Guiness Books - The Guinness Book of Superlatives: The Original Book of Fascinating Facts

First published in 1956 by Superlatives, Inc., New York

First Clydesdale Press Edition 2017

All rights to any and all materials in copyright owned by the publisher are strictly reserved by the publisher.

Clydesdale Press books may be purchased in bulk at special discounts for sales promotion, corporate gifts, fund-raising, or educational purposes. Special editions can also be created to specifications. For details, contact the Special Sales Department, Skyhorse Publishing, 307 West 36th Street, 11th Floor, New York, NY 10018 or .

Clydesdale Press is a pending trademark of Skyhorse Publishing, Inc., a Delaware corporation.

Visit our website at www.skyhorsepublishing.com.

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available on file.

Cover photograph: iStockphoto

Print ISBN: 978-1-945186-44-8

Ebook ISBN: 978-1-945186-45-5

Printed in China

CONTENTS

Legislative

Resources

Standards of Living

Mass Communications

Entertainment

Chemistry

Physics

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS

PLATE 1

PLATE 2

PLATE 3

PLATE 4

PLATE 5

PLATE 6

PLATE 7

PLATE 8

PLATE 9

PLATE 10

PLATE 11

PLATE 12

PLATE 13

Lester Stoefen

Jack Kelly

Ralph Miller

Sonja Henie

PLATE 14

Victor Barna

Butch Rosenberg

Paul Anderson

FOREWORD

Wherever people congregate to talk, they will argue, and sometimes the joy lies in the arguing and would be lost if there were any definite answer. But more often the argument takes place on a dispute of fact, and it can be very exasperating if there is no immediate means of settling the discussion. Who was the tallest President? Who is the richest man and the most married woman? Where is the highest point in our state? How many died in the worlds worst earthquake? Who hit the longest measured home run? Who holds the corn-husking record? And so on. How much heat these innocent questions can raise! The House of Guinness in producing this book hopes that it may assist in resolving many such disputes, and may, we hope, turn heat into light.

RUPERT GUINNESS

Earl of Iveagh

September 1956

PREFACE

This book is a collection of factsfinite facts expressed in quantitative terms, predominantly those which by measurement are superlative or are records in their respective fields. The worlds greatest man is, for this book, the man with the greatest girth rather than the man with the greatest intellect.

Many of the data contained within these pages are by their very nature constantly changing. In 1953 the Nebula Andromeda, the most distant heavenly body visible to the naked eye, was discovered to be twice as far away as had hitherto been thought. In February 1955, the Russians announced the discovery of a new mountain in Siberia higher than any in America, Europe or Africa. No reference book such as this can ever claim to have said the last word.

It would be impracticable to mention all the vast number of sources and references which attach to each of the items included in this volume. In the event of rival claims for a particular superlative, it has been the sole responsibility of the compilers to weigh up the evidence and to come to a decision.

We wish to acknowledge the generous assistance of countless experts from all over the world who have aided us, and we shall greatly welcome comments and suggestions from our readers who have reason for criticizing our researches or can add to our information. In that way, we can hope to improve and enlarge any future editions.

THE COMPILERS.

SUPERLATIVES INC
270 Madison Avenue
New York 16
MUrray Hill 3-7634/5

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

The American Astronomical Society

The American Battle Monuments Commission

The American Dahlia Society, Inc.

The American Forestry Assoc.

American Railway Eng. Assoc.

The American Red Cross

The American Soc. of Agronomy

American Telephone & Telegraph Co.

Bell Aircraft Corp.

Billy Graham Evangelistic Team

The British Admiralty

The British Air Ministry

The British Broadcasting Corp.

British Central Office of Information

The British Museum

British Railways

The British Transport Commission

The British Travel and Holidays Assoc.

Burkes Peerage, Ltd.

Calaveras County Fair, Calif.

The Chemical Society (U.K.)

Chicago Midway Airport

Clerk of Dial Eireann (Eire)

The Democratic National Committee

Dept. of the Army

Dept. of Health, Education and Welfare

Dept. of the Navy

National Lead Co. (Doehler-Jarvis Division)

The Fairey Aviation Co., Ltd.

Federal Bureau of Prisons

Fed. Aronautique Internationale

Fed. Internationale de IAutomobile

Fed. Internationale des Hpitaux

Ford Foundation, U.S.

The Fur Trade Information Center

General Electric Co.

General Motors Corp.

Government Printing Office (U.S.)

John I. Haas, Inc.

The Home Office (U.K.)

The J. L. Hudson Co.

Imperial Chemical Industries

The Ingersoll Milling Machine Co.

Institut International des Chteaux Historiques

The Institute of Metals

The International Association of Volcanology

The International Civil Aviation Organization

The Embassy of Japan

Jones & Laughlin Steel Corp.

The Kennel Club

Kodak, Inc.

KWTV, Oklahoma

The Library of Congress, Washington, D. C.

The Liverpool Observatory and Tidal Institute

London County Council

The Meteorological Office (U.K.)

The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Metropolitan Opera Association, Inc.

Miss America Pageant

The Mountaineers, Inc.

National Fire Protection Assoc.

The National Geographic Society

National Physical Laboratory

The New York Times

New York Zoological Society

Outdoor Advertising Assoc.

Port of London Authority

Press AssociationReuters

Radio City Music Hall

Republican National Committee

The Royal Botanic Gardens

Sears, Roebuck and Co.

Socit Nationale des Chemins de Fer Franais

Benjamin Sonnenberg

The Timberman

The Treasury Department

U. N. E. S. C. O.

U. S. Bureau of Census

U. S. Bureau of Mines

U. S. Bureau of Public Roads

U. S. Coast Guard

U. S. Coast and Geodetic Survey

U. S. Dept. of CommerceWeather Bureau

U. S. Dept. of the Interior

The War Office (U.K.)

The World Health Assoc.

Zoological Society of London

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS are made for the following photographs: Nos. 1, 2, 14, 28, 40, 42 Free Lance Photographers Guild, Inc., New York. 3, 6 U. S. Navy Photo. 4 Fairey Aviation, Ltd. 5 Chas. E. Brown, England. 7 Bell Aircraft Corp. 8 Verkehrsbro der Stadt, Ulm. 9 High Commissioner for New Zealand. 12 Joe Clark, Detroit. 13 Radio City Music Hall. 15 Mt. WilsonPalomar Observatory. 16 National Geographic Assoc. 17, 18, 19 British Museum (Natural History). 20 National Chinchilla Breeders of America. 21 Reproduced by permission of the Controller of Her Britannic Majestys Stationery Office British Crown Copyright. 23 Chicago Park District. 24 General Electric. 25 Soviet News Bureau. 26 San Jacinto Museum. 27 Ediz. L. Chiovato Vincenza. 29 KWTV. 30 C. G. Grain Co. 32 Ohio Valley Elec. Corp. 33 Jones and Laughlin Steel Corp. 35 ENASA. 36 Mercedes. 37 Royal Danish Ministry for Foreign Affairs. 38 Ingersoll Milling Machine Co. 44 I.B.M. 45 Barretts Photo Press. 46, 48, 50, 52, 54, 55, 57, 58, 59, 60, 61, 62, 65 Wide World Photos. 47, 51 Planet News. 49 Kenneth R. Gray. 56 Stan Troutman. 63 Dunlop Rubber Co. 64 Sanborn Photo Service.