NationMaster - Encyclopedia: Norris McWhirter

Norris Dewar McWhirter, CBE (August 12, 1925 – April 19, 2004) was a writer, political activist, co-founder of the Freedom Association, and a television presenter. He and his twin brother, Ross McWhirter, were known internationally for the Guinness Book of Records, a book they wrote and annually updated together between 1955 and 1975. After Ross's assassination in 1975, Norris continued alone as editor. The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by King George V. The Order includes five classes in civil and military divisions; in decreasing order of seniority, these are Knight Grand Cross or Dame Grand Cross (GBE) Knight Commander... August 12 is the 224th day of the year (225th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1925 (MCMXXV) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... April 19 is the 109th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (110th in leap years). ... shelby was here 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The term writer can apply to anyone who creates a written work, but the word more usually designates those who write creatively or professionally, or those who have written in many different forms. ... Activism, in a general sense, can be described as intentional action to bring about social or political change. ... The Freedom Association is a right-wing British pressure group. ... A television presenter is a British term for a person who introduces or hosts television programmes. ... Fraternal twin boys bathing Identical Twin Girls Sleeping Twins in animal biology is a form of multiple birth in which the mother gives birth to two offspring from the same pregnancy, some of the same gender, others of opposite. ... Alan Ross McWhirter (12 August 1925 - 27 November 1975), known as Ross McWhirter, was, with his twin brother, Norris McWhirter, co-founder of the Guinness Book of Records. ... Suresh Joachim, minutes away from breaking the ironing world record at 55 hours and 5 minutes, at Shoppers World, Brampton. ... 1955 (MCMLV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1975 (MCMLXXV) was a common year starting on Wednesday. ... It has been suggested that Selective assassination be merged into this article or section. ... 1975 (MCMLXXV) was a common year starting on Wednesday. ...

Early life

McWhirter was the son of William McWhirter, editor of the Sunday Pictorial newspaper, and Margaret Williamson ('Bunty'). He was born at 10 Branscombe Gardens, ("Giffnock" after Giffnock Church in Glasgow where the McWhirters were married) Winchmore Hill, London, N21. His elder brother Kennedy was born in 1923. In 1929 as William was working on the founding of the Northcliffe Newspapers chain of provincial newspapers, the family moved to Aberfoyle, in Broad Walk Winchmore Hill. Like his brothers Norris was educated at Marlborough College and Oxford University (Trinity College), where, at his choice, he completed his law degree in two years rather than the usual three. Glaswegian redirects here. ... Winchmore Hill is a district in the London Borough of Enfield in London bounded on the east by Green Lanes (the A105 road) and on the west by Grovelands Park. ... This article is about the capital of England and the United Kingdom. ... 1923 (MCMXXIII) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar). ... Year 1929 (MCMXXIX) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Marlborough College is a British independent boarding school in the county of Wiltshire. ... The University of Oxford, located in the city of Oxford in England, is the oldest university in the English-speaking world. ... College name The College of the Most Holy and Undivided Trinity and Sir Thomas Pope (Knight) Named after The Holy Trinity Established 1555 Sister College Churchill College President Sir Ivor Roberts KCMG MA JCR President Richard Appleton Undergraduates 298 MCR President Andrew Ng Graduates 105 Homepage Boatclub See also Trinity...

Sports

Ross and Norris both became sports journalists in 1950. In 1951 they published Get to Your Marks and later in 1951 they founded an agency to provide facts and figures to Fleet Street, setting out, in Norris's words: "to supply facts and figures to newspapers, yearbooks, encyclopedias, and advertisers." At the same time Norris became a founding member of the Association of Track and Field Statisticians. Year 1950 (MCML) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1951 (MCMLI) was a common year starting on Monday; see its calendar. ... Fleet Street in 2005 Fleet Street is a famous street in London, England, named after the River Fleet. ... The Association of Track and Field Statisticians (ATFS) was founded in 1950. ...

Norris came to particular public attention while working for the BBC as a sports commentator. On May 6, 1954, Norris McWhirter kept the time when Roger Bannister ran the first four minute mile. After the race, McWhirter began his announcement: The British Broadcasting Corporation, usually known as the BBC, is the largest broadcasting corporation in the world in terms of audience numbers, employing 26,000 staff in the United Kingdom alone and with a budget of more than GBÂ£4 billion. ... May 6 is the 126th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (127th in leap years). ... Year 1954 (MCMLIV) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Bannister was chosen as the first Sports Illustrated Sportsman of the Year for his accomplishments in 1954. ... The much vaunted and previously thought to be impossible 4 minute mile is an exceptional benchmark in the sport of running. ...

....at which the rest of McWhirter's announcement was drowned out in the enthusiastic uproar. College name Exeter College Latin name Collegium Exoniense Named after Walter de Stapledon, Bishop of Exeter Established 1314 Sister college Emmanuel College, Cambridge Rector Ms Frances Cairncross JCR President Simon Heawood Undergraduates 299 MCR President Meredith Riedel Graduates 150 Location of Exeter College within central Oxford , Homepage Boatclub Exeter College... College name The House of Scholars of Merton Named after Walter de Merton Established 1264 Sister College Peterhouse Warden Prof. ... Motto (French) God and my right Anthem God Save the Queen (King) England() â€“ on the European continent() â€“ in the United Kingdom() Capital (and largest city) London (de facto) Official languages English (de facto) Unified - by Athelstan 967 AD Area - Total 130,395 kmÂ² 50,346 sq mi Population - 2007 estimate... World map showing the location of Europe. ...

One of the athletes covered was runner Christopher Chataway, the employee at Guinness who recommended them to Sir Hugh Beaver. After an interview in which the Guinness directors enjoyed testing the twins' knowledge of records and unusual facts, the brothers agreed to start work on the book in 1954. In August 1954 the first slim green volume - 198 pages long - was at the bookstalls, and in four more months it was England's No. 1 nonfiction best-seller Sir Christopher John Chataway (born January 31, 1931) was a champion athlete, pioneering television news broadcaster, and a Conservative politician. ... Guinness logo World War II era advert. ... Sir Hugh Eyre Campbell Beaver KBE (born 1890 in Johannesburg, South Africa, died London in 1967) was a British engineer, industrialist, and founder of the Guinness Book of Records // Biography Educated at Wellington College, Berkshire after which he spent two years in the Indian Police force from 1910. ... Year 1954 (MCMLIV) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1954 (MCMLIV) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Political activity

He was an active member of the Conservative Party in the early 1960s and fought, unsuccessfully, to recapture Orpington in the 1964 and 1966 UK general elections after its loss to the Liberals in the 1962 by-election. Conservative Party may refer to: Conservative Party of Canada (since 2003) Progressive Conservative Party of Canada (1942-2003) Conservative Party of Canada (historical) (until 1942) Conservative Party (Chile) (historical) Colombian Conservative Party Conservative Peoples Party (Denmark) New Zealand Conservative Party (defunct) Conservative Party of Nicaragua Norwegian Conservative Party (H... The 1960s decade refers to the years from January 1, 1960 to December 31, 1969, inclusive. ... Orpington is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. ... Harold Wilson Alec Douglas-Home The United Kingdom general election of 1964 was held on October 15, 1964, more than five years after its predecessor, and thirteen years after the Conservative Party had first taken power. ... The UK general election in 1966 was called by Harold Wilson because his government, elected in the 1964 election, had an unworkably small majority. ... This article is about the historic Liberal Party. ... The Orpington by-election of 1962 is often described as the start of the Liberal Party revival in the United Kingdom. ...

Together with his brother Ross, he founded the "National Association for Freedom", later "The Freedom Association", in the 1970s. This organisation initiated legal challenges against the trade union movement in the UK, CND and the E.E.C. in Brussels, and continues its political activities to this day. The Freedom Association is a right-wing British pressure group. ... The 1970s decade refers to the years from 1970 to 1979. ... A union (labor union in American English; trade union, sometimes trades union, in British English; either labour union or trade union in Canadian English) is a legal entity consisting of employees or workers having a common interest, such as all the assembly workers for one employer, or all the workers... Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament logo In British politics, the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament has been at the forefront of the peace movement in the United Kingdom and claims to be Europes largest single-issue peace campaign. ... The European Community (EC), most important of three European Communities, was originally founded on March 25, 1957 by the signing of the Treaty of Rome under the name of European Economic Community. ...

Ross McWhirter was a constant critic of British policy in Northern Ireland, and called for a "tougher" response by the British army against Irish republicans. Ross was murdered by the IRA after offering a reward for information leading to the apprehension of those carrying out a bombing campaign in London at the time. Alan Ross McWhirter (12 August 1925 - 27 November 1975), known as Ross McWhirter, was, with his twin brother, Norris McWhirter, co-founder of the Guinness Book of Records. ... Northern Ireland is a part of the United Kingdom lying in the northeast of the island of Ireland, covering 5,459 square miles (14,139 kmÂ², about a sixth of the islands total area). ... The British Army is the land armed forces branch of the British Armed Forces. ... Fianna Fáil - The Republican Party (Pronounced fee-na fall.) (English: Soldiers of Destiny) is the largest political party in the Republic of Ireland. ...

Norris McWhirter was a member of the Secretariat of the anti-communist European Freedom Campaign group, established in London at an Inaugural Rally at Westminster Central Hall on 10th December 1988. This group's co-ordinating committee consisted almost exclusively of representatives from countries behind the Iron Curtain. Methodist Central Hall, London Westminster Central Hall, Westminster Methodist Hall or Methodist Central Hall Westminster is a building in London, England. ... Warsaw Pact countries to the east of the Iron Curtain are shaded red; NATO members to the west of it â€” blue. ...

Record Breakers and later events

Both brothers were regulars on the BBC show Record Breakers. They were noted for their photographic memory, enabling them to provide detailed answers to any questions from the audience about entries in the Guinness Book of Records. ÆÀÉRecord Breakers was a British Guinness Book of Records themed childrens TV show, originally presented by Roy Castle with twin brothers Norris McWhirter and Ross McWhirter. ... Photographic memory or eidetic memory is the ability to recall images, sounds, or objects in memory with great accuracy and in seemingly unlimited volume. ... Suresh Joachim, minutes away from breaking the ironing world record at 55 hours and 5 minutes, at Shoppers World, Brampton. ...

After Ross's death, Norris continued to appear on the show, eventually making him one of the most recognisable people on children's television in the 1970s and 1980s. Norris McWhirter was made a CBE in 1980. This article cites very few or no references or sources. ... Year 1980 (MCMLXXX) was a leap year starting on Tuesday (link displays the 1980 Gregorian calendar). ...

In 1985 he launched an unsuccessful defamation case against the Independent Broadcasting Authority for the TV programme Spitting Image which had inserted a subliminal image of McWhirter's face imposed on the body of a naked woman. 1985 (MCMLXXXV) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Independent Broadcasting Authority (IBA) was the regulatory body in the United Kingdom for commercial television (ITV and Channel 4 - cable and satellite television were the responsibility of the Cable Authority) and radio broadcasts. ... Spitting Image was a satirical puppet show that ran on the United Kingdoms ITV television network from 1984 to 1996. ... A subliminal message is a signal or message embedded in another object, designed to pass below the normal limits of perception. ... Look up Naked in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...

He retired from the Guinness Book of Records in 1985 and from Record Breakers in 1994. Afterwards, he continued to write, editing a new reference book, his Book of Millennium Records, in 1999. 1985 (MCMLXXXV) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1994 (MCMXCIV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated as the International Year of the Family and the International Year of the Sport and the Olympic Ideal by United Nations. ... Year 1999 (MCMXCIX) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1999 Gregorian calendar). ...

Norris McWhirter died from a heart attack following a tennis match, at his home in Wiltshire, on the 19 April 2004. He was aged 78. Acute myocardial infarction (AMI or MI), commonly known as a heart attack, is a disease state that occurs when the blood supply to a part of the heart is interrupted. ... Wiltshire (abbreviated Wilts) is a large southern English county. ... April 19 is the 109th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (110th in leap years). ... shelby was here 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Selected bibliography

Categories: 1925 births | 2004 deaths | Alumni of Trinity College, Oxford | British journalists | Commanders of the Order of the British Empire | Deaths by myocardial infarction | Guinness World Record | Euroscepticism | British conservatives | Old Marlburians | People from London | People from Wiltshire | Anglo-Scots | Identical twins | People from Enfield Rodney Atkinson is a British eurosceptic conservative academic, political & economic commentator, journalist and author. ... Daniel Hannan (born 1971) is a British politician, and Member of the European Parliament for the South East England region for the Conservative Party. ... The Maastricht treaty (formally, the Treaty on European Union) was signed on 7 February 1992 in Maastricht between the members of the European Community and entered into force on 1 November 1993. ... The front cover of the privately circulated report of the 1980 Bilderberg conference in Bad Aachen, Germany. ...

Contents

Early life GA_googleFillSlot("encyclopedia_square");

Sports

Political activity

Record Breakers and later events

Selected bibliography

Early life