THE GUINNESS BOOK OF WORLD RECORDS

In 1951, the then director of the Guinness Brewery, Sir Hugh Beaver, wanted to settle an argument about the fastest bird in Europe. After talking to his friends, he concluded that a book which answered such questions might be popular. The Guinness company hired two Englishmen to write what later became the Guinness Book of World Records. The first edition was published in 1955 and has been a best-seller ever since.

More than 60,000 new records are sent in to the book each year, but they cannot all be printed. Instead, the editors of the book set down the records and keep track of them in other ways. The records are put into different categories. The Guinness Book of World Records has chapters on the human body, amazing feats, the natural world, science and technology, arts and the media, modern society, travel and transport, and sports and games. You can learn that the oldest person is a woman who lived to be 122 years and 164 days, that the longest moustache reached a length of 1.6 metres and that the longest poisonous snake is 5.71 metres long. There are also strange records, like the Englishman who balanced a small car weighing 159.6 kilogrammes on his head for thirty-three seconds!

There are many Chinese records. For example, Tian'anmen Square is the largest square in the world with an area of about 40 hectares. China has the greatest number of hospitals in the world and Urumqi is the most remote city from the sea -- it is 2,500 kilometres from the nearest coast. A special and delicious record was set in 1997 to celebrate Hong Kong's return to China. The world's largest jiaozi was made, weighing an incredible 480 kilogrammes!

Many of the records in the Guinness Book of World Records come from the world of sports. Among the brilliant athletic achievements, a few records stand out because of the moving life stories behind them. The Guinness world record for the fastest average speed at the Tour de France was set in 1999 by the American cyclist Lance Armstrong. Impressive as the record is, it fades next to the story of Armstrong's struggle against disease. In 1996 Armstrong, the then No 1 cyclist in the world, was diagnosed with cancer and many thought that it meant the end of his career, maybe even his life. In 1998, however, Armstrong returned to the world of racing. He went on to set the speed record and achieve his goal of winning the Tour de France six years in a row from 1999 to 2004.

Why are people so interested in world records? Part of the reason for our interest is probably the same curiosity that led Sir Hugh to write the Guinness Book of World Records in the first place. We want to know what is possible and find out just how far we can push ourselves. Clearly, we are also entertained by accounts of strange and unusual deeds and facts. Whether we are out to set a new record ourselves or simply enjoy reading about champions, the Guinness Book of World Records makes for interesting reading.

Anybody can try to set a record. There are, however, some records that the book does not accept. No records that are dangerous to the person who is attempting it or to others are allowed. If you want to try to set a record, you should first contact the Guinness Book of World Records. The editors will decide if your idea is suitable and then send you rules and the form you need to apply for the record. Afterwards, if all goes well, a Guinness official will come to inspect your attempt. If you are successful, the official will confirm the record and you will get a certificate from the Guinness Book of World Records stating that you are a world record holder!
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