Guinness World Record Day

What the day is

Guinness World Record Day is observed on November 21. Guinness World Records schedules the event itself, somewhere in mid-November, and the exact date shifts from year to year, which is why calendar listings disagree. What stays constant is the invitation to attempt a record, frequently with thousands of people trying the same one at once.

Origin and background

The day was created in 2005, marking the book's standing as one of the best-selling copyrighted titles ever published and turning a reference work into a participation event.

The book's own origin is better than most brand stories. In 1951 Sir Hugh Beaver, then managing director of the Guinness Brewery, was at a shooting party in County Wexford and fell into an argument about which was the fastest game bird in Europe. Nothing on hand could settle it. Beaver reasoned that arguments of exactly that kind were breaking out in pubs every night, and that a book able to settle them would be welcome in every one of those pubs.

He commissioned Norris and Ross McWhirter, twin brothers running a fact-finding agency in London. The first edition appeared in 1955 and was the top-selling book in Britain by Christmas. Ross McWhirter was shot and killed at his home in 1975 by the Provisional IRA.

The modern organization is a verification business rather than a publisher of curiosities. Attempts require documented evidence, independent witnesses and adherence to a published rule set, and most submissions are rejected. Categories have also been retired on ethical grounds, including records for the heaviest pets and for quantities of alcohol consumed, where the incentive was to harm someone.

How to take part

• Read the guidelines before attempting anything. Nearly all failed attempts fail on evidence rather than performance.
• Choose an existing category instead of inventing one. New categories are rarely approved.
• Organize a group attempt at a school or workplace, which is what the day is built for.
• Arrange independent witnesses and continuous video in advance, not afterward.
• Look up the current record in something you already do well. It is often closer than you would guess.