Short answers, pulled from the story.
Sir Hugh Beaver founded Guinness World Records after a shooting party debate on the 10th of November 1951. The first 198-page edition was bound on the 27th of August 1955 and commissioned to Norris and Ross McWhirter in August 1954.
Ross McWhirter was assassinated by two members of the Provisional Irish Republican Army in 1975. He was killed in response to offering a £50,000 reward for information leading to the capture of organization members.
The organization shifted from relying on book sales to charging fees ranging from US$12,000 to US$500,000 for record verification services. This change allowed corporations and celebrities to hire the company for publicity stunts and new record categories.
The organization dropped eating and drinking records in 1991 due to concerns about self-harm and potential litigation. It stopped accepting submissions for the dreadlock category on the 10th of December 2010 after determining it was impossible to judge the record accurately.
In 2024, the organization faced accusations of laundering the reputation of oppressive governments by setting records for the UAE police and Egypt military. Critics argued these records legitimized regimes such as that of Abdel Fattah el-Sisi.
The latest edition is the 72nd, published in August 2025. The supplement released since 2020 contains 192 pages and includes records for video game high scores and feats.