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108-532: The Main Auditorium is an unobstructed 456×310×137 feet (139×94×42 m) enclosing 5,500,000 cubic feet (160,000 m) of air. The organ runs on much higher wind pressures than most organs, to be loud enough to fill the enormous space acoustically without amplification. The organ was awarded four entries in Guinness World Records , including the largest and loudest musical instrument ever constructed. It

216-414: A Hit Albums book following two years later. In 1975, Parker Brothers marketed a board game, The Guinness Game of World Records , based on the book. Players compete by setting and breaking records for activities such as the longest streak of rolling dice before rolling doubles, stacking plastic pieces, and bouncing a ball off alternating sides of a card, as well as answering trivia questions based on

324-474: A "–" piston). It becomes unnecessary for the organist to push the proper piston; he must only press the "+" piston and the next registration in the sequence will be activated. Some sequencers have an "all pistons plus" feature, which makes all the pistons on the console (excepting the General Cancel and the "–" pistons) function like the "+" piston; in this case the organist can press any piston which

432-404: A 32′ stop speaks exactly one octave below a 16′ stop. Lengths used in actual organs include 64′, 32′, 16′, 8′, 4′, 2′, 1′, and 1 ⁄ 2 ′. Example: Ranks that do not speak at a unison or octave pitch, but rather at a non-octave interval to the unison pitch, are called mutation stops (or, simply, "mutations"). Because they sound at intervals other than an octave (2:1 ratio) above or below

540-506: A branch that keeps records for popular video game high scores, codes and feats in association with Twin Galaxies . The Gamer's Edition contains 258 pages, over 1,236 video game related world records and four interviews including one with Twin Galaxies founder Walter Day . Editions were published for the years 2008 through 2020, with the 2009 edition in hardcover. The 2025 edition is the first since 2020. The Guinness Book of British Hit Singles

648-439: A disk drive, enabling the organist to save combinations to a floppy disk or other removable media. More recent ones include a USB port for devices such as flash drives. In recent times, sequencers have become an integral part of combination actions, primarily on large organs. A sequencer allows an organist to program a list of registration changes and advance through it by pressing a piston labeled "+" (or regress through it using

756-555: A fact-finding agency in London. The twin brothers were commissioned to compile what became The Guinness Book of (Superlatives and now) Records, in August 1954. A thousand copies were distributed for free to pubs across Britain and Ireland as a promotional asset for the Guinness brand, and they became immensely popular with customers. After the founding of The Guinness Book of Records office at

864-447: A fixed interval above or below this pitch (an "octave pitch"). Some stops are tuned to notes "in-between" the octaves and are called "Mutations" (see below). The pitch of a rank of pipes is denoted by a number on the stop knob. A stop that speaks at unison pitch (the "native pitch" for that note; the pitch you would hear if you pressed that same key on a piano) is known as an 8′ (pronounced "eight foot") stop. This nomenclature refers to

972-412: A grid of switches were built inside the console or the organ case. The piston numbers formed one axis of the grid, and the stop names formed the other axis. To set a combination, the organist would have to go to the setterboard and flip the switches for each stop corresponding to the desired piston number. This process was quite time-consuming, and in most cases required the organist to leave his position at

1080-659: A huge number of world records. The organisation employs record adjudicators to verify the authenticity of the setting and breaking of records. Following a series of owners, the franchise has been owned by the Jim Pattison Group since 2008, with its headquarters moved to South Quay Plaza , Canary Wharf , London, in 2017. Since 2008, Guinness World Records has orientated its business model away from selling books, and towards creating new world records as publicity exercises for individuals and organisations, which has attracted criticism. On 10 November 1951, Sir Hugh Beaver , then

1188-747: A login on the company's website. Applications made by individuals for existing record categories are free of charge. There is an administration fee of £5 (or $ 5) to propose a new record title. A number of spin-off books and television series have also been produced. Guinness World Records bestowed the record of "Person with the most records" on Ashrita Furman of Queens, New York, in April 2009; at that time, he held 100 records. In 2005, Guinness designated 9 November as International Guinness World Records Day to encourage breaking of world records. In 2006, an estimated 100,000 people participated in over 10 countries. Guinness reported 2,244 new records in 12 months, which

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1296-467: A mixture is denoted by a Roman numeral on the stop knob; for example, a stop labeled "Mixture V" would contain five pipes for every note. So for every key pressed, five different pipes sound (all controlled by the same stop). In the seventeenth century, national styles of organ building began to emerge. Organs had certain unique characteristics that were common to organs in the country in which they were built. Registration techniques developed that mirrored

1404-495: A modern electrical combination action, this system cannot retain combinations to be recalled later; registrations must be prepared on the spot. In spite of its shortcomings (which are apparent only in light of present-day combination actions), it is an ingeniously designed system that was groundbreaking for its time. When electricity became commonplace, organ builders realized that it could be used to create more complex and capable combination actions. Large setterboards consisting of

1512-409: A new record. The company also provides corporate services for companies to "harness the power of record-breaking to deliver tangible success for their businesses." Guinness World Records states several types of records it will not accept for ethical reasons, such as those related to the killing or harming of animals. In the 2006 Guinness Book of World Records , Colombian serial killer Pedro López

1620-438: A number of factors, including the composer's indications (if any are given), the time and place in which the piece was composed, the organ the piece is played upon, and the acoustic environment within which the organ resides. The pitch produced by a pipe is a function of its length. An organ stop may be tuned to sound (or "speak at") the pitch normally associated with the key that is pressed (the "unison pitch"), or it may speak at

1728-435: A predetermined combination of stop knobs when pressed. Depending on the way in which the mechanism operates, these toe studs may or may not be reversible (i.e., pressing a toe stud again may or may not turn off the stops that were turned on when it was first pressed). More complex versions of this system are reversible, and furthermore can activate a predetermined registration without moving the stop knobs. Certain large organs of

1836-473: A record to break or to create a new category just for them. As such, they have been described as a native advertising company, with no clear distinction between content and advertisement. Guinness World Records was criticised by television talk show host John Oliver on the program Last Week Tonight with John Oliver in August 2019. Oliver criticised Guinness for taking money from authoritarian governments for pointless vanity projects as it related to

1944-407: A reed stop, the transition from reed to diaphone cannot be detected. The Diaphone-Dulzian's low-C pipe is 59 feet (18 m) in length, weighs 3,350 pounds (1,520 kg), and produces a frequency of 8 Hz, a tone that is more felt than heard; the sound of the vibrating pallet is described as "a helicopter hovering over the building". The wooden pipe stands upright for about 40 feet (12 m),

2052-573: A scroll", along with other such titles. Concerns were also raised around the activities around Egypt, which moved from 22 records to 110 within a decade until 2024. James Lynch, co-founder of FairSquare, said the records were legitimising Abdel Fattah el-Sisi's regime. The Guinness World Records stated that its record titles "cannot be purchased". For some potential categories, Guinness World Records has declined to list some records that are too difficult or impossible to determine. For example, its website states: "We do not accept any claims for beauty as it

2160-487: A sword swallower, repeated lightning strike victim Roy Sullivan 's hat complete with lightning holes and a pair of gem-studded golf shoes on sale for $ 6,500. The museum closed in 1995. In more recent years, the Guinness company has permitted the franchising of small museums with displays based on the book, all currently (as of 2010 ) located in towns popular with tourists: Tokyo , Copenhagen , San Antonio . There were once Guinness World Records museums and exhibitions at

2268-399: A system of memory levels: each organist is assigned a level or a range of levels and is able to keep his registrations separate from those of other organists who play the instrument. This is especially useful in academic and concert settings, as it makes it unnecessary for organists to write down their registrations and reset the pistons every time they sit down at the organ. Some organs feature

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2376-405: A system of pneumatics. When one of these knobs is pulled, the registration on its respective division may be altered without the stop changes taking effect. When the knob is pushed back in, the new registration sounds. Using this system along with the pédales de combinaison , an organist (and an assistant or two) can prepare elaborate registrations in advance of their use during a performance. Unlike

2484-535: Is a British reference book published annually, listing world records both of human achievements and the extremes of the natural world. Sir Hugh Beaver created the concept, and twin brothers Norris and Ross McWhirter co-founded the book in London in August 1955. The first edition topped the bestseller list in the United Kingdom by Christmas 1955. The following year the book was launched internationally, and as of

2592-459: Is built around the Main Auditorium of Boardwalk Hall, although no pipes are visible from the public space. The organ's pipe divisions are distributed across eight chambers behind the auditorium walls: The current layout of the organ was Emerson Richards' third proposed design. The first design was to house 43,000 pipes in six chambers (all mentioned above without the two Forward chambers), but

2700-462: Is lost, and in smaller ones it is too loud. Nonetheless, when the stop was first tested in 1930, it caused tiles to fall from the auditorium ceiling and structural elements of the building to rattle. To provide the power needed in the pedal, the organ has ten 32-foot stops: The Grand Ophicleide in the organ's Pedal Right division, behind the Right Stage chamber grille, speaking on 100" wind pressure,

2808-419: Is not objectively measurable." On 10 December 2010, Guinness World Records stopped accepting submissions for the " dreadlock " category after investigation of its first and only female title holder, Asha Mandela, determining it was impossible to judge this record accurately. Traditionally, the company made a large amount of its revenue via book sales to interested readers, especially children. The rise of

2916-429: Is one of only two organs in the world to have an open 64-foot pipe rank, and the only organ to have stops voiced on 100 inches of wind pressure (3.6 psi or 0.25 atm ) and a console featuring 7 manuals and 1,235 stoptabs. Construction of the organ took place from May 1929 through December 1932, shortly after the hall was built. The organ was designed by state senator Emerson Lewis Richards of Atlantic City, and

3024-422: Is slow. Would-be record breakers that paid fees ranging from US$ 12,000 to US$ 500,000 would be given advisors, adjudicators, help in finding good records to break as well as suggestions for how to do it, prompt service, and so on. In particular, corporations and celebrities seeking a publicity stunt to launch a new product or draw attention to themselves began to hire Guinness World Records , paying them for finding

3132-411: Is still in use in some organs is the electropneumatic capture system. To set a piston, the organist must press and hold the desired piston while pulling the desired stops. The motion of the stop control sets a mechanical on/off tab or lever on a rocker arm inside the combination action, allowing the configuration to be recalled from the set tabs. Since this "hold-and-set" system depended on manipulation of

3240-551: Is sufficiently extended so that 64-, 32-, 16-, 8- and 4-foot unison stops, and 42 + 2 ⁄ 3 -foot, 21 + 1 ⁄ 3 -foot and 10 + 2 ⁄ 3 -foot mutation stops, may be drawn from the same rank. Also, when the 64-foot and 42 + 2 ⁄ 3 -foot are combined, the resultant tone simulates a 128-foot stop, equivalent to 4 Hz on low C. Use of the Diaphone-Dulzian is rare, being used primarily in registrations of moderate volume. In very big combinations it

3348-523: Is the Bombard manual (VII). They are the only pipe divisions playable from it, and its keyslip contains the divisional pistons for setting combinations of the Gallery stops. An older and smaller (5-manual) console is on display in the lobby outside the auditorium, no longer connected to the instrument. The 7-manual main console is named in honor of Frederick R. Haas, whose family foundation has generously supported

Boardwalk Hall Auditorium Organ - Misplaced Pages Continue

3456-544: Is the effective authority on the exact requirements for them and with whom records reside, the company providing adjudicators to events to determine the veracity of record attempts. The list of records which the Guinness World Records covers is not fixed, records may be added and also removed for various reasons. The public is invited to submit applications for records, which can be either the bettering of existing records or substantial achievements which could constitute

3564-435: The 1944 Great Atlantic Hurricane , when the subterranean floors of the oceanfront Boardwalk Hall were flooded with seawater. This significantly damaged the blowers and completely destroyed the electro-pneumatic combination action for the organ stops. Additional water damage resulted earlier from plumbing failures and later from leaking roof areas and air-conditioning equipment. The organ's first 50 years also unluckily included

3672-481: The Empire State Building . Speed shooter Bob Munden then went on tour promoting The Guinness Book of World Records by performing his record fast draws with a standard weight single-action revolver from a Western movie-type holster. His fastest time for a draw was 0.02 seconds. Among exhibits were life-size statues of the world's tallest man, Robert Wadlow , and world's largest earthworm , an X-ray photo of

3780-543: The Great Depression in the 1930s, World War II in the 1940s, and then Atlantic City's gradual decline through the 1970s. For decades, tight government funding and staffing were insufficient to keep pace with the maintenance and repair needs of the world's largest pipe organ. In September 1998, the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority provided a $ 1.17 million grant, which restored to playable condition

3888-663: The London Trocadero , Bangalore , San Francisco , Myrtle Beach , Orlando , Atlantic City , New Jersey, and Las Vegas , Nevada . The Orlando museum, which closed in 2002, was branded The Guinness Records Experience ; the Hollywood, Niagara Falls , Copenhagen, and Gatlinburg , Tennessee museums also previously featured this branding. Guinness World Records has commissioned various television series documenting world record breaking attempts, including: Specials: In 2008, Guinness World Records released its gamer's edition,

3996-399: The speed of sound , which takes nearly half a second to travel the length of the arena. Asbestos was used extensively, which would later complicate maintenance. The final contract price was $ 347,200, signed shortly before the Great Depression , equivalent to $ 6,160,000 in 2023. The organ's main console is the largest in the world. It has 1,235 stoptabs (many unified , "borrowing" from

4104-571: The "Big Reeds") and ten stops on 50 inches wind pressure: Apart from the aforementioned stops on record wind pressure, almost every division stands on at least 15 inches wind pressure, except for the Choir on 10 inches and the Baroque-style Unenclosed Choir on a more-traditional 3 + 3 ⁄ 4 inches. Also, some individual stops stand on low wind pressure; for example, the Diapason X of

4212-407: The 2025 edition, it is now in its 70th year of publication, published in 100 countries and 40 languages, and maintains over 53,000 records in its database. The international franchise has extended beyond print to include television series and museums. The popularity of the franchise has resulted in Guinness World Records becoming the primary international source for cataloguing and verification of

4320-487: The 314 stops controlling the pipe ranks summarized above, the instrument also has 23 percussions (16 non-melodic and 7 melodic, including a motorized grand piano), for a total of 337 stops. It includes clear principal choruses and mixtures that are typical of German Baroque organs , and imitative orchestral stops typical of symphonic organs , and also the percussion division and extended ranks and "Second Touch" typical of theatre organs . Even before high-quality recorded music

4428-511: The Diaphone was omitted because it was feared it would crowd the Right Stage chamber. Consequently, the Dulzian was moved to the Right Stage chamber. However, the sound of the 64-foot Dulzian did not meet the criteria, requiring Diaphone pipes to be used for the lowest 22 notes. The remaining pipes in the rank are reeds. Because of the low frequencies involved, and because the diaphone is voiced to imitate

Boardwalk Hall Auditorium Organ - Misplaced Pages Continue

4536-423: The G that is the 12th diatonic note above. Mutations usually sound at pitches in the harmonic series of the unison pitch. In some large organs, non-harmonic mutations are occasionally used, sounding pitches from the harmonic series of one or two octaves below unison pitch. Such mutations that sound at the fifth above (or fourth below) the fundamental can create the impression of a stop an octave (or two) lower than

4644-477: The Great division stands on only 4 inches. The organ's wind supply is the most-powerful ever used in a pipe organ. The DC motors for the original eight blowers had a total of 394 horsepower (294 kW), pumping 36,400 cubic feet (1,030 m) of wind per minute. Around 1990, these were replaced by seven blowers with AC motors totaling 630 horsepower (470 kW). The instrument has not been fully functional since

4752-454: The Internet began to cut into book sales starting in the 2000s, part of a general decline in the book industry. According to a 2017 story by Planet Money of NPR , Guinness began to realise that a lucrative new revenue source to replace falling book sales was the would-be record-holders themselves. While any person can theoretically send in a record to be verified for free, the approval process

4860-477: The Midmer-Losh and other important pipe organs in the region. Stephen D. Smith, president of the former Atlantic City Convention Hall Organ Society, comprehensively reviewed the organ's stops in his 2002/2010 book and his 2014 web update, including "compound" Celeste and Mixture stops that are each built with multiple pipe ranks. His unofficial estimate of 33,116 pipes has the following distribution: In addition to

4968-651: The Official Chart Company's singles and albums charts were combined under the title British Hit Singles & Albums , with Hit Entertainment publishing the book from 2003 to 2006 (under the Guinness World Records brand). After Guinness World Records was sold to The Jim Pattison Group, it was effectively replaced by a series of books published by Ebury Publishing/Random House with the Virgin Book of British Hit Singles first being published in 2007 and with

5076-512: The Right Stage chamber of the Main Auditorium Organ and the entire Ballroom Organ. Afterwards, a recording session took place, which captured the main organ's record-holders (the 64' Diaphone-Dulzian, and the 100" Tuba Imperial and Grand Ophicleide) shortly before the hall closed for a multi-year renovation. Both organs experienced severe damage during the 1999–2001 renovation of Boardwalk Hall , due to inadequate planning and oversight and

5184-698: The Swell manual (III), stoptab for stoptab. In this way, the division's stops are also available there as the Swell-Choir, no matter which stops are selected for the Choir manual. The same is true for the Great-Solo pipes, which are usually played from the Great manual (II), but can also be selected as the Solo-Great for the Solo manual (IV). Although the four Gallery divisions (when repaired) can be played from any manual, their "home"

5292-410: The approximate length of the longest pipe in that rank. The octave sounded by a given pipe is inversely exponentially proportional to its length ( 1 ⁄ 2 the length = double the pitch), meaning that a 4′ stop speaks exactly one octave higher than an 8′ stop. Likewise, a 2′ stop speaks exactly one octave higher than a 4′ stop. Conversely, a 16′ stop speaks exactly one octave below an 8′ stop; and

5400-491: The audience on various world records and were able to give the correct answer. Ross McWhirter was assassinated by two members of the Provisional Irish Republican Army in 1975, in response to offering a £50,000 reward for information that would lead to capture of members of the organisation. Following Ross's assassination, the feature in the show where questions about records posed by children were answered

5508-405: The basis for a narrative that should have global appeal. Combination action Registration is the technique of choosing and combining the stops of a pipe organ in order to produce a particular sound. Registration can also refer to a particular combination of stops, which may be recalled through combination action . The registration chosen for a particular piece will be determined by

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5616-619: The book became a surprise hit, many further editions were printed, eventually settling into a pattern of one revision a year, published in September/October, in time for Christmas. The McWhirters continued to compile it for many years. Both brothers had an encyclopedic memory; on the British children's television series Record Breakers , based upon the book, which was broadcast on the BBC from 1972 to 2001, they would take questions posed by children in

5724-453: The carelessness of workers. The organ curator position was furloughed. Pipes were removed, bent, and stepped on. (Most organ pipes are made from soft alloys based on lead, so it is very easy to dent or crush them.) The 32-foot Trombone stop was effectively entombed in the building's walls when an opening in the Left Upper chamber, which allowed the rank to speak through the grille in the ceiling,

5832-467: The characteristics in the organs of each national style. A combination action is a system designed to store specific organ registrations to be recalled instantaneously by the player while they are playing. It usually consists of several numbered pistons (buttons) situated in the space between the manuals at the organ console . The pistons control either the stops of the whole organ (in which case they are called general pistons or generals ) or

5940-400: The console entirely to change even one stop on a piston. Setterboard setups did not always result in the actual stop knobs moving---such a system was called a blind system, and stops added manually during a performance would add to the preset setting. Occasionally provision would be made for Pedal stops to be affected by manual pistons, allowing for a suitable bass. A more advanced system which

6048-433: The console or in a remote location). Combinations were set by pressing a "setter" button and then the desired piston. Its advantage over push-and-set was that a carefully worked-out combination could be instantly recorded, without having to push a piston already set to another combination and change it. Neither the setterboard system nor the electropneumatic system is built in new organs today; they have both been supplanted by

6156-429: The correct tuning. The 8' rank is made from lead alloy of exceptional thickness (to prevent the pipes from cracking under the extreme sonic vibrations), while the 16' octave is made of wood. The Grand Ophicleide rank is extended one octave above the 16' unison rank, allowing an 8' register to be drawn from the rank. It is playable from the 85-key Great manual and from the 32-key pedalboard. The largest single stop in

6264-438: The cover with the topic of 'The ocean and the water'. The retirement of Norris McWhirter from his consulting role in 1995 and the subsequent decision by Diageo Plc to sell The Guinness Book of Records brand have shifted the focus of the books from text-oriented to illustrated reference. A selection of records are curated for the book from the full archive but all existing Guinness World Records titles can be accessed by creating

6372-402: The exact number is uncertain. It is very hard to determine exactly how many pipes the organ has, due to undocumented revisions made during its construction, followed by extensive damage that is still being repaired, further confounded by erroneous reports that have circulated over the years. The organ is the only one in the world to have stops standing on 100 inches of wind pressure. It is also

6480-589: The fifth curator of the Boardwalk Hall organs, to lead a dedicated crew of maintenance professionals and volunteers. Both organs are gradually returning to the regular musical life of the building as their mechanical condition permits. The current restoration program, led by the Historic Organ Restoration Committee (HORC, a nonprofit 501(c) organization ), is a $ 16 million project funded entirely by donations from charitable foundations and

6588-500: The fundamental, especially when low frequencies are involved; these are often called resultants. Mutations are tuned an exact just interval away from the fundamental, with no beats. (This is not possible in mutation stops unified from other ranks, such as an 8' or 4' rank also used for a 2 2 ⁄ 3 ' stop.) Certain stops called mixtures contain multiple ranks of pipes sounding at consecutive octaves and fifths (and in some cases, thirds) above unison pitch. The number of ranks in

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6696-543: The general public. The restoration effort focuses on re-leathering the full Auditorium Organ, as well as repairing damage to the original pipework and mechanical/electrical systems sustained from construction and water over the years. HORC reports that as of 2024, 95% of the Ballroom Kimball Organ and 67% of the Main Auditorium Midmer-Losh Organ are operational again, the latter including most of

6804-420: The last three also available as a Scharf Mixture stop. The 8', 3 + 1 ⁄ 5 ', and 2' ranks use flared and tapered pipes, and the 2 + 2 ⁄ 3 ' uses harmonic pipes. The 4' pipes are double languid. The organ has been recognized by Guinness World Records as the largest musical instrument, the loudest musical instrument, and the largest pipe organ ever constructed, although debate exists about

6912-543: The listings in the Guinness Book of World Records . A video game , Guinness World Records: The Videogame , was developed by TT Fusion and released for Nintendo DS , Wii and iOS in November 2008. In 2012, Warner Bros. announced the development of a live-action film version of Guinness World Records with Daniel Chun as scriptwriter. The film version will apparently use the heroic achievements of record holders as

7020-453: The longest egg tossing distances, or for longest time spent playing Grand Theft Auto IV or the largest number of hot dogs consumed in three minutes. Besides records about competitions, it contains such facts such as the heaviest tumour, the most poisonous fungus , the longest-running soap opera and the most valuable life-insurance policy, among others. Many records also relate to the youngest people to have achieved something, such as

7128-462: The main focus of his story, President of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow . Oliver asked Guinness to work with Last Week Tonight to adjudicate a record for "Largest cake featuring a picture of someone falling off a horse", but according to Oliver, the offer did not work out after Guinness insisted on a non-disparagement clause. Guinness World Records denied the accusations and stated that they declined Oliver's offer to participate because "it

7236-765: The managing director of the Guinness Breweries , went on a shooting party in the North Slob , by the River Slaney in County Wexford , Ireland. After missing a shot at a golden plover , he became involved in an argument over which was the fastest game bird in Europe, the golden plover or the red grouse (the plover is faster, but neither is the fastest game bird in Europe). That evening at Castlebridge House, he realised that it

7344-469: The modern solid-state combination action. The most widely used combination action in newly built organs has at its heart a system of electronics. The combinations are stored in a computer memory. To set a combination, the organist pulls the desired stops, holds the setter button (usually labeled "Set"), and presses the desired piston. Larger organs, especially in the academic realm, as well as organs played by several organists or guest artists sometimes feature

7452-428: The older book to the "Modern Society" section of the newer edition. As of 2011 , it is required in the guidelines of all "large food" type records that the item be fully edible, and distributed to the public for consumption, to prevent food wastage. Chain letters are also not allowed: "Guinness World Records does not accept any records relating to chain letters, sent by post or e-mail." After Roger Guy English set

7560-426: The only organ to have two 32-foot pedal stops on 50 inches wind pressure. There are two more organs in the world with stops on 50 inches, but these are 8-foot solo trumpet or tuba stops. 100 inches wind pressure, equivalent to 3.6 psi or 0.25 atm, is about 30 times more than a normal organ stop; even high-pressure stops usually stand on only 10 to 12 inches. The Auditorium Organ has four stops on 100 inches (also known as

7668-463: The organ at the church of Saint-Sulpice in Paris deserves special mention. It was designed by the renowned French organ builder Aristide Cavaillé-Coll . Because the organ predates the advent of electricity , the entire system operates through mechanical and pneumatic means. There are no pistons or toe studs. The combination action consists of six stop knobs, one for each division of the organ, connected to

7776-522: The organ by number of pipes, the Grand Cornet contains 11 ranks totaling 803 pipes, nearly 2.5% of the entire organ. This compound stop is spread across two pipe chests, and speaks on 20" wind pressure. It was fully restored and brought back on line in 2023. The ranks are 10 + 2 ⁄ 3 ', 8', 5 + 1 ⁄ 3 ', 4', 3 + 1 ⁄ 5 ', 2 + 2 ⁄ 3 ', 2 + 2 ⁄ 7 ', 2', 1 + 3 ⁄ 5 ', 1 + 1 ⁄ 3 ', and 1', with

7884-448: The organ's first curator. Because of the high pressure on which the pipes stand, they must be tightly secured to the pipe chest, with individual parts secured to each other. If any wind leaks, a whistle may be heard, almost as loud as the pipes themselves. The highest 12 notes are produced by special flue pipes having a similar voice and timbre. All of the reed pipes use weighted tongues. The tuning wires are held firmly in place to maintain

7992-452: The organist to set the stops to a specific registration (very quiet, for example) and then suddenly change it for a short period of time (to very loud, for example) simply by pressing the appropriate toe stud. The organist can then return to the original registration by pressing the toe stud again. This is especially helpful when playing the organ works of German romantic composers such as Max Reger and Franz Liszt . The combination action in

8100-650: The pedal can be played throughout the 85-note compass of both manuals, comparable to the range of a piano. These stops can be selected by stoptabs in two divisions on the right stop jamb. The Grand Great (for the Great manual) controls stops from the Pedal Right pipe division, and the Grand Choir (for the Choir manual) controls stops from the Pedal Left pipe division. For example, the Grand Ophicleide pipes can be played from

8208-542: The pedalboard, and also from the Great manual by means of the Grand Great. The pedalboard and the Great and Choir manuals are equipped with "Second Touch", allowing the organist to use two different voicings by pressing the same key to different depths. Some pipe divisions are independently playable on two manuals. For example, the Choir-Swell division is usually played from the Choir manual (I), but it has been "duplexed" to

8316-516: The pipe ranks in the Right Stage, Left Stage and Left Forward chambers. Restoration work is ongoing and proceeding, as the organs' 100th anniversary approaches in 2029–2032. 39°21′13″N 74°26′19″W  /  39.35361°N 74.43861°W  / 39.35361; -74.43861 Guinness World Records Guinness World Records , known from its inception in 1955 until 1999 as The Guinness Book of Records and in previous United States editions as The Guinness Book of World Records ,

8424-496: The publisher to potential litigation . These changes included the removal of all spirit , wine and beer drinking records, along with other unusual records for consuming such unlikely things as bicycles and trees. Other records, such as sword swallowing and rally driving (on public roads), were closed from further entry as the current holders had performed beyond what are considered safe human tolerance levels. There have been instances of closed categories being reopened. For example,

8532-597: The quoted cost greatly exceeded the allocated $ 300,000, and there wasn't enough space to house all the pipes. The number of pipes was then reduced to 29,000. Later, when the Forward chambers were also used, some stops from the original plan were reinstated, raising the number of pipes to the present official count of 33,112 (see also below ). The Upper chambers were placed in the ceiling above the Center chambers, as placing them any further back would result in synchronization issues due to

8640-481: The record for sleeplessness in 1974, the category was discontinued for being too dangerous. At the request of the U.S. Mint , in 1984, the book stopped accepting claims of large hoardings of pennies or other currency. Environmentally unfriendly records (such as the releasing of sky lanterns and party balloons ) are no longer accepted or monitored, in addition to records relating to tobacco or cannabis consumption or preparation. In 2024, Guinness World Records

8748-412: The remainder is mitered (turned) towards the Right Stage chamber grille, like an upside-down L. All pipes taller than 32 feet (10 m) are designed in this manner. The two lowest pipes (CCCCC and CCCCC#) are fed by a single, dedicated 8-inch diameter wind line, operating on 35 inches of pressure. A second identical wind line feeds the remaining pipes. The Diaphone-Dulzian rank spans from C 3 to g; it

8856-539: The romantic era (such as the organ built by Friedrich Ladegast for the cathedral in Merseburg , Germany ) feature this kind of combination action. Often, the toe studs will be labeled with dynamic markings reflecting the loudness of the registrations which result when they are pressed. For example, an organ may have two of these combinations, one labeled p (for piano , Italian for "soft") and one labeled ff (for fortissimo , Italian for "very strong"). This system allows

8964-401: The same ranks) including 587 flue stoptabs, 265 reed stoptabs, 35 melodic percussions , 46 non-melodic percussions , 164 couplers , 18 tremulants , 120 selectors for the 6 swell pedals controlling 15 swell boxes , and a stop crescendo pedal . The console is also the only one in the world with 7 manuals . Uniquely, the lowest two (Choir and Great) have a range of seven octaves , and

9072-488: The selection criteria. (Philadelphia's twice-expanded Wanamaker Organ has fewer pipes but more pipe ranks, and is fully operational.) Guinness also recognized the Grand Ophicleide in the Pedal Right division to be the loudest organ stop in the world (until it was surpassed by the Vox Maris , a 1-rank outdoor instrument that relies on compressed air, built for South Korea's Expo 2012 ). The Boardwalk Hall Auditorium Organ and

9180-500: The smaller Ballroom Organ (a 55-rank theatre organ , Kimball opus 7073) were both recognized by the multi-national Organ Historical Society as instruments "of historical value and worthy of preservation" as part of its Historic Organ Citations program. The Citations, numbers 313 and 314, were presented to the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority on October 26, 2004. Officially, the Auditorium Organ has 33,112 pipes, but

9288-420: The stop controls, it was always located within the console. It represented an improvement over the setterboard in that the organist could remain seated at the console while altering registrations. These combination actions were actually early mechanical digital-memory storage devices. An additional system which was usually used on large instruments was often called "remote capture" (although it could be either in

9396-455: The stops of a particular division (in which case they are called divisional pistons or divisionals ). Each piston is programmed by the organist with a particular registration to be activated when it is pressed. This allows the organist to change registrations on the fly, without the assistance of a registrant. Over the years, organ builders have designed various combination action systems. The simplest combination actions are toe studs that move

9504-403: The sword swallowing category was listed as closed in the 1990 Guinness Book of World Records , but has since been reopened with Johnny Strange breaking a sword swallowing record on Guinness World Records Live. Similarly, the speed beer drinking records which were dropped from the book in 1991, reappeared 17 years later in the 2008 edition, but were moved from the "Human Achievements" section of

9612-430: The third-lowest (Swell) has a range of six octaves, while the rest have a normal five-octave range. The bottom five keys on the Swell manual (GGG to BBB) are in place mainly for cosmetic reasons, as most ranks have no pipes for these notes; however, they would sound if couplers were activated. The manuals from top to bottom are: The Great and Choir manuals were designed with seven octaves so that specially extended stops in

9720-479: The top of Ludgate House, 107 Fleet Street , London, the first 198-page edition was bound on 27 August 1955 and went to the top of the British bestseller list by Christmas. The following year, it was introduced into the United States by New York publisher David Boehm and sold 70,000 copies. Since then, Guinness World Records has sold more than 150 million copies in 100 countries and 40 languages. Because

9828-454: The unison sound, they are rarely used on their own; rather, they are combined with unison stops to create different tone colors. Like the unison and octave stops, the length label of a mutation stop indicates what pitch the rank sounds. For example, a stop labeled 2 2 ⁄ 3 ' sounds at the interval of a twelfth (one octave plus a fifth; or 3:1 ratio) above unison pitch. That is, with a 2 2 ⁄ 3 ' stop drawn, pressing middle C sounds

9936-415: The well-being of potential record breakers. For example, following publication of the "heaviest pet" record, many owners overfed their pets beyond the bounds of what was healthy, and therefore such entries were removed. The Guinness Book also dropped records within their "eating and drinking records" section of Human Achievements in 1991 over concerns that potential competitors could harm themselves and expose

10044-528: The world. The stop is unique, because it is a reed/diaphone hybrid. (The other 64-foot stop is the Contra-Trombone reed stop in the Sydney Town Hall Grand Organ .) When construction of the Auditorium Organ started, it was planned to have two 64-foot stops in the pedal, a Diaphone Profunda and a Dulzian, in the Right Stage and Left Stage chambers respectively. Later, the design was revised, and

10152-419: The youngest person to visit all nations of the world, currently held by Maurizio Giuliano . Each edition contains a selection of the records from the Guinness World Records database, as well as select new records, with the criteria for inclusion changing from year to year. The latest edition is the 70th, published on 15 September 2023. It is the fourth and last installment featuring Rod Hunt's illustrations on

10260-441: Was a 173% increase over the previous year. In February 2008, NBC aired The Top 100 Guinness World Records of All Time and Guinness World Records made the complete list available on their website. The popularity of the franchise has resulted in Guinness World Records becoming the primary international authority on the cataloguing and verification of a huge number of world records. For many records, Guinness World Records

10368-408: Was a music reference book first published in 1977. It was compiled by BBC Radio 1 DJs Paul Gambaccini and Mike Read with brothers Tim Rice and Jonathan Rice. It was the first in a number of music reference books that were to be published by Guinness Publishing with sister publication The Guinness Book of British Hit Albums coming in 1983. After being sold to Hit Entertainment, the data concerning

10476-573: Was accused of laundering the reputation of the oppressive governments as it set world records for the UAE's police forces and Egypt's military. By 2024, the UAE achieved 526 records, of which 21 were credited to the Emirates' police force. Matthew Hedges, a British academic who was forced to sign a false confession, asked the records body to take down the Abu Dhabi police department's certificate for "most signatures on

10584-403: Was available, this versatile blend of organ features would let the Midmer-Losh convincingly deliver a wide variety of music, for the countless performers and events that would use the multi-purpose Main Auditorium. Boardwalk Hall possesses a unique stop in the organ world, the 64-foot Diaphone -Dulzian in the Right Stage chamber (Pedal Right division), one of only two full-length 64-foot stops in

10692-641: Was built by the Midmer-Losh Organ Company of Merrick, New York , as its opus 5550. Most of the pipes were handmade by Midmer-Losh. Pennsylvania-based Anton Gottfried made some of the reed pipes , including the Brass Trumpet, Egyptian Horn, Euphone and Musette Mirabilis. The German firm Welte-Mignon provided the Bassoon with papier-mâché resonators and the wooden Tuba d'Amour for the Echo division. The organ

10800-592: Was called Norris on the Spot . Norris carried on as the book's sole editor. Guinness Superlatives, later Guinness World Records Limited , was incorporated in London in 1954 to publish the first book. Sterling Publishing owned the rights to the Guinness book in the US for decades until it was repurchased by Guinness in 1989 after an 18-month long lawsuit. The group was owned by Guinness PLC and subsequently Diageo until 2001, when it

10908-475: Was cut. All this left the Auditorium Organ heavily damaged and the Right Stage chamber, which was 98% operational in 1998, completely disabled. To make room for a stairway, the relay of the Ballroom Organ was also removed in a careless way and its control cables severed, rendering that organ unplayable as well. In 2013, the Main Auditorium Organ once again began to be heard, with 15–20% of it restored as funding

11016-549: Was impossible to confirm in reference books whether or not the golden plover was Europe's fastest game bird. Beaver knew that there must have been numerous other questions debated nightly among the public, but there was no book in the world with which to settle arguments about records. He realised then that a book supplying the answers to this sort of question might prove successful. Beaver's idea became reality when Guinness employee Christopher Chataway recommended university friends Norris and Ross McWhirter , who had been running

11124-473: Was listed as the "most prolific serial killer", having murdered at least 110 people (with Lopez himself claiming he murdered over 300 people) in Colombia, Ecuador and Peru in the late 1960s to 1980s. This was removed after complaints that the listing and category made a competition out of murder. Several world records that were once included in the book have been removed for ethical reasons, including concerns for

11232-564: Was merely an opportunity to mock one of our record-holders," and that Oliver did not specifically request the record for the largest marble cake. As of 2021, the Guinness World Record for "Largest marble cake" remains with Betty Crocker Middle East in Saudi Arabia. Following Oliver's episode, Guinness World Records ' ethics were called into question by human rights groups. In 1976, a Guinness Book of World Records museum opened in

11340-857: Was purchased by Gullane Entertainment for £45.5 million ($ 65 million). Gullane was itself purchased by HIT Entertainment in 2002. In 2006, Apax Partners purchased HIT and subsequently sold Guinness World Records in early 2008 to the Jim Pattison Group , the parent company of Ripley Entertainment , which is licensed to operate Guinness World Records' Attractions. With offices in New York City and Tokyo, Guinness World Records' global headquarters remain in London, specifically South Quay Plaza , Canary Wharf , while its museum attractions are based at Ripley headquarters in Orlando , Florida. Recent editions have focused on record feats by individuals. Competitions range from obvious ones such as Olympic weightlifting to

11448-450: Was recognized by Guinness World Records as the loudest organ stop in the world. It is described as having "a pure trumpet note of ear-splitting volume, more than six times the volume of the loudest locomotive whistle ." The Grand Ophicleide produces up to 130 decibels at a distance of 1 meter, and is designed to be heard throughout the auditorium over any other stops that might be playing. The pipes were built by Roscoe Evans, who served as

11556-540: Was sealed off. As walls were removed, windlines to various pipe chambers were cut, with no effort to identify or protect the lines, nor any plans to re-route or repair them. As balconies were replaced, the elaborate electrical relay for the Left Stage chamber was cut out without regard to its restoration, and various switching and control cables were severed. Cement dust disrupted thousands of unprotected switching contacts, magnets, and organ pipes. The 5-manual console connection

11664-527: Was secured. The organ was played in September 2013 during the Miss America pageant, its first public performance in 40 years. Since 2014, free half-hour noon concerts are offered Monday through Friday from May through September, excluding holidays and special events. Since 2015, in-depth "behind the scenes" tours are available on Wednesdays at 10 a.m. for most of the year. On September 1, 2015, Nathan Bryson became

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