In 1951 a hunting party in Ireland shot at, but missed, some golden plovers. The hunters discussed at length whether the golden plover was Europe's fastest game bird. The managing director of Guinness breweries, Sir Hugh Beaver was a member of the hunting party. With sudden inspiration he realized that what the world needed was a book of records to settle such debates, and the Guinness Book of World Records was born. Now published annually, you can find it in your library or bookstore. There's even a Guinness Disk of Records published on CD-ROM by Grolier Electronic Publishing. World Record Madness (www.irsoft.demon.co.uk/Inquirer/records.html) highlights recent world record attempts in activities such as showering, stamp licking, and crawling. The article discusses the increase in serious accidents during world record attempts and points out that several countries around the world have banned such activities. For world record sites on the Web, connect to www.recordholders.org/en, the International Club for Record Breakers.