An Australian man has made history after setting a new Guinness World Record for the loudest shout ever recorded.
Joseph McGrail-Bateup, from Canberra, reached an astonishing 122.4 decibels by shouting the word “now”, a volume comparable to a clap of thunder, a chainsaw or a pneumatic drill.
The 58-year-old, who works as an air conditioner cleaner and also serves as an honorary town crier, achieved the record during an official attempt at a radio studio on 2 May. The performance was measured by a professional acoustic engineer in front of witnesses before being verified by Guinness World Records.
McGrail-Bateup revealed that it took seven attempts before he finally broke the long standing record, adding that the effort left his voice severely strained for several days.
He explained that there is little opportunity to prepare for an attempt like this because repeatedly practising at full volume would damage the voice before the official record attempt.
The previous record had stood since 1994, when Northern Ireland teacher Annalisa Flanagan reached 121.7 decibels by shouting the word “quiet”.
Although the difference between the two records may seem small, sound is measured on a logarithmic scale, meaning even a slight increase in decibels represents a significant jump in sound intensity.
For comparison, the Royal National Institute for Deaf People (RNID) says that sounds around 130 decibels are typically painful for most people and are similar to standing around 100 metres from a jet taking off.
Before settling on the winning attempt, McGrail-Bateup experimented with several different words before deciding that “now” produced the strongest result.
The record holder is no stranger to unusual achievements. In 2019, he also set a Guinness World Record for shooting 10 archery arrows in just over 60 seconds, although that record was later broken by a seven-year-old boy.
With his latest achievement now officially recognised, McGrail-Bateup has earned a place in the Guinness World Records books for producing the loudest shout ever recorded.
