[File]TSS67T01161121_cover feature

[Text] Jun Miyama

[Photos] David Graves, Kevin Fast, Paul Michael Hughes, Joel Strasser, Reuters

P01

[headline] Wild world records

[body]

To be etched into the Guinness Book of World Records is to be forever remembered in the annals of
history, included amongst others in a list of human greats. Though Olympic legends and their feats are
included, the book cannot be forgotten as a home to some of the world’s most bizarre, or sublime.

P06-07

[headline] How legends are remembered

[standfirst]
World record holders stand at the very top of their pursuits, as to hold a world record is to undeniably
be the best. As people and our activities continue to evolve, world records will continue to remain as
relevant as ever. Guinness World Records, the universally recognised authority on record-breaking, has
made sure to capitalise on each and every opportunity and achievement

[body]

On a cold afternoon in November 1951, Sir Hugh Beaver, then the Managing Director of the Guinness
Brewery, attending a shooting party in the North Slob, an area of mud-flats around the River Slaney in
County Wexford, Ireland. A few golden plovers flew overhead, and Sir Hugh aimed his shots. He missed
his shot, and began arguing with other members of the party over what game bird was the fastest in
Europe – specifically either the golden plover or the red grouse. Later that evening at the Castlebridge
House, Beaver poured through reference books, but could not find an answer.

[P02] Sir Hugh Beaver

Believing that pub patrons rowed over similar questions with no answer, Beaver thought to create a
book that could provide answers and settle arguments. On the recommendation of Christopher
Chataway, a Guinness employee, Beaver hired Norris and Ross McWhirter – the founders of a London-
based fact-finding agency that provided figures and statistics to newspapers and advertisers alike. From
there, they compiled the first Guinness Book of World Records in August 1954.

[P03] Norris (L) and Ross Mcwhirter in 1974

Initially, the book was to be given away for free to pub patrons to advertise for the brand, and a
thousand copies were given away soon after it was finished. The following year, The Guinness Book of
World Records office was founded at 107 Fleet Street in London, and the first edition was bound and
sold. The book had proved to be popular enough for Guinness to begin selling it in the fall, and it went to
the top of the British best-seller list by Christmas.

From there, the book is revised every year, and a new edition is typically printed each year. The
McWhirter twins fervently compiled and edited the book for many years, and were responsible for
pushing the enterprise forward. In recognition of their encyclopedic knowledge and ability to instantly
recall just about any fact, they served as judges on Roy Castle’s Record Breakers TV programme. In it,
they featured in a segment in which children could ask them any question about entries in the book, and
they would respond knowingly with detailed, yet obscure facts and figures. They were known for their
wealth of knowledge, and were hardly ever caught unaware.

Ross McWhirter was unfortunately assassinated by the Provisional IRA in 1975 for posting a reward of
50,000 pounds (HK $4,355,110 after accounting for inflation) for information on them. Norris McWhirter
continued as the book’s editor until 1986, and worked as an assistant editor after that. Since then,
Guinness World Records has exploded into a famed franchise, with museums, TV series and other forms
of media comprising the brand. Though it has become heavily commercialised, it is just as wacky and
about highlighting the human spirit as it was when it was conceived.

[subhead] Amazing individuals

Though it is easy to peek at the inhuman numbers and readily move past the feats that record-holders
perform, it is important to remember that each contender has their own unique story. Because the
book’s content spans across a broad selection of categories, from animals and the human body to
structures and technology, there are many spectacular people, each with their own motivation and
goal.

One such individual is Abhimanyu Mishra, a chess prodigy that holds the world record for becoming the
youngest to achieve Grandmaster status, breaking a 19-year-long record set by GM Sergey Karjakin.
Mishra started playing the game when he was two years and eight months old, and was not a prodigy
from the outset. Though it took him a few years to get used to the game, he started taking part in
competitive tournaments from the age of five; his family then started focusing on helping him grow as a
chess player. Their efforts were not without reward: Mishra became the youngest Master in US history
when he was nine years old, and became the youngest International Master at age 10.

Another human wonder is pastor and strongman Kevin Fast from Cobourg, Ontario, who holds the
record for heaviest aircraft pulled, heaviest house pulled by man and most cars pulled by an individual –
just to name a few. He first began weightlifting with a set of dumbbells at the age of 12, and has not
stopped training since. Nowadays, Fast can be seen training with atlas stones, tractor tyres and anything
heavy enough to give him a challenge. Out of all his records, pulling a CC-177 Globemaster III plane that
weighs just under 190,000kg remains a standout – a truly superhuman feat of strength.

[P04] Fast pulling a CC-177 Globemaster III

[subhead] The bizarre

That being said, for every easily recognised world record, there are countless more that the ordinary
person knows nothing about. Here are but a few notable records:

 After eating his 26,000th Big Mac on October 11, 2012, U.S resident Daniel Gorske was awarded
the illustrious honour of having eaten the most Big Macs in a lifetime.

 The fastest marathon dressed as a telephone box was done in four hours and six minutes by
Mark Williamson in Hull, United Kingdom.

 The most mustard (tube) drunk in 30 seconds is 14.7 ounces, done by Andre Ortolf of
Schwarzach, Germany.

[P05] Andre Ortolf with the most mustard drunk in 30 seconds

 In 2015, 4,605 people gathered to break the record of the largest gathering of people dressed as
Mohandas Gandhi.
[P06] Over 4,000 students dressed as Gandhi to break the record
 Kevin Shelley is responsible for breaking the most toilet seats with the head in one minute,
smashing an astounding 26 wooden seats

[vocab]

compile (v)

bound (v)

fervently (adv)

obscure (adj)

motivation (n)

superhuman (adj)

countless (adj)
smash (v)