📚 24 Books mentioned in "The Guinness Book of Records | STUFF YOU SHOULD KNOW" of Stuff You Should Know

That's right, they formed their own company based in London called Guinness Superlatives, and they spent about four months just sourcing what would go in the book. It took about a year to get the first edition out, but they spent about four months just sending, you know this is 1954, so they're sending letters to experts, they're sending letters to people all over the world saying, 'You know, what's the biggest thing, what's the smallest this, what's the fastest that?'

In this segment, the hosts discuss how the founders of the Guinness Book of World Records established their company, Guinness Superlatives, and the extensive effort they put into gathering information for the initial publication.

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If you want to know more about Guinness World Records, then friends, there are some great ones out there that you can delight and amuse yourself and your friends with; just go all over the internet or, even better, go buy a copy of the Guinness Book of World Records, which comes out every year. Since I said it comes out every year, that's triggered listener mail.

In this segment, the hosts of Stuff You Should Know suggest ways to explore the 'Guinness Book of World Records' and encourage listeners to buy the latest edition that is released annually.

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He was a kid just like us who was sort of obsessed with this book, and in the late 1970s, he was like, 'All right, here's my deal: I want to get in that book more than anyone else.' He does things like jumping jacks, the farthest distance trekked while balancing a bike on his chin, and hula hooping underwater.

In this segment, the hosts discuss Ashrita Furman, who as a child was fascinated with 'this book' and set a goal to achieve more records than anyone else in it, engaging in various feats such as doing jumping jacks and balancing a bike.

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What we're talking about is the Guinness Book of World Records not just surviving, but actually thriving in the internet age. That is just amazing that it's not just some brand that's on its last leg; it still sells a million books a year.

In this segment, the hosts discuss how the 'Guinness Book of World Records' is thriving in the digital age, highlighting its impressive sales figures of one million copies a year.

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Even if you um set a record, you're not necessarily going to be in the book, like you said, there's actually a slim chance of being in the book even if you break a record. The thing you can definitely uh be guaranteed to get is a certificate saying that you are the official record holder and you'll be in that giant database.

The hosts of the podcast discuss the slim chances of being included in 'the book' even after breaking a record, emphasizing that obtaining a certificate confirming one's status as the official record holder is a more certain outcome.

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And that's kind of what everyone's goal is, you want to be in the book, you do, because that's the thing. Even if you um set a record, you're not necessarily going to be in the book, like you said, there's actually a slim chance of being in the book even if you break a record.

The hosts of Stuff You Should Know discuss the aspiration to be included in 'the book,' referring to The Guinness Book of World Records, emphasizing that achieving a record does not guarantee inclusion.

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So out of 50,000 people, you have a very, very slim chance of making it in that book if that's what you're after. And that's kind of what everyone's goal is, you want to be in the book, you do, because that's the thing.

The hosts highlight that if someone aspires to be included in 'the book,' which refers to the Guinness Book of World Records, they face a very slim chance of achieving that goal.

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But only 4,000 records are put into the book every year, and a lot of those are like classics, like I think at least half are like classic ones that have been in there for years and years and years that people just want to see that weren't necessarily broken, you know, in the past year. Yeah, I tried to find new entries in the book each year and I couldn't find that number, but I mean it's not a lot.

The hosts discuss that only 4,000 records are published in 'the book' each year, emphasizing that many of these records are classics that have remained unchanged over the years. They also note that finding new entries each year can be challenging.

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Yeah, let's, well you know what we get to do now in our typical two-episode procession, the way that is Stuff You Should Know, is we get to wash the stank of Unit 731 off of us by talking about a very fun thing, which is the Guinness Book of World Records, or the Guinness World Records. I feel like when I was a kid, it was called The Guinness Book of World Records in the United States.

The podcast hosts of Stuff You Should Know introduce a new episode focused on the 'Guinness Book of World Records', highlighting it as a light-hearted topic following a more serious discussion. They also reminisce about its title during their childhood.

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They own Peterbilt, they own the Great Wolf Lodges, they own Associated Grocers, they own everything including the Guinness Book of World Records, as well as Ripley Entertainment! And so over time they've kind of added to what the Guinness World Records does, it's the reason one of the reasons why you don't say the Guinness Book of World Records is because they definitely expanded beyond the book now!

The hosts discuss how the Jim Pattison Group owns the Guinness Book of World Records along with various other enterprises, noting that the organization's role has evolved beyond merely publishing the book.

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Okay, so there's like a horrible twist to all of this, um, suddenly that happened 25 years after the first book came out, like they've been churning out editions every year, multiple editions a year, and so in the midst of all this, Ross and Norris are just still doing their job, but they've gotten kind of wealthy along the way. And apparently Ross was not very happy that the IRA was bombing places in England in particular, and he offered a 50,000 reward, this is back in 1975.

The podcast hosts discuss a troubling development in the lives of Ross and Norris McWhirter, who became well-known for their role in creating The Guinness Book of World Records, highlighting how they continued to work while experiencing significant financial success.

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And there was a famous quote from Norris, who was apparently like the heart and soul of the book, Norris was he said that, 'Ours is the kind of book maiden ants give to their nieces,' basically saying like we can't have smut in there! Probably the word that Norris would have used with 'smut.'

The podcast hosts of Stuff You Should Know discuss a quote by Norris McWhirter about the content standards upheld in 'The Guinness Book of World Records', referencing his viewpoint on avoiding inappropriate material.

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People love that kind of thing, they created the internet in book form before anyone even thought of the internet or computers! Yeah, totally!

In this episode, the hosts of Stuff You Should Know discuss how 'the book' refers to the Guinness Book of World Records, suggesting that it effectively created a pre-internet world by compiling vast amounts of information.

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So the Guinness Book of World Records long had this reputation for like being just accurate and correct, like they really did their research and they really double-checked, and the people that they were citing and polling and going to were experts in their field and not even crackpot experts in their field like the fly guy. The fly guy?

The podcast hosts discuss the esteemed reputation of the 'Guinness Book of World Records,' particularly highlighting its commitment to accuracy and the thorough research behind the records it presents.

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And now you have an actual waterproof covered book that they're giving out with that Guinness name on it, it's pretty brilliant. Yeah, so Hugh Beaver though was not one, Hugh Beaver.

In this segment, the hosts of Stuff You Should Know talk about the distribution of the 'Guinness Book' as a waterproof-covered gift that showcases the Guinness beer brand.

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That was the original idea for the Guinness Book of World Records, and it's a genius idea. Yeah, and just fun.

In this segment, the hosts of Stuff You Should Know share their appreciation for the original concept behind the 'Guinness Book of World Records', referring to it as a brilliant idea.

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Yeah, that was the origin of the Guinness Book of World Records, that missed shot, that golden plover. Had it not lived, maybe this whole thing would have never happened.

The podcast hosts are explaining that the origin of the 'Guinness Book of World Records' stems from a missed shot at a golden plover, suggesting that if the bird had not survived, this entire phenomenon might not have come to be.

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If people, next time you're in a bar and someone orders a Guinness, just say, 'Hey, you know the Guinness Book of World Records started out because of the Guinness beer.' And if they say no, you just smash their face on the bar, dump that Guinness all over their head.

In this segment, the hosts humorously suggest that when someone orders a Guinness in a bar, patrons should share an interesting fact about the 'Guinness Book of World Records' originating from Guinness beer. They recommend that if the person doesn’t believe them, they jokingly escalate the situation.

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The guy who was the managing director of Guinness Son and Company Limited, the Guinness beer company, was also the guy responsible for coming up with the Guinness Book of World Records. That's right, it was a Guinness product.

In this segment, the hosts explain how the managing director of the Guinness beer company was instrumental in creating the 'Guinness Book of World Records', highlighting its origins as a Guinness product.

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So if you've ever wondered if the Guinness Book of World Records is actually connected to the Guinness beer company, my friend, yes, they absolutely are. The guy who was the managing director of Guinness Son and Company Limited, the Guinness beer company, was also the guy responsible for coming up with the Guinness Book of World Records.

In this segment, the hosts of Stuff You Should Know discuss the link between the 'Guinness Book of World Records' and the Guinness beer company, confirming that they share the same historical background.

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And this was before he was a knight, I believe he was knighting probably because of his work with the Guinness Book of World Records. That has to be a guess here at this point, but I think it's a pretty safe bet, although a completely superfluous and unnecessary one.

In this segment, the hosts of Stuff You Should Know discuss Sir Hugh Beaver and his knighthood, speculating that it may have been awarded due to his involvement with 'The Guinness Book of World Records,' which was established prior to his receiving the honor.

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Yeah, let's, but before we do, Chuck, let's give a shout out to listener Mallorie Stafford, who's the one who suggested that we do an episode on the Guinness Book of World Records. Yeah, okay, so yes, let's go back, Chuck, way back to the 1940s.

In this segment, the hosts of Stuff You Should Know mention that their episode on the 'Guinness Book of World Records' was inspired by a suggestion from a listener named Mallorie Stafford.

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Anyway, that's what we're talking about, is this great book that is still going strong at about a million copies a year. We’re going to talk all about the Guinness Book right now.

The podcast hosts of Stuff You Should Know are about to dive into a discussion about the 'Guinness Book of World Records', highlighting its impressive sales of about a million copies annually and setting the stage for the main segment of the episode.

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No, no, Uncle John's bathroom reader definitely trumped it for sure, but I was still very much a fan of the Guinness Book of World Records for sure. Do you remember some of those pictures from the classic edition?

The podcast hosts recall their childhood memories surrounding the 'Guinness Book of World Records,' discussing its significance alongside other popular books like the 'bathroom reader.'

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We had a copy of the Guinness Book, I think we probably got it as a Christmas gift one year, and maybe your dad lifted it from his school library. He brought it home.

In this episode, one of the hosts reminisces about receiving a copy of the 'Guinness Book' as a Christmas gift during their childhood, highlighting its presence as a familiar and beloved item in many homes.

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