If you’ve ever wondered who the world’s most beautiful person is, or whether it costs money to be included in our book, you’re not alone.
Across all our social media platforms, we receive hundreds - if not thousands - of questions in the comments every day.
With the help of Official Adjudicator Mark McKinley, let’s answer some of the most frequently asked ones.
I’ve found an exceptionally large snack item (e.g. a cheese puff) - could it be a world record?
Large food records, such as the world’s largest pizza and largest chicken nugget, involve the creation of scaled-up versions of a food item.
These superlative snacks, which are required to contain the same ingredients and be prepared in the same way as the normal-sized versions, are usually made by a team of people who are aiming to set a record.
“If you’ve just found it, then it doesn’t really fall under the same level of record breaking,” said Mark. “There’s got to be that skill there and that determination.
“Finding these things is not uncommon - these irregularities come out of factories all the time.”
The record for the largest French fry by weight is 11 kg (24.2 lb), achieved by Chandresh Bayad (India) in 2018. There is currently no record holder for the largest potato chip, but the world’s largest bag of potato chips was made by Corkers Crisps (UK) in 2013, weighing 1,141 kg (2,515 lb).
Has Guinness World Records always monitored ‘silly’ records?
“It’s a common misconception that we are always serious and all of our records are serious,” Mark said.
“In the [original 1955] edition, there are a number of records in there that some people might consider to be silly.”
Such records include the longest time rocking on a rocking chair (92 hours, by “two Canadians”), the longest time pole squatting (196 days, by American William L. Howard), and the most raw eggs eaten in one sitting (24, by Canadian Glen Johns), which we no longer monitor.
Do I have to pay to break a record?
Individuals applying to break an existing record can do so completely free of charge.
If you’d like to propose a new record title, there is a $5 processing fee.
For some records, there can be additional costs incurred along the way.
“If you want to use our logo, for example, there are licensing costs there. If you want to invite an Adjudicator, there’s a cost there so that you can get verification on the day,” Mark said.
“If you’re a business and you’re looking to get a bit of assistance going through the process, then that’s chargeable as well.”
Do I have to pay to be in the Guinness World Records book?
No. The contents of each edition are decided upon by our editorial team, who select a mixture of new and old records to include in themed spreads. No individual or corporation can pay for a spot in the book.
How is the age of the world’s oldest person verified?
“No single subject is more obscured by vanity, deceit, falsehood, and deliberate fraud than the extremes of human longevity.” – Guinness Book of Records 1960
In order to verify someone as the world’s oldest person, their claimed birth date must be backed up by original documents.
“We’ll often see claims reported in the media for the oldest people, but it’ll look like it’s a fairly modern ID. We need so much more to support that,” Mark said.
“Birth certificates, marriage certificates, photographs from throughout their life, witness statements from people who’ve known them - we need to be able to prove it.”
In terms of fully verified people, the oldest man ever was Jiroeman Kimura (Japan), who lived to be 116 years 54 days old. The oldest woman ever was Jeanne Louise Calment (France), who lived to the age of 122 years 164 days.
Why does the Guinness World Records book come out with next year’s date?
The 23rd edition of the book, Guinness Book of Records 1977, was released on 28 October 1976 and was the first to have the date on the cover.
“It was released in time for Christmas, so most people only really saw it the last week of the year, so there was a good chance it was already gonna be out of date by the time they got it,” Mark explained.
“It’s quite common in publishing, and once you’ve started down that path, you can’t really change it or you’d have two editions with the same name.”
Can I get a record for being the most beautiful person in the world?
“You cannot get a record for being the most beautiful person, I’m afraid,” Mark said.
“Every record that we monitor has to be objectively quantifiable, so there has to be something there that is measurable.
“When it comes to beauty, unfortunately, it truly is in the eye of the beholder, so there’s no objectivity there, so it means that we can’t monitor it.”
Bonus question: Is Guinness World Records named after the beer?
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