"We Were Founded Because...": How Guinness Book Of World Records Started
When a post on X asked to share a "piece of lore about yourself, GWR responded, reflecting on what laid the foundation for it.
"We were founded because two people couldn't agree on what the fastest bird was whilst they were out hunting," it posted.
we were founded because two people couldn't agree on what the fastest bird was whilst they were out hunting https://t.co/lHKeEJCwxg
— Guinness World Records (@GWR) July 9, 2025
The Beginning (1950s)
It was the 1950s. Guinness Breweries managing director, Sir Hugh Beaver (1890–1967), attended a shooting event in County Wexford where he got into a heated argument with his friends after failing to find the answer in any reference book about the fastest game bird in Europe.
This incident gave Sir Hugh the idea that there ought to be a book that could end these discussions—a reference manual with facts from an array of topics—that people might use to settle conflicts.
First Edition Creation (1954–1955)
In 1954, Sir Hugh recalled his shooting event debate and came up with the concept for a Guinness campaign based on the idea of resolving pub arguments. He contacted the fact-finding researchers from Fleet Street, twins Ross McWhirter and Norris, to create a book of facts and statistics.
They started assembling a comprehensive and painstakingly studied list of record-breaking accomplishments, including everything from sports to natural events to human achievements to oddities from all across the globe, in 1954.
The original ' Guinness Book of Records' was created in August 1955. It is among the best-selling copyrighted works in publishing history, with an average of over 3.5 million copies sold each year and more than 150 million copies since its initial publication. It is published all around the world and has been translated into over 40 languages.
What Guinness World Records does
The book is most famous for its lists and descriptions of records about various extremes of size, speed, and distance. Some of the examples are the tallest person, the heaviest onion, the fastest animal, and the most distant human-made object in the world.
It also lists unusual and challenging competitive challenges, such as arranging the most coins in 30 seconds, shooting the longest arrow with only one's feet, and cramming the most people into a large car, among others.
Today
In 1999, the Guinness Book of World Records changed its name to Guinness World Records to reflect its expanding business, per USA Today. The company also branched out from publishing books to other endeavours, such as a museum of its records in Hollywood and a television program called "Guinness World Records Primetime" in the United States.
With offices in London, New York, Beijing, Tokyo, and Dubai, as well as brand ambassadors and panellists on the ground all over the world, Guinness World Records is a global brand today.
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NDTV
10-07-2025
- NDTV
"We Were Founded Because...": How Guinness Book Of World Records Started
The Guinness World Records (GWR), originally known as the Guinness Book of Records, is believed to be the last word on record-breaking accomplishments, and it all began as a collection of facts to settle disputes in pubs. The GWR has a unique and fascinating origin story rooted in a missed shot during a bird hunt. When a post on X asked to share a "piece of lore about yourself, GWR responded, reflecting on what laid the foundation for it. "We were founded because two people couldn't agree on what the fastest bird was whilst they were out hunting," it posted. we were founded because two people couldn't agree on what the fastest bird was whilst they were out hunting — Guinness World Records (@GWR) July 9, 2025 The Beginning (1950s) It was the 1950s. Guinness Breweries managing director, Sir Hugh Beaver (1890–1967), attended a shooting event in County Wexford where he got into a heated argument with his friends after failing to find the answer in any reference book about the fastest game bird in Europe. This incident gave Sir Hugh the idea that there ought to be a book that could end these discussions—a reference manual with facts from an array of topics—that people might use to settle conflicts. First Edition Creation (1954–1955) In 1954, Sir Hugh recalled his shooting event debate and came up with the concept for a Guinness campaign based on the idea of resolving pub arguments. He contacted the fact-finding researchers from Fleet Street, twins Ross McWhirter and Norris, to create a book of facts and statistics. They started assembling a comprehensive and painstakingly studied list of record-breaking accomplishments, including everything from sports to natural events to human achievements to oddities from all across the globe, in 1954. The original ' Guinness Book of Records' was created in August 1955. It is among the best-selling copyrighted works in publishing history, with an average of over 3.5 million copies sold each year and more than 150 million copies since its initial publication. It is published all around the world and has been translated into over 40 languages. What Guinness World Records does The book is most famous for its lists and descriptions of records about various extremes of size, speed, and distance. Some of the examples are the tallest person, the heaviest onion, the fastest animal, and the most distant human-made object in the world. It also lists unusual and challenging competitive challenges, such as arranging the most coins in 30 seconds, shooting the longest arrow with only one's feet, and cramming the most people into a large car, among others. Today In 1999, the Guinness Book of World Records changed its name to Guinness World Records to reflect its expanding business, per USA Today. The company also branched out from publishing books to other endeavours, such as a museum of its records in Hollywood and a television program called "Guinness World Records Primetime" in the United States. With offices in London, New York, Beijing, Tokyo, and Dubai, as well as brand ambassadors and panellists on the ground all over the world, Guinness World Records is a global brand today.
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Mega PTM with 2 crore participants in AP today
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India.com
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The City Montessori School in Uttar Pradesh is the world's largest school. World's largest school: Private schools have existed for more than 1500 years, with the oldest private educational institution, The King's School in Canterbury, England, dating as far back as 597 A.D. The earliest private schools were elitist institutions where only the children belonging to royalty and affluent families were allowed to study, but in the modern private schools have mushroomed across the globe, providing enhanced access to better education for the masses. Today we take a look at the world's largest school, which many might be surprised to know, is not located in the United Kingdom, United States, or any other European or Western nation, but in our very own country. Let us find out more: World's largest school The City Montessori School in Uttar Pradesh capital, Lucknow, is regarded as the world's largest school, boasting a total enrolment of 61,345 students across its 20 campuses, as of August 2023. The school has a staff or more than 1,000 teachers. Established in 1959 by prominent educationist Jagdish Gandhi and his wife, Dr. Bharti Gandhi, in a single room at their modest Lucknow residence, the City Montessori School (CMS) started out with just five students and an invest of Rs 300. Later, CMS founded its first campus, now known as the Station Road Branch, and soon grew into one of India's largest private institutions. The City Montessori School a co-education English medium school, and teaches all basic subjects such as Science, Mathematics, English, Hindi, Social Science and Art, from pre-primary up to Class 12. The school also a rich cultural enrichment program, teaching Indian classical music, dance, and drama to students. Guinness World Records and other accolades In August 2023, the City Montessori School etched its name into the prestigious Guinness World Records, which recognized the institution as the world's largest school, with an enrolment of 61,345 students. Earlier, in 2014, the CMS society, which runs the school, was accredited by the United Nations Department of Public Information (UNDPI) as an affiliated non-governmental organization (NGO). Additionally, the CMS has been awarded the 'Hope of Humanity' Award from Dalai Lama, and the UNESCO Prize for Peace Education.
