Best in the World(a)|世界之最――金氏世界纪录

Best in the World

by Matthew Brown

Guinness World Records is full of facts that you might not have thought were even possible.

The publication known as The Guinness Book of World Records until 1999 hardly needs an introduction. Now named Guinness World Records, the book has sold over 115 million copies and has been translated into 26 languages. Every year, readers are excited to catch up on all the amazing new records that people have set. Many readers, in fact, get excited enough to try to set their own records. The book receives over 40,000 record claims from over 80 countries every year. For many people all over the world, setting a record seems like a great way to make their mark.

The origins of Guinness World Records date back to 1951. A British man, Sir Hugh Beaver, went out on a hunting trip with some friends. The then managing director of the Guinness Brewery got into an argument over which game bird, the golden plover or the grouse, was the fastest in Europe. No consensus was reached, and when the trip was over, they all went in search of the answer. However, none of the reference books Beaver checked had a definitive answer.

It didn't stop there for Beaver as he hit upon a great idea. Beaver knew that a book filled with facts about world records would be of great use to the public. The first edition came out on August 27, 1955 and was an instant success. Now Guinness World Records is a part of our culture. However, what makes so many people obsessed with breaking records, even for things that seem totally ridiculous? Some record-breakers say that they're trying to show that people can do anything as long as they believe in themselves.

世界之最――金氏世界纪录

《金氏世界纪录大全》充满意想不到的奇闻轶事。

　　《金氏世界纪录大全》（1999 年以前书名为 The Guinness Book of World Records，之后更名为 Guinness World Records）这本书无须介绍，人人皆晓。这本书已经热销超过 1 亿 1 千 5 百万本，并翻译成 26 种语言。每年读者都会兴致勃勃地想知道人们新创下的所有惊人纪录。事实上，许多读者甚至兴奋到想自己来创纪录。《金氏世界纪录大全》每年都会收到来自 80 多个国家、超过 4 万封的纪录申请函。对全世界的许多人来说，创下世界纪录似乎是个成名的绝佳方法。

　　《金氏世界纪录大全》的起源可追溯至 1951 年。1名英国人休‧比弗爵士与一些朋友外出打猎，当时是健力士酒厂常务董事的他与人争辩起哪种猎鸟――金斑鸻还是松鸡――是欧洲飞得最快的鸟。他们没有达成共识，打猎结束之后，他们全都去寻找答案。然而，比弗查阅的参考书中没有 1 本能提供确切的答案。

　　对比弗来说事情尚未结束，因为他想到了 1 个绝妙的主意。比弗知道，1 本记载关于许多世界纪录的书肯定对大众用处良多。第 1 版的《金氏世界纪录大全》于 1955 年 8月 27 日上市，并立刻造成轰动。现在，它已是我们文化的一部分了。但究竟是什么让许多人执着于打破纪录，甚至是那些看起来荒谬无比的纪录呢？一些打破纪录的民众表示，他们是想告诉人们，只要相信自己，就无所不能。