Australian town crier sets world record with 122.4 dB shout

An Australian man has broken the world record for the loudest shout ever recorded, achieving a measurement of 122.4 decibels. Joseph McGrail-Bateup, a 58-year-old air conditioner cleaner and honorary town crier from Canberra, set the new benchmark by yelling the word "now," surpassing the previous record of 121.7 decibels set by Northern Ireland schoolteacher Annalisa Flanagan in 1994.

Guinness World Records announced the achievement last Friday. The successful attempt was recorded on May 2 in a Canberra radio studio by a professional acoustic engineer with witnesses present. McGrail-Bateup said it took him seven attempts to achieve the record-breaking shout, which left his voice hoarse and "shot" for several days afterward. He noted there is no way to practice for such an attempt, as one must save their full vocal strength for the official recording.

The new record of 122.4 decibels is comparable to the noise level of a chainsaw, a jet aircraft taking off, or an ambulance siren at close range. While officially recognized as the world's loudest person, McGrail-Bateup respectfully considers himself the world's loudest man, noting that Flanagan retains the title of the world's...