How Bird Hunting and Guinness Beer Led to the Creation of The Guinness Book of Records in 1955

Lance Geiger of The History Guy explained how an argument about a missed shot during a bird hunt in 1946 is responsible for the creation of The Guinness Book of Records, or as known today, Guinness World Records.

The argument took place between Sir Hugh Beaver and the hosts of the shooting party about the bird that was missed. Was it the fastest? Finding the answer was very difficult, but it gave Beaver the idea to document the fastest bird and other subjects of dispute. Beaver, who was then the Managing Director of the Guinness Brewery, hired twin journalists to write the book and the first copy debuted in 1955.

The idea was not so much to sell the book but to provide it to pubs to promote the Guinness Brewery. The original printing included the harp, a Guinness logo that has been the heraldic symbol for Ireland since the 13th century and … waterproof covers to protect them from the inevitable spills at the pubs. But the retail possibilities of a book designed to settle bar bets became quickly clear and by October the book was being sold in stores.