History of the Guinness Book of World Records

In 1954 Sir Hugh Beaver was hunting in Ireland. He took a shot at some golden plover (a type of game bird) but missed. Beaver began to wonder if the birds' flying speed had to do with why he missed, and whether these were the fastest game birds. The managing director of Arthur Guinness, Son and Co. had no luck settling the matter - no sources listed the necessary data. The Guinness World Records was born.

Sir Hugh returned to London and continued to puzzle over the matter. There simply was no concise source listing certain data (like what is biggest, fastest, smallest, etc.) about near anything a person could be curious about. He quickly realized that a book listing this kind of information would be quite handy. Sir Hugh also thought that distributing such a book in pubs where Guinness was sold would be a good method - any pals that get into a debate could turn to the book to settle things. The only trouble was finding someone to compile the book, as the process would be difficult.

Christopher Chataway, an employee at Arthur Guinness, Son and Co. knew of identical twins Ross and Norris McWhirter. The twins were sons of a newspaperman, and loved facts and trivia so much that they compiled their own lists. They often found discrepancies in their research and aimed to develop their own agency to provide accurate data.

In 1951 the McWhirter twins actually did start their own business. They supplied figures and facts to newspapers, encyclopedias, and even yearbooks. They also worked as sports journalists. Christopher Chataway, an athlete they often covered, introduced them to Sir Hugh Beaver.

The meeting went well and the Guinness World Records was created. The first volume was 198 pages and became the number one best seller in England. This first volume was published August 27, 1955. 52 years later, the book is still popular, having spawned museums and television specials.

The book has also been published under the names Guinness Book of Records and Guinness Book of World Records. The book, which is published annually, even has its own entry within its pages. It is the best-selling copyrighted series.

Certain things are no longer tracked by Guinness World Records. Categories like heaviest cat or sword swallowing, as well as things related to freediving, are considered dangerous, as entries in these categories may prompt people to endanger themselves (or their pets).

Sources:
http://www.trivia-library.com/c/history-of-the-guinness-book-of-world-records-part-1.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guinness_Book_of_World_Records
http://www.brainyhistory.com/events/1955/august_27_1955_117115.html