The Guinness Book of Records
In August 1972, Michael Smith of Aubrey, California rocked on a rocking chair for 307 hrs 30 min. He was crowned the world record holder for the longest duration rocking in a rocking chair. We know this because of the Guinness Book of Records, and that is precisely why this book that has now existed since 1955 is legendary.
On May 4 1951, Sir Hugh Beaver went on a shooting party in North Slob, Ireland. He became involved in a heated debate with another gun wielding brewery member over the fastest game bird in Europe. Was it the grouse or the golden plover? That evening he sat down with a pipe and a popular brand of Irish stout and realised it was an answer that was impossible to find in reference books. His plans were in place, and with the help of two student twins, Norris and Ross McWhirter, the very first Guinness Book of Records was compiled in 1954. 1000 copies were printed and given away and a year later the first 197 page edition was bound and made bestseller lists by Christmas.
I remember as a child sifting through my presents under the tree to find the gift that was most likely to be ‘the one’. Forget the Lego, gold coins, Satsuma and lump of coal. I’d immediately flick through to find if anyone had been standing in manure to become taller than last year’s tallest man. I wanted to see if anyone had eaten themselves fatter than the fat guy from Hawaii. I was obsessed with the 100m world record - I wanted people to run faster. Had another tribe of pygmies been discovered in the Amazon who were smaller than the other one that had already been discovered? Had the man with the longest beard’s wife asked him to get the mach 3 on it, aaarrrrggggghhhhhhhhhhhh, it just went on but I knew I’d have to wait until next Christmas to find which of these records had been smashed… It truly is a special piece of print and one that we hope isn’t beaten into the ground by the global force known as the Internet.
Read more from our Legendary Books series online.
Also check out the latest issue for our full run down of legendary books and much more to boot…
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