Guinness World Records

The story begins in a Wexford pub in 1951 where Sir Hugh Beaver, the managing director of the Guinness Brewery, found himself stuck in an argument with friends about which game bird flew fastest in Europe. Existing reference books offered no answer, so he commissioned twin brothers Norris and Ross McWhirter to compile a definitive list of facts. Their work resulted in The Guinness Book of Records, which hit shelves in August 1955 and climbed to the top of the UK bestseller list by Christmas that same year.

Tragedy struck in 1975 when Ross McWhirter was assassinated by the Irish Republican Army while working on the 1976 edition. Norris continued editing the book alone until his retirement in 1986, after which the editorial team expanded to include professional researchers. The franchise changed hands again in 2008 when the Jim Pattison Group acquired it, shifting the focus toward corporate-sponsored records and modern stunts.

Today the brand operates in 100 countries with content available in 40 languages. While the physical book remains a holiday staple, the digital presence is massive, boasting a YouTube channel with over 4 billion views. Recent entries range from a 75-year-old Perth woman setting a handstand record to Calvin Harris playing for a crowd of 1.6 million people in September 2026. [编辑]