Suresh Joachim, minutes away from breaking the ironing world record at 55 hours and 5 minutes, at Shoppers World, Brampton.

Guinness World Records, known until 2000 as The Guinness Book of Records (and in previous U.S. editions, The Guinness Book of World Records) is a reference book published annually, containing an internationally recognized collection of world records, both human achievements and the extreme of the natural world. The book itself holds a world record, as the best-selling copyrighted series. ImageMetadata File history File links Download high resolution version (1200x1600, 351 KB) Summary Suresh Joachim at Shoppers World mall in Brampton, setting the ironing world record. ... ImageMetadata File history File links Download high resolution version (1200x1600, 351 KB) Summary Suresh Joachim at Shoppers World mall in Brampton, setting the ironing world record. ... Suresh Joachim, minutes away from breaking the ironing world record at 55 hours and 5 minutes, at Shoppers World Brampton. ... An iron Ironing or smoothing is the work of using a heated tool to remove wrinkles from washed clothes. ... Suresh Joachim, minutes away from breaking the ironing world record at 55 hours and 5 minutes, at Shoppers World Brampton. ... This article is about the year 2000. ... United States is the current Good Article Collaboration of the week! Please help to improve this article to the highest of standards. ... A world record is the best performance in a certain discipline, usually a sports event. ...

Origins

On 10 November 1951, Sir Hugh Beaver, then the managing director of the Guinness Brewery, went on a shooting party in North Slob, by the River Slaney in County Wexford, Ireland. He became involved in an argument: which was the fastest game bird in Europe, the Golden Plover or the grouse? 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.^[1] November 10 is the 314th day of the year (315th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 51 days remaining. ... 1951 (MCMLI) was a common year starting on Monday; see its calendar. ... 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. ... St. ... Wexford Harbour is the natural harbour at the mouth of the River Slaney. ... The Slaney is a river in the southeast of Ireland. ... County Wexford (Contae Loch Garman in Irish) is a maritime county in the southeast of Ireland, in the province of Leinster. ... World map showing Europe Political map Europe is one of the seven traditional continents of Earth; the term continent here referring to a cultural and political distinction, rather than a physiographic one, thus leading to various perspectives about Europes precise borders. ... Binomial name Pluvialis apricaria (Linnaeus, 1758) The Eurasian Golden Plover, Pluvialis apricaria, is a largish plover. ... Genera Tetrao Lagopus Falcipennis Centrocercus Bonasa Dendrapagus Tympanuchus Grouse are from the order Galliformes which inhabit temperate and subarctic regions of the northern hemisphere. ...

Beaver thought that there must be numerous other questions debated nightly in the 81,400 pubs in Britain and in Ireland, but there was no book with which to settle arguments about records. He realised then that a book supplying the answers to this sort of question might prove popular.^[2]

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. One thousand copies were printed and given away.^[3] Sir Christopher John Chataway (born January 31, 1931) was a champion athlete, pioneering television news broadcaster, and a Conservative politician. ... Norris Dewar McWhirter, CBE (August 12, 1925 - April 19, 2004) was a writer, right wing political activist and television presenter. ... 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. ... London (pronounced ) is the capital city of England and of the United Kingdom. ...

After founding 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. "It was a marketing give away—it wasn't supposed to be a money maker," said Beaver. The following year it launched in the USA, and sold 70,000 copies. Fleet Street road sign Fleet Street in 1890 Fleet Street in 2005 Fleet Street is a famous London street, named after the River Fleet. ... August 27 is the 239th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (240th in leap years), with 126 days remaining. ... 1955 (MCMLV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Christmas is a Christian holiday held on December 25 which celebrates the birth of Jesus. ...

After the book became a surprise hit, many further editions were printed, eventually settling into a pattern of one revision a year, published in October to coincide with Christmas sales. The McWhirters continued to publish it and related books for many years. Ross was assassinated by the Provisional Irish Republican Army in 1975. Norris had an encyclopedic memory — on the TV series Record Breakers, based upon the book, he would take questions posed by children in the audience on various world records and would usually be able to give the correct answer, the feature being called "Norris on the Spot". Christmas is a Christian holiday held on December 25 which celebrates the birth of Jesus. ... Assassination is the deliberate killing of an important person, usually a political figure or other strategically important individual. ... A Republican mural in Belfast depicting the hunger strikes of 1981. ... 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. ...

Evolution

Recent editions have focused on record feats by human competitors. Competitions range from obvious ones such as weightlifting to the more entertaining such as longest egg-throwing distance or the number of hot dogs that can be consumed in 10 minutes—although eating contest and beer and alcohol consumption entries are no longer accepted, possibly for fear of litigation. Besides records about competitions, it contains such facts as the height of the tallest person (Robert Pershing Wadlow), the heaviest tumour, the most poisonous plant, the shortest river (Roe River), the longest-running drama (Guiding Light), the world's most successful salesman (Joe Girard), and the only brother and sister to have solo number-ones in UK chart history. (Daniel Bedingfield, Natasha Bedingfield) Trinomial name Homo sapiens sapiens Linnaeus, 1758 Humans, or human beings, are bipedal primates belonging to the mammalian species Homo sapiens (Latin for wise man or knowing man) under the family Hominidae (the great apes). ... A professional weightlifter Weightlifting is a sport where competitors attempt to lift heavy weights mounted on steel bars, the execution of which is a combination of power and technique. ... An average Whooping Crane egg is 102 mm long, and weighs 208 grams In some animals, an egg (Latin ovum) is the zygote, resulting from fertilization of the ovum. ... A large hot dog with ketchup A selection of hot dogs at a fast food restaurant. ... Sonya Thomas and Tim Janus at the 2005 Midway Slots Crabcake Eating Competition Competitive eating involves the consumption of large quantities of food in a short time period – typically 12 minutes or less. ... // Definition of drinking games Drinking games are games which involve drinking beer or other alcoholic beverages. ... A lawsuit is a civil action brought before a court in order to recover a right, obtain damages for an injury, obtain an injunction to prevent an injury, or obtain a declaratory judgment to prevent future legal disputes. ... This article is being considered for deletion in accordance with Wikipedias deletion policy. ... Robert Pershing Wadlow (February 22, 1918 – July 15, 1940), according to Guinness World Records is the tallest man in medical history for whom there is irrefutable evidence . ... Tumor (American English) or tumour (British English) originally means swelling, and is sometimes still used with that meaning. ... The River Thames in London River running into Harrietville Trout Farm A river is a large natural waterway. ... The Roe River, which runs between the Missouri River and Giant Springs near Great Falls, Montana, is falsely recognized by the Guinness Book of Records as the shortest river in the world. ... Guiding Light (known as The Guiding Light prior to 1975) is an American television program credited by the Guinness Book of World Records as being the longest-running soap opera in production and the longest running drama in television history. ... Joe Girard is recognized by the Guiness Book Of World Records as the most successful salesmen, selling 13,001 cars at a Chevrolet in Detroit dealership between 1963 & 1978. ... Photograph From Official Site Daniel John Bedingfield is a UK-based pop singer songwriter. ... Natasha Bedingfield (born November 26, 1981) is a British pop singer, and sister of pop singer, Daniel Bedingfield. ...

Each edition contains a selection of the large set of records in the Guinness database, and the criteria for that choice have changed over the years.

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-heavy reference book to a highly-illustrated, colourful product, targeted at boys in the 9-13 age group. The change has not been universally popular, as the book is no longer intended to be comprehensive. The new, image-heavy format has also been criticized for giving too much attention to visually shocking or grotesque "records" such as physical deformities, odd-looking vegetables and peculiar stunts. The focus on images of scantily-clad female celebrities has led to complaints from school librarians.^{[citation needed]} There have also been records where objectivity appears to have been sacrificed in favour of topicality; Paris Hilton being named "most overrated celebrity" is one recent example. Paris Whitney Hilton (born February 17, 1981) is an heiress to the Hilton Hotel fortune, as well as her father, Richard Hiltons, real estate fortune. ...

These changes have done no harm to its commercial success. The book is usually published just ahead of the Christmas buying season in most markets. Christmas is a Christian holiday held on December 25 which celebrates the birth of Jesus. ...

The Guinness Book of Records is the world's most sold copyrighted book, thus earning it an entry within its own pages. A number of spin-off books and television series have also been produced. Again the emphasis in these shows has been on spectacular, entertaining stunts, rather than any aspiration to inform or educate. The Guinness World Record brand is now owned by HIT Entertainment. Copyright symbol. ... A spin-off (or spinoff) is a new organization or entity formed by a split from a larger one such as a new company formed from a university research group. ... HIT Entertainment plc was established in 1989, and was originally the international distribution arm of Jim Henson Productions called Henson International Television. ...

A very special record is the record of the most-record-holding living person. The Swiss juggler Paul Sahli currently holds this record, with 65 Guinness records. In its general sense, juggling can refer to all forms of artful or skillful object manipulation. ... Paul Sahli (* 24. ...

Reliability questions

Most of the records are accurate, but, despite the "tested, verified and elevated above all suspicion" claim posted here, a few are now believed to be questionable. For example, Guinness accepts the claim of Shigechiyo Izumi as the longest-lived man; many others, however, believe this claim to be false. In other cases, Guinness accepts the claim of the Apple iMac as having the shortest computer instruction manual (there are others that are similar), and the Khardung La [1] as being the highest motorable road. SRTM data, several independent GPS readings and Russian topographic maps all agree that Khardung La is more than 300 m lower than (?) motorable roads in Tibet. Shigechiyo Izumi (泉 重千代 Izumi Shigechiyo, June 29, 1865 or 1880 – February 21, 1986) of the Tokunoshima, Amami Islands, Japan (where people are noted for their longevity), was, according to Guinness World Records, the person with the greatest authenticated age in the world after the death of Niwa Kawamoto. ... The original iMac model The title given to this article is incorrect due to technical limitations. ... A Lego RCX Computer is an example of an embedded computer used to control mechanical devices. ... A manual of style is also called a style guide; see that article for an account of manuals of style generally. ... Khardung La (5602m) is highest known motorable pass in the world. ... The Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM) is a research effort that obtained elevation data on a near-global scale to generate the most complete high-resolution digital topographic database of Earth to date. ... Over fifty GPS satellites such as this NAVSTAR have been launched since 1978. ... This article is becoming very long. ...

Ethical issues

Steven Petrosino, drinking 500 mL beer in 0.4 seconds in June 1977. Guinness accepted only the record for 1 liter, but later dropped all beer and alcohol records from their compendium in 1991

Several world records that were once included in the book have been removed for ethical reasons. By publishing world records in a category, the book may encourage others to try to beat that record, even at the expense of their own health and safety. For example, following publication of a "heaviest cat" record, many cat owners overfed their pets beyond the bounds of what was healthy^{[citation needed]}, so entries such as these were removed. Likewise, records related to dangerous stunts are often not published, for example those closely related to freediving. The Guinness Book also dropped records within their "eating and drinking records" section of Human Achievements in 1991 due to concerns that potential competitors could do harm to themselves and expose the publisher to potential litigation. These changes included the removal of all liquor, wine and other unusual records for consuming such unlikely things as bicycles and trees (p. 464, Guinness Book of World Records 1990 edition). Reference: World Speed Beer Drinking Record. And, in what can only be seen as an attempt to set a new world record in self-inflicted irony, Guinness has dropped all mention of Beer Drinking Records. Image File history File links Guinness_Beer_Record. ... Image File history File links Guinness_Beer_Record. ... Trinomial name Felis silvestris catus (Linnaeus, 1758) The cat (or domestic cat, house cat) is a small carnivorous mammal of the subspecies Felis silvestris catus. ... A stunt is an unusual and difficult physical feat, or any act requiring a special skill, performed for artistic purposes in TV, theatre or cinema. ... Freedive photographer Free-diving is an aquatic sport, considered an extreme sport, in which divers attempt to reach great depths unassisted by breathing apparatus. ... A lawsuit is a civil action brought before a court in order to recover a right, obtain damages for an injury, obtain an injunction to prevent an injury, or obtain a declaratory judgment to prevent future legal disputes. ... Beer Drinking Records The Guinness World Records Book (1990 edition, p. ...

Other records, such as sword swallowing, were closed to further entry as the current holders have performed beyond what are considered safe human tolerance levels. There have been cases where closed records have been reopened. For example, the sword swallowing record was listed as closed in 1990 Guinness Book of World Records, but the Guinness World Records Primetime TV show, which started in 1998, accepted three sword swallowing challenges. Sword swallowing is a dangerous performance art, in which the performer inserts a sword into his mouth and down his esophagus towards his stomach. ... Description: This TV series was based on the Guinness Book of World Records, and aired on the FOX television network from July 1998 to October 2001. ...

Museums

Guinness Museum in Hollywood, California

In recent years the Guinness company has permitted the franchising of small museums with displays based on the book, all currently (as of 2005) located in towns popular with tourists: Surfers Paradise, Copenhagen, San Francisco, San Antonio, Niagara Falls, Hollywood, Atlantic City, and Gatlinburg, Tennessee. While some displays are dramatic, like the statues of the world's tallest and shortest people, or videos of records being broken, much of the information is presented simply with text and photos. Image File history File links 6764_Guinness. ... Image File history File links 6764_Guinness. ... Franchising (from the French for free) is a method of doing business wherein a franchisor licenses trademarks and tried and proven methods of doing business to a franchisee in exchange for a recurring payment, and usually a percentage piece of gross sales or gross profits as well as the annual... Categories: Stub ... Copenhagen (IPA: , rhyming with pagan (the way the Danes themselves pronounce the name of the capital when saying it in English), or , with a as in spa; Danish IPA: ) is the capital of Denmark and the countrys largest city (metropolitan population 1,211,542 (2006)), at present made up... This page is a candidate for speedy deletion. ... San Antonio (the Spanish name of Saint Anthony) is a common toponym in parts of the world where the Spanish language is or was spoken: Argentina San Antonio, Jujuy province Belize San Antonio, Cayo District Chile San Antonio Mexico San Antonio, San Luis Potosí Philippines San Antonio, Quezon San Antonio... For other uses, see Niagara Falls (disambiguation). ... ... Alternate meanings: See Atlantic City (disambiguation) Atlantic City is a city located in USA. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 40,517. ... Gatlinburg is a city in Sevier County, Tennessee, with a total population of 3,828, as of the 2000 U.S. census. ...

See also

• List of world records
• Ripley's Believe It or Not!

// This page lists World records by category. ... Ripleys Believe It or Not! is a franchise which deals in bizarre events and items so strange and unusual that readers might question the claims. ...

References

• Watson, Bruce. (August 2005). "World's Unlikeliest Bestseller". Smithsonian, p. 76-81

1. ^ http://freespace.virgin.net/james.robertson/history2.htm
2. ^ http://www.brandchannel.com/features_profile.asp?pr_id=15
3. ^ http://spyhunter007.com/spy_guinness_book_history.htm

Smithsonian is a monthly magazine published by the Smithsonian Institution of the United States in Washington, DC External link Smithsonian webpage Categories: Smithsonian Institution | United States magazines | Stub ...

External links

Wikinews has news related to:

Daily Guinness attempts to return on talk show Live with Regis and Kelly

• Guinness World Records, the official site of the book