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12:09 AM 27th August 2025
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Guinness World Records Celebrates 70 Years Of Record-Breaking Achievements

All images courtesy GWR
All images courtesy GWR
Guinness World Records (GWR), is celebrating 70 years as the global authority on record-breaking achievements. It all started with a pub question “What’s the fastest game bird in Europe?”, a query that inspired the very first Guinness World Records book, compiled in a room above a London gym and published on 27th August 1955. That single volume sparked worldwide curiosity about extraordinary feats, and GWR has since authenticated thousands of records in sport, technology, the human body, super skills and collections.

To mark the moment, GWR are celebrating record holder achievements and milestone moments over the last 70 years, including a handful of record holders who have been positively impacted by record breaking in their lives.

Liz West UK Largest collection of Spice Girls Memorabilia
Liz West UK Largest collection of Spice Girls Memorabilia
Liz West (UK): Largest collection of Spice Girls memorabilia - 5000

Elizabeth (Liz) West is an artist from Manchester, UK and has been collecting Spice Girls memorabilia since 1996 when the band first emerged on the pop scene. Initially Liz just collected albums, magazines and sticker books but after a year of chart successes she started buying singles and masses of official merchandise. Liz’s record was initially approved in 2011, with her extensive collection of Spice Girls memorabilia totalling 2066 pieces earning her a place in GWR history. Since 2011, Liz has continued to build out her collection and on a recount this year she has more than doubled it with a total of 5000.

Liz’s career as a successful artist has some cross over with her collection, with her colour pallet being inspired by the 90’s and the Spice Girls’ era.

Holding the Guinness World Records title has allowed me to continue publicly exhibiting my collection nationally and internationally. In the early days of my career, my collection gave me the opportunity and ultimately allowed me to work full-time as an artist, which was always my dream. Being part of Guinness World Records 70th anniversary celebrations is wonderful and a huge honour. To be chosen amongst all the records globally ever made is incredibly touching - Girl Power!




Colin Furze UK Fastest Pram or Stroller
Colin Furze UK Fastest Pram or Stroller
Colin Furze (UK): Fastest pram/stroller - 86.04 km/h (53.46 mph) & Fastest bumper car/dodgem - 161.476 km/h (100.336 mph)

Colin Furze is a self-taught inventor and engineer known online for his ambitious builds in his home workshop. A five-time Guinness World Records title holder and the current holder of two titles, Furze is recognised for bringing bold, unconventional ideas to life.

One of the things I always think is that a Guinness World Records title makes a project, no matter how crazy or weird, it kind of gives it a social relevance and people get behind you and want you to do well. I look at the certificates I’ve earned as achievements of the projects I have seen through from start to finish, I thought of it, planned it, built it, drove it and it became record-breaking!


Zaila Avant-Garde (US): Most bounce juggles in one minute with four basketballs
Zaila Avant-Garde (US): Most bounce juggles in one minute with four basketballs
Zaila Avant-Garde (US): Most bounce juggles in one minute with four basketballs – 255

Zaila Avant-garde, 18, is a student from Louisiana, USA. Zaila began practicing these basketball tricks at age five. When she attempted the record titles at 13, the practice and skill shone through. After breaking three record titles.

It’s empowering to know that you’ve just accomplished something that nobody else in the entire world has ever done before.” Since breaking those GWR titles, Zaila says her life has “significantly changed.

I was pretty much a random little kid in Louisiana who was a little known on Instagram for juggling basketballs and not much else. At that time, getting the record was simply a personal accomplishment of which I was deeply proud.


Since achieving her Guinness World Record titles, she has gone on to win the Scripps National Spelling Bee, become a New York Times bestselling author with her book It’s Not Bragging If It’s True, and was named Sports Illustrated Kids’ 2021 SportsKid of the Year. She says that her GWR titles propelled her to achieve these milestones and she notes that being a record holder adds a “level of spiciness to my life story.”


Najee Richardson USA Farthest lache bar to bar swing
Najee Richardson USA Farthest lache bar to bar swing
Najee Richardson (US): Farthest backflip between hanging ropes – 5.79m (19ft),Farthest double backflip between hanging ropes - 3.73 m (12 ft 3 in), Farthest lache (bar to bar) swing - 5.56 m (18 ft 3 in) , Highest lache (bar to bar) swing - 2.286 m (7 ft 6 in) & Farthest distance lache cat leap (bar to wall) - 4.90 m (16 ft 1 in)

Known as Spiderman to his friends and family, former American Ninja Warrior competitor Najee Richardson has the athleticism, passion, and drive of a true superhero. Between years of gymnastics and strength training for the American Ninja Warrior obstacle course, he believed he had what it takes to multiple Guinness World Records titles. His GWR titles are specific skills he utilizes on the course. Each type of skill involves precision, strength, and determination to get to the next obstacle. In the case of his record attempts, he has achieved the farthest distance of each swing or flip, which requires another level of power and stability combined.

I think it's really cool just to set a goal for yourself, a seemingly impossible goal that you can set for yourself to achieve. Something that pushes you pass your limit and that you can become the very best version of yourself, whatever field you're in. I think having Guinness World Records title as a motivation is cool, because you're doing something that no one else has ever done before and how many people can say that?


Bryan Berg USA constructs an Empire State Building out of cards for GWR 70
Bryan Berg USA constructs an Empire State Building out of cards for GWR 70
Bryan Berg (US): Tallest playing card structure - 7.86 m (25 ft 9 in)

Architect Bryan Berg first achieved the Guinness World Records title for the tallest playing card structure in 1992 and hasn’t stopped leveling up card stacking since. Building every house of cards without glue, wiring, or metalwork, each record he’s achieved defies what was thought possible.

He’s a card-stacking pro. Bryan achieved this title 8 times between 1992 and 2007, taking the title back twice within that time and reaching new heights with each build. His grandfather taught him how to stack cards between matches at card tournaments at age eight. He was inspired to build bigger structures, which continues to fuel his creativity and love for the craft.

The tallest playing card structure is a testament to a certain kind of engineering that I really enjoy, every card is a strategic placement based on how I want it to look or how it needs to work. Back in 1992, when I first achieved the record and got into the Guinness World Records book, it really paved the way for me to be able to basically spend my life doing what I love. I'm really honoured to be a part of Guinness World Records 70th anniversary, we’ve grown old together!


As we mark the 70th anniversary of the release of our first edition back in the 1950s, we're proud to be building on 70 amazing years as the global curator of superlative facts and achievements. We've seen so many iconic moments, the most amazing feats of strength and skill and endurance from talent across the globe and long may it continue. We’re now looking forward and celebrating the current - and next! - generation of record breakers. We want everyone to be part of it, whether that’s using our new record selector tool or having a go at one of our 70 unclaimed records, they are there for the taking!
Guinness World Records Editor-in-Chief, Craig Glenday


To inspire the next wave of achievers, GWR has identified 70 unclaimed record titles that have never been set – all fun, accessible, and open for anyone to claim.

Highlights include:
Fastest 400 m sack race
Farthest distance to bounce a coin into a cup
Farthest distance bottle flip
Fastest time to build a five-storey playing-card pyramid
Most high fives in 30 seconds


GWR is also launching the brand-new Record Selector, a short, dynamic online quiz at guinnessworldrecords.com that will match personality types to record titles they could attempt. Whether you’re a curious thinker, bold performer, focused planner or thrill seeker, there’s a title ready to be broken.

History At A Glance

For 70 years, Guinness World Records has inspired awe and ambition through stories of exception human achievements and extremes of the natural world, documenting everything from scientific discoveries to sporting achievements, and ordinary people doing extraordinary things.
Origins (1955): 27 August 1955: First Guinness Book of Records was published
Publishing Impact: 155 million copies of the book sold worldwide to date
Beyond The Book: GWR content now spans TV series, live events and digital platforms, reaching billions of views each year