Guinness World Records Day
Also known as
GWR Day
International Guinness World Records Day
Observed
on November 9th (2005)
the second Thursday in November (2006 and 2007)
Thursday of the second full week in November (since 2008)
Dates
Founded by
Guinness World Records in 2005
Hashtags
Sources
https://archive.ph/20120718032729/http://www.businesswire.com/portal/site/google/index.jsp?ndmViewId=news_view&newsId=20061106005761&newsLang=en
https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/about-us/our-story
https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/about-us/our-story/timeline
https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/gwrday
https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/news/2014/11/guinness-world-records-day-2014-live-blog-61729/
Guinness World Records Day, also called International Guinness World Records Day, is a day for breaking records. It celebrates Guinness World Records, celebrates the book's anniversary in particular, and commemorates the time the book "became the world's best-selling copyright book." Guinness holds events on the day, and new record-breaking attempts are made around the world, with hundreds of thousands of people regularly taking part, many of whom are successful in setting new records. Craig Glenday, Guinness World Records editor, said of participation in the day: "It's clear that being a record breaker is more popular than ever and Guinness World Records Day is our way of acknowledging this testament to people's desire to achieve. Whether you took part individually or as part of a team, the important thing is that you were involved."
Sir Hugh Beaver, while Managing Director at Guinness Brewery in the early 1950s, went to a shooting party with friends, where he argued with them about what the fastest game bird was. To the group's dismay, they were unable to find the answer in any reference book. In 1954, Beaver came up with an idea for a Guinness promotion: create a book that could be used to settle arguments in pubs. He enlisted twins Ross and Norris McWhirther to put together a book of facts, and Guinness Superlatives was incorporated in November 1954. Guinness World Records, known as the Guinness Book of Records at the time, was first published the following year. Today it is published in more than 100 countries in over 20 languages. It remains one of the most copyrighted, recognized, and trusted books, and it is celebrated today with Guinness World Records Day!
How to Observe Guinness World Records Day
Several ideas of ways to celebrate include:
- Visit the Guinness World Records Day page for information about this year's observance.
- Browse World Records.
- Apply to set or break a World Record.
- Attend a Guinness World Records event.
- Pick up a copy of Guinness World Records.
- Visit the Guinness World Records Kids website.
- Watch Guinness World Records television shows. There have been many over the decades. Many videos from the shows can be found on the Guinness World Records YouTube page. Videos can also be found on the Guinness Facebook page.
- Take a trip to the Guinness World Records Museum.