Celebrating 60 Years

60 at 60

Introduction

In this special diamond anniversary feature series, we share the stories behind some of the most memorable, heart-warming and world-changing records, year by year from 1954 to today.

Illustrated with iconic photography and video, these records show how Guinness World Records is a mirror to the evolving world around us. From the first men on the Moon to the longest fingernails, this trip down memory lane encapsulates the inspiring story of the world's best-selling annual.

1954: Bannister's Extraordinary Feat

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1955

Most No.1 hit singles by a solo artist (Elvis)

1956

Fastest aircraft (Fairey Delta 2)

1957

Oldest ever F1 world champion (Juan Manuel Fangio)

1958

Most goals scored at a World Cup Finals - (Just Fontaine)

1959

First public flight by a full-sized hovercraft (Sir Christopher Cockerell)

1960

Deepest manned ocean descent (Jacques Piccard and Donald Walsh aboard Trieste)

1961

First man in space (Yuri Gagarin)

1962

First actor to break the $1 million threshold for a movie role (Marlon Brando)

1963

Youngest solo artist at No.1 (Stevie Wonder)

1964

Land speed record (Donald Campbell / Bluebird)

1965

First Space Walk (Alexei Leonov)

1966

Fastest jet-powered train (M-497 Black Beetle)

1967

First cash dispenser (Barclays bank, Enfield, UK)

1968

Longest long-jump (Robert "Bob" Beamon)

1969

First Men on the Moon
(Neil Armstrong and Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin)

1970

Most wins of the FIFA World Cup by a player (Pele)

1971

First ever email (Ray Tomlinson)

1972

First commercially successful arcade computer game (Pong)

1973

First mobile phone call (Martin Cooper)

1974

Fastest flight across the Atlantic
(Major James V Sullivan and Major Noel F Widdifield)

1975

First film to reach $100 million at the box office (Jaws)

1976

First gymnast to score a perfect 10 at an Olympics Games (Nadia Comaneci)

1977

Highest-grossing sci-fi series at the box office (Star Wars)

1978

Heaviest Twins (Billy and Benny McCrary)

1979

Most successful songwriter (Paul McCartney)

1980

First solo summit of Mount Everest (Reinhold Messner)

1981

First Space Shuttle flight (Columbia)

1982

First surface circumnavigation via both geographical Poles (Ranulph Fiennes and Charles Burton)

1983

Most Active Volcano

1984

Best-selling album of all time (Michael Jackson)

1985

Fastest time to perform one million taps (Roy Castle)

1986

Largest monster truck (BigFoot 5)

1987

First people to cross the Atlantic in a hot-air balloon (Richard Branson and Per Lindstrand)

1988

Oldest living human being of all time (Jeanne Calment)

1989

Most successful puzzle videogame of all time (Tetris)

1990

First hypertext browser (Tim Berners-Lee)

1991

Most wins of the 100 m at the Olympics (Carl Lewis)

1992

Tallest house of cards (Bryan Berg)

1993

First bionic arm (Campbell Aird)

1994

Fastest ever time across the bog-snorkelling triathlon (Daniel Bent)

1995

Toy Story - First feature-length computer-animated movie

1996

Fastest flight across the Atlantic in a commercial aircraft (British Airways Concorde)

1997

Land speed record (Thrust SSC)

1998

Titanic - Most Oscar nominations

1999

Longest car (Jay Ohrberg)

2000

Largest collection of garden gnomes (Ann Atkins)

2001

Fastest circumnavigation of the globe by sail (Ellen McArthur)

2002

Largest tortoise (Goliath)

2003

Fastest female marathon runner (Paula Radcliffe)

2004

Tallest dog (Gibson)

2005

Highest shallow dive (Professor Splash)

2006

Longest non-stop flight by any aircraft (Steve Fossett)

2007

Fastest mile on a pogo stick while juggling three balls (Ashrita Furman)

2008

Longest fingernails (Lee Redmond)

2009

Fastest 100m (Usain Bolt)

2010

Highest score on Guitar Hero III by a female gamer (Annie Leung)

2011

Tallest living person (Sultan Kosen)

2012

Highest freefall parachute jump (Felix Baumgartner)

2013

Best-selling action-adventure videogame series (GTA V)

2014

Most retweeted tweet (Ellen DeGeneres' selfie)