By the mid-1860s, the 2000 Guineas was regarded as one of Britain's most prestigious races for three-year-olds. The five leading events for this age group, characterised by increasing distances as the season progressed, began to be known as "Classics". The concept was later adopted in many other countries.

Business Wire. March 29, 1995. "Rainforest Foundation International announces sixth annual Carnegie Hall benefit."Guinness World Records Corporate". Guinness World Records. Archived from the original on 12 May 2012 . Retrieved 10 May 2012. Year Of Profitable British Films." Times [London, England] 1 January 1960, p. 13 via The Times Digital Archive. Retrieved: 11 July 2012. Yet, ironically, its failure turned out to be a major factor in Guinness's career, leading him away from the classics and Shakespeare into films, ultimately television, and new plays. Tynan found Guinness less potent in the classical arena because he expected actors to perform like concerto soloists. In his discreet autobiography, Blessings In Disguise (1985), he describes how the acting bug had bitten him. On the recommendation of John Gielgud, who assumed he was related to brewing and money, he got in touch with the formidable and eccentric Martita Hunt. She was, he noted, the first woman he had met who wore silk trousers and painted her toenails, and she coached him to audition for a Leverhulme scholarship at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. But Rada were not giving the award that year, so he enrolled at the Fay Compton studio for as long as his money lasted, and then rapidly went to work in the London theatre. He made his debut at 20, walking on in Libel! at the Playhouse. Both Alec and Merula were very keen on the countryside and their love and knowledge of nature was very strong. They delighted in their six acres of fields and garden, part of which was formal. Helen Spurdle, who had originally gardened for them, also cared for them in the house in their later lives. Alec and Merula enjoyed the informality and ease with which they could entertain any guests – Alec described their life there as a “really tatty open-plan sort of life” and they revelled in the opportunity to simply potter around dressed scruffily and caring for their numerous animals, especially their many species of dogs.

O'Connor, Garry (2002). Alec Guinness: A Life (illustrateded.). Applause Theatre & Cinema Books. p. 89. ISBN 9781557835741.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. [49] Difficulty in defining records [ edit ]

Guinness, Sir Alec (1914–2000)". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (onlineed.). Oxford University Press. doi: 10.1093/ref:odnb/74513. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.) However, other categories of human skill relating to measurable speed such as "Worlds Fastest Clapper" were instated. On 27 July 2010, Connor May (NSW, Australia) set the record for claps, with 743 in 1 minute. Parsons, Louella (1955, October 4), "Anne Baxter Signs for 'The Come On.'" San Francisco Examiner, I-19.My research into this subject has proved to be both informative and fascinating. It is quite clear, from reading Alec Guinness’s autobiographical works, that he was extremely well-read, appreciative of witticism and subtlety in other writers both ancient and modern, and that his own style of writing was, subsequently, naturally flowing and literate. In another life, he would have succeeded easily as an academic and literary researcher. As it happened, his worldwide travels enabled him to absorb other cultures and identities with ease, exploit their idiosyncrasies and import some of their features into his home life. While it is easy to appreciate Alec’s highly developed fear of recognition in any given circumstances, his and Merula’s natural diffidence was well accommodated in our community, and we should feel honoured to have had them living among us. While serving in the Royal Navy, Guinness had planned to become an Anglican priest. In 1954, while he was filming Father Brown in Burgundy, Guinness, who was in costume as a Catholic priest, was mistaken for a real priest by a local child. Guinness was far from fluent in French, and the child apparently did not notice that Guinness did not understand him but took his hand and chattered while the two strolled; the child then waved and trotted off. [59] The confidence and affection the clerical attire appeared to inspire in the boy left a deep impression on the actor. [60] When their son was ill with polio at the age of 11, Guinness began visiting a church to pray. [61] A few years later, in 1956, Guinness converted to the Catholic Church. His wife, who was of paternal Sephardi Jewish descent, [62] followed suit in 1957 while he was in Ceylon filming The Bridge on the River Kwai, and she informed him only after the event. [63] Record Breakers' McWhirter dies". BBC News. 20 April 2004. Archived from the original on 27 December 2013 . Retrieved 9 June 2014. He knew his own vulnerabilities and exploited them with courage. That lent the danger to his best performances. He had resented, for instance, the Oliviers' assumption, in the mid-1930s, that he was Gielgud's boyfriend. Not because he could not have been, or was ashamed or offended to be cast in that role, but because he was not, and they had no reason to assume it. In 1938, Guinness became a scrupulous husband and father - though his sexuality was complex.