ublish the first book.

Sterling Publishing owned the rights to the Guinness book in the US for
decades. The group was owned by Guinness PLC and subsequently Diageo until 2001, when it was
purchased by Gullane Entertainment. Gullane was itself purchased by HIT Entertainment in 2002. In
2006, Apax Partners purchased HiT and subsequently sold Guinness World Records in early 2008
to the Jim Pattison Group, the parent company of Ripley Entertainment, which is licensed to operate
Guinness World Records' Attractions. With offices in New York City and Tokyo, Guinness World
Records' global headquarters remain in London, while its museum attractions are based at Ripley
headquarters in Orlando, Florida, US.

Evolution[edit]

Lucky Diamond Rich is "the world's most tattooed person", and has tattoos covering his entire body. He holds
the Guinness World Records title as of 2006.

Recent editions have focused on record feats by person competitors. Competitions range from
obvious ones such as Olympic weightlifting to the longest egg tossing distances, or for longest time
spent playing Grand Theft Auto IV or the number of hot dogs that can be consumed in three
minutes.[13] Besides records about competitions, it contains such facts such as the heaviest
tumour,[14] the most poisonous fungus,[15] the longest-running soap opera[16] and the most valuable
life-insurance policy,[17] among others. Many records also relate to the youngest people to have
achieved something, such as the youngest person to visit all nations of the world (Maurizio
Giuliano).[18]
Each edition contains a selection of the records from the Guinness World Records database, as well
as select new records, with the criteria for inclusion changing from year to year.[19]
The retirement of Norris McWhirter from his consulting role in 1995 and the subsequent decision by
Diageo Plc to sell The Guinness Book of Records brand have shifted the focus of the books from
text-oriented to illustrated reference. A selection of records are curated for the book from the full
archive but all existing Guinness World Records titles can be accessed by creating a login on the
company's website. Applications made by individuals for existing record categories are free of
charge. There is an administration fee of $5 to propose a new record title.[20]
A number of spin-off books[21] and television series have also been produced.
Guinness World Records bestowed the record of "Person with the most records" on Ashrita
Furman of Queens, NY in April 2009. At that time, he held 100 records.[22]
In 2005, Guinness designated 9 November as International Guinness World Records Day to
encourage breaking of world records.[23] In 2006, an estimated 100,000 people participated in over 10
countries. Guinness reported 2,244 new records in 12 months, which was a 173% increase over the
previous year.[23] In February 2008, NBC aired The Top 100 Guinness World Records of All Time and
Guinness World Records made the complete list available on their website.[24]

Defining records[edit]

Sultan Kösen (Turkey) is the tallest living person since 17 September 2009, as verified by Guinness World
Records.

Cracking open a wheel of Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese as a part of a 2013 world record by Whole Foods
Market.[25]

For many records, Guinness World Records is the effective authority on the exact requirements for
them and with whom records reside, the company providing adjudicators to events to determine the
veracity of record attempts. The list of records which the Guinness World Records covers is not
fixed; records may be added and also removed for various reasons. The public are invited to submit
applications for records, which can be either the bettering of existing records or substantial
achievements which could constitute a new record.[4] The company also provides corporate services
for companies to "harness the power of record-breaking to deliver tangible success for their
businesses."[26]
Ethical and safety issues[edit]

Steven Petrosino drinking 1 litre of beer in 1.3 seconds in June 1977.[27][28] Petrosino set record times for 250 ml,
500 ml and 1.5 litres as well, but Guinness accepted only the record for one litre. They later dropped all beer
and alcohol records from their compendium in 1991, and reinstated the records in 2008.

Guinness World Records states several types of records it will not accept for ethical reasons, such
as those related to the killing or harming of animals.[29]
Several world records that were once included in the book have been removed for ethical reasons,
including concerns for the well being of potential record breakers. For example, following publication
of the "heaviest fish" record, many fish owners overfed their pets beyond the bounds of what was
healthy, and therefore such entries were removed.[citation needed] The Guinness Book also dropped
records within their "eating and drinking records" section of Human Achievements in 1991 over
concerns that potential competitors could harm themselves and expose the publisher to
potential litigation.[30] These changes included the removal of all spirit, wine, and beer drinking
records, along with other unusual records for consuming such unlikely things as bicycles and
trees.[30] Other records, such as sword swallowing and rally driving (on public roads), were closed
from further entry as the current holders had performed beyond what are considered safe human
tolerance levels.
There have been instances of closed records being reopened. For example, the sword swallowing
record was listed as closed in the 1990 Guinness Book of World Records, but the Guinness World
Records Primetime TV show, which started in 1998, accepted three sword swallowing challenges
(and so did the 2007 edition of the Guinness World Records onwards). Similarly, the speed beer
drinking records which were dropped from the book in 1991, reappeared 17 years later in the 2008
edition, but were moved from the "Human Achievements" section of the older book[31] to the "Modern
Society" section of the newer edition.[32]
As of 2011, it is required in the guidelines of all "large food" type records that the item be fully edible,
and distributed to the public for consumption, to prevent food wastage.[4]
Chain letters are also not allowed: "Guinness World Records does not accept any records relating to
chain letters, sent by post or e-mail.

Difficulty in defining records[edit]

For some potential categories, Guinness World Records has declined to list some records that are
too difficult or impossible to determine. For example, its website states: "We do not accept any
claims for beauty as it is not objectively measurable."[29]
On 10 December 2010, Guinness World Records stopped its new "dreadlock" category after
investigation of its first and only female title holder, Asha Mandela, determining it was impossible to
judge this record accurately.[33]

Verifying existing records[edit]

Guinness World Records website publishes selected records and is not supposed to be used for the
record verification purposes, as it explains: "There are more than 40,000 current records in our
database and we try our best to feature as many as possible online. We currently include over
15,000 records online which we update every week, so make sure to check the site regularly!" The
book printed annually contains only 4,000 records. The only way to verify a record is to contact
Guinness, and the average response time is twelve weeks.[34]

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