Short answers, pulled from the story.
The first edition of Guinness World Records was bound on the 27th of August 1955 and reached the top of the British bestseller list by Christmas that year. It was introduced in the United States the following year, selling 70,000 copies.
Sir Hugh Beaver, then managing director of Guinness Breweries, conceived the idea in 1951 after failing to find a reference book that could settle an argument about the fastest game bird in Europe. He commissioned twin brothers Norris and Ross McWhirter to compile the first volume in August 1954.
Guinness World Records has sold more than 150 million copies in 100 countries and 40 languages. As of the 2026 edition, the book is in its 71st year of publication.
The Jim Pattison Group has owned Guinness World Records since early 2008, when it purchased the franchise from Apax Partners. Global headquarters are at South Quay Plaza, Canary Wharf, London, a location established in 2017.
While basic record submissions are free, corporations and celebrities pay fees ranging from 12,000 to 500,000 US dollars for expedited service, dedicated adjudicators, and coaching. This shift away from book sales became the primary business model starting in the 2000s as Internet use cut into print revenue.
Discontinued categories include the heaviest pet, longest time without sleeping, hunger strikes, and most beer drunk in an hour, all removed for health or animal welfare reasons. Environmental concerns ended categories like the largest mass balloon release and most sky lanterns released simultaneously.