossible to confirm in reference books
whether or not the golden plover was Europe's fastest game bird.
[7][8]
Beaver knew that there must be numerous other questions debated nightly
in pubs throughout Ireland and abroad, but there was no book in the
world with which to settle arguments about records. He realised then
that a book supplying the answers to this sort of question might prove
successful.
[9]
Beaver's idea became reality when Guinness employee
Christopher Chataway recommended University friends
Norris and
Ross McWhirter, who had been running a fact-finding agency in London. The brothers were commissioned to compile what became
The Guinness Book of Records in August 1954. A thousand copies were printed and given away.
[10]
After the founding of
The Guinness Book of Records at 107
Fleet Street,
the first 198-page edition was bound on 27 August 1955 and went to the
top of the British best seller lists by Christmas. Beaver said: "It was a
marketing give away – it wasn't supposed to be a money maker".
[citation needed] The following year, it launched in the US, and sold 70,000 copies. Since then,
Guinness World Records
has become a household name and the global leader in world records. The
book has gone on to become a record breaker in its own right, with
sales of more than 100 million copies in 100 different countries and 37
languages,
Guinness World Records is the world's best selling copyright book ever.
[11]
Because the book became a surprise hit, many further editions were
printed, eventually settling into a pattern of one revision a year,
published in September/October, in time for Christmas. The McWhirters
continued to compile it for many years. Both brothers had an
encyclopedic memory; on the TV series
Record Breakers,
based upon the book, they would take questions posed by children in the
audience on various world records and were able to give the correct
answer.
Ross McWhirter was assassinated by the
Provisional Irish Republican Army in 1975.
[12]
Following Ross' assassination, the feature in the show where questions
about records posed by children were answered was called
Norris on the Spot.
Guinness Superlatives (later Guinness World Records) Limited was formed in 1954 to publish the first book.
Sterling Publishing owned the rights to the
Guinness
book in the US for decades, and, under their management, the book
became a household name. The group was owned by Guinness PLC and
subsequently
Diageo until 2001, when it was purchased by
Gullane Entertainment. Gullane was itself purchased by
HIT Entertainment in 2002. In 2006,
Apax Partners purchased HiT and subsequently sold Guinness World Records in early 2008 to the
Jim Pattison Group, the parent company of
Ripley Entertainment, which is licensed to operate
Guinness World Records' Attractions.
With offices in New York City and Tokyo, Guinness World Records' global
headquarters remain in London, while its museum attractions are based
at Ripley headquarters in
Orlando, Florida, US.
Evolution
Lucky Diamond Rich
is "the world's most tattooed person", and has tattoos covering his
entire body. He holds the Guinness world record as of 2006, being 100
percent tattooed.
Recent editions have focused on record feats by person competitors. Competitions range from obvious ones such as
Olympic weightlifting to the longest
egg tossing distances, or for longest time spent playing
Grand Theft Auto IV
or the number of hot dogs that can be consumed in ten minutes, although
eating and alcohol consumption entries are no longer accepted, possibly
for fear of litigation. Besides records about competitions, it contains
such facts as the heaviest tumour, the most poisonous plant, the
shortest river (
Roe River), the two longest-running dramas (
General Hospital and
Guiding Light) in the US, and the world's most successful salesman (
Joe Girard),
among others. Many records also relate to the youngest person who
achieved something, such as the youngest person to visit all nations of
the world, being
Maurizio Giuliano.
[13]
Each edition contains a selection of the large set of records in the
Guinness database; the criteria for inclusion changed over the years.
New records are added.
The ousting of Norris McWhirter from his consulting role in 1995 and
the subsequent decision by Diageo Plc to sell the Guinness World Records
brand have shifted it from a text-oriented to an illustrated reference
book. The majority of world records are no longer listed in the book or
on the website, and can only be determined by a written application to
Guinness to 'break' the record. For those unable to wait the 4–6 weeks
for a reply, Guinness will process a 'fast-track' application for £300
(US$450).
The
Guinness Book of Records is the world's most sold
copyrighted book, earning it an entry within its own pages. A number of
spin-off books and television series have also been produced.
Guinness World Records bestowed the record of "Person with the most records" on
Ashrita Furman of Queens, NY in April 2009. At that time, he held 100 records.
[14]
In 2005 Guinness designated 9 November as
International Guinness World Records Day to encourage breaking of world records.
[15]
In 2006 an estimated 100,000 people participated in over 10 countries.
Guinness reported 2,244 new records in 12 months, which was a 173%
increase over the previous year.
[15] In February 2008,
NBC aired
The Top 100 Guinness World Records of All Time and Guinness World Records made the complete list available on their website.
[16]
Defining records
Sultan Kösen
(Turkey) is the tallest living person since 17 September 2009, as
verified by Guinness World Records. Turkey has 80 records in the book.
[17]
Cracking open a wheel of Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese as a part of a 2013 world record by
Whole Foods Market.
[18]
For many records, Guinness World Records is the effective authority
on the exact requirements for them and with whom records reside, the
company providing adjudicators to events to determine the veracity of
record attempts. The list of records which the Guinness World Records
covers is not fixed; records may be added and also removed for various
reasons. The public are invited to submit applications for records,
which can be either the bettering of existing records or substantial
achievements which could constitute a new record.
[4]
The company also provides corporate services for companies to "harness
the power of record-breaking to deliver tangible success for their
businesses."
[19]
Ethical issues and safety concerns
Steven Petrosino drinking 1 liter of beer in 1.3 seconds in June 1977.
[20][21]
Petrosino set record times for 250 ml, 500 ml and 1.5 liters as well,
but Guinness accepted only the record for one liter. They later dropped
all beer and alcohol records from their compendium in 1991, and
reinstated the records in 2008.
Guinness World Records states several types of records it will not
accept for ethical reasons, such as those related to the killing or
harming of animals.
[22]
Several world records that were once included in the book have been
removed for ethical reasons, including concerns for the wellbeing of
potential record breakers. For example, following publication of a
"heaviest fish" record, many fish owners overfed their pets beyond the
bounds of what was healthy, and therefore such entries were removed.
[23]
The Guinness Book also dropped records within their "eating and
drinking records" section of Human Achievements in 1991 over concerns
that potential competitors could harm themselves and expose the
publisher to potential
litigation.
[24] These changes included the removal of all
liquor, wine, and beer drinking records, along with other unusual records for consuming such unlikely things as bicycles and trees.
[24] Other records, such as
sword swallowing
and rally driving (on public roads), were closed from further entry as
the current holders had performed beyond what are considered safe human
tolerance levels.
There have been instances of closed records being reopened. For
example, the sword swallowing record was listed as closed in the 1990
Guinness Book of World Records, but the
Guinness World Records Primetime TV show, which started in 1998, accepted three sword swallowing challenges (and so did the 2007 edition of the
Guinness World Records
onwards). Similarly, the speed beer drinking records which were dropped
from the book in 1991, reappeared 17 years later in the 2008 edition,
but were moved from the "Human Achievements" section of the older book
[25] to the "Modern Society" section of the newer edition.
[26]
As of 2011, it is required in the guidelines of all "large food" type
records that the item be fully edible, and distributed to the public
for consumption, to prevent food wastage.
[4][dead link]
Chain letters
are also not allowed: "Guinness World Records does not accept any
records relating to chain letters, sent by post or e-mail. If you
receive a letter or an e-mail, which may promise to publish the names of
all those who send it on, please destroy it, it is a hoax. No matter if
it says that Guinness World Records and the postal service are
involved, they are not."
[4]
Difficulty in defining records
For some potential categories,
Guinness World Records has
declined to list records due to the difficulty or impossibility of
determining what constitutes a record-breaking achievement. For example,
its website states: "We do not accept any claims for beauty as it is
not objectively measurable."
[22]
On 10 December 2010,
Guinness World Records rested its new "
dreadlock"
category after investigation of its first and only female title holder,
Asha Mandela, determining it was impossible to judge this record
accurately.
[27]
Museums
In 1976, a
Guinness Book of World Records museum opened in the
Empire State Building. Speed shooter
Bob Munden then went on tour promoting
The Guinness Book of World Records
by performing his record fast draws with a standard weight
single-action revolver from a western movie type holster. His fastest
time for a draw was .02 seconds.
[28] Among exhibits were life-size statues of the world's tallest man (
Robert Wadlow) and world's largest earth worm, an X-ray photo of a sword swallower, repeated lightning strike victim
Roy Sullivan's hat complete with lightning holes and a pair of gem-studded golf shoes on sale for $6500.
[29] The museum closed in 1995.
[30]
In more recent years the Guinness company has permitted the
franchising of small museums with displays based on the book, all currently (as of 2010) located in towns popular with tourists:
Tokyo,
Copenhagen,
San Antonio. There were once Guinness World Records museums and exhibitions at the
Trocadero in London,
Bangalore,
San Francisco,
Myrtle Beach,
Orlando,
[31] Atlantic City, New Jersey,
[32] and
Las Vegas,
Nevada.
[33] The Orlando museum, which closed in 2002, was branded
The Guinness Records Experience;
[31] the Hollywood,
Niagara Falls, Copenhagen, and
Gatlinburg, Tennessee museums also previously featured this branding.
[33]
Television series
Guinness World Records has commissioned various television series documenting world record breaking attempts, including:
With the popularity of reality television, Guinness World Records began
to market itself as the originator of the television genre, with slogans
such as
we wrote the book on Reality TV.
[citation needed] The McWhirters co-presented the
BBC television programme
Record Breakers with
Roy Castle from 1972 until Ross's death in 1975; Norris continued appearing on the show until his retirement in 1994.
[citation needed]
Suresh Joachim Arulanantham
is a Tamil Canadian film actor and producer and multiple-Guinness World
Record holder who has broken over 50 world records set in several
countries in attempts to benefit the underprivileged children around the
world. Some world record attempts are more unusual than others: he is
pictured here minutes away from breaking the
ironing world record at 55 hours and 5 minutes, at
Shoppers World, Brampton.
Gamer's edition
In 2008, Guinness World Records released its gamer's edition in association with
Twin Galaxies.
The Gamer's Edition contains 258 pages, over 1236 video game related
world records and four interviews including one with Twin Galaxies
founder
Walter Day. The most recent edition the
Guinness World Records Gamer's Edition, 2016 was released September 2015
British pop music volume
The
Guinness Book of British Hit Singles & Albums was published from 2004 to 2008, based on two earlier, separate HiT publications,
British Hit Singles and
British Hit Albums, which began in 1977. It was effectively replaced (in singles part) by the
Virgin Book of British Hit Singles from 2008 onward.
Other media
Video games
A
video game,
Guinness World Records: The Video Game, was developed by
TT Fusion and released for
Nintendo DS,
Wii and
iOS in November 2008.
Film
In 2012,
Warner Bros. announced the development of a live-action film version of Guinness World Records with
Daniel Chun
as scriptwriter. The film version will apparently use the heroic
achievements of record holders as the basis for a narrative that should
have global appeal.
[34]
References
- "Corporate". Guinness World Records. Archived from the original on 19 March 2010. Retrieved 19 October 2010.
- Watson, Bruce (August 2005). "World's Unlikeliest Bestseller". Smithsonian: 76–81.
- "Book deals for a steal". The Times (South Africa). 4 May 2008. Retrieved 29 October 2009.
- "Frequently Asked Questions". Guinness World Records. Archived from the original on 24 January 2012. Retrieved 10 February 2012.
- "The History of the Book". Guinness Record Book Collecting. Retrieved 10 February 2012.
- Fionn Davenport (2010). Ireland. Lonely Planet. p. 193. ISBN 9781742203508.
- "Early history of Guinness World Records". 2005. p. 2. Archived from the original on 1 July 2007.
- Cavendish, Richard (August 2005). "Publication of the Guinness Book of Records: 27 August 1955". History Today 55.
- Guinness World Records 2005. Guinness; 50th Anniversary edition. 2004. p. 6. ISBN 1892051222.
- "Guinness Book History 1950 - Present". spyhunter007.com.
- "Guinness World Records Corporate - Home". guinnessworldrecords.com.
- "Record Breakers' McWhirter dies". BBC News. 20 April 2004. Retrieved 9 June 2014.
- Guinness Book of World Records (UK ed.). 2006. p. 126.
- "Guinness World Records honors one man's historic milestone – 100 Records Broken! – Guinness World Records Blog post". community.guinnessworldrecords.com. Archived from the original on 12 June 2009. Retrieved 29 December 2009.
- "Records Shatter Across the Globe in Honor of Guinness World Records Day 2006". Retrieved 29 April 2007.
- Guinness World Records Live: Top 100. Guinness World Records. Retrieved on 6 November 2008.
- "İşte Guinness Rekorlar Kitabı'na giren Türkler". Dünya Gazetesi. 26 February 2014.
- "Whey to go: Whole Foods Market® cracks Parmigiano Reggiano Guinness World Records® Title". Yahoo Finance. 22 April 2013. Retrieved 15 June 2013.
- "Guinness World Records Corportate". Guinness World Records. Retrieved 10 May 2012.
- "Guinness World Beer Record". 11 June 2004. Retrieved 10 February 2010.
- "Video clip". Retrieved 29 April 2007.
- "IS YOUR PROPOSAL A POTENTIAL GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS™ ACHIEVEMENT?". "Guinness World Records". Retrieved 10 May 2012.
- Fish World Records[dead link]. Fish-World. Retrieved on 19 October 2010.
- Guinness Book of World Records. 1990. p. 464.
- "Guinness World Record Book Entry". Guinness World Beer Record. 11 June 2004. Retrieved 10 February 2012.
- "Guinness World Record Book Entry 2008". Guinness World Beer Record. 11 June 2004. Retrieved 10 February 2012.
- "Longest
Dreadlock Recor – Rested – Guinness World Records Blog post – Home of
the Longest, Shortest, Fastest, Tallest facts and feats". Community.guinnessworldrecords.com. Retrieved 4 November 2011.
- "Bob Munden • Six-Gun Magic Custom Gunsmithing - Bob & Becky Munden - Six-Gun Magic Gunwork". bobmunden.com.
- In Praise of Facts, by John Leonard, the introduction to the New York Times Desk Reference
- "Travel & Outdoors - The Good, The Bad, The Ugly: A 1995 Travel Retrospective - Seattle Times Newspaper". nwsource.com.
- Brown, Robert H. "The Guinness World Records Experience: one of Florida's Lost Tourist Attractions". Retrieved 1 February 2009.
- Ripley Entertainment, Inc. "Guinness World Records Experience locations". Archived from the original on 20 January 2009. Retrieved 1 February 2009.
- Ripley Entertainment, Inc. (20 November 2002). "Guinness World Records Experience locations". Internet Archive Wayback Machine. Archived from the original on 20 November 2002. Retrieved 1 February 2009.
- "Guinness Book of World Records could be next big brand name to hit cinemas". Guardian. 8 June 2012. Retrieved 18 December 2012.
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