Yes, your neighbor’s trumpet practice may feel like the loudest noise on Earth (and we totally get why), but believe it or not, there are far louder sounds that have shaken the planet. Here are some of the most ear-splitting moments in history, when a pair of GOB’s earplugs could have come in handy.
Loud, Louder, Loudest: Earth’s Most Explosive Moments
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Naman Bajaj
6.25.25
1. The Krakatoa Eruption (1883)
- Decibel Level: Estimated at 310 dB
- The volcanic eruption of Krakatoa in Indonesia is considered the loudest sound ever recorded on Earth. The explosion was heard over 3,000 miles away and caused barometric pressure waves to travel around the globe multiple times.
2. Tunguska Event (1908)
- Decibel Level: Estimated at over 300 dB
- This mysterious explosion, likely caused by a meteoroid or comet fragment in Siberia, flattened over 2,000 square kilometers of forest. Witnesses reported a deafening sound that could be heard hundreds of miles away.
3. The Halifax Explosion (1917)
- Decibel Level: Estimated at 230 dB
- The collision of two ships in Halifax, Canada, resulted in the largest man-made explosion before nuclear weapons, leveling the city and creating a deafening sound heard up to 200 kilometers away.
4. Tsar Bomba (1961)
- Decibel Level: Over 224 dB at 100 miles away
- The largest nuclear bomb ever detonated, the Soviet Union’s Tsar Bomba, created an explosion so loud that it broke windows over 900 kilometers away and caused a shockwave that circled the Earth multiple times.
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5. Annalisa Wray's Shout (1994)
- Decibel Level: 121.7 dB
- Annalisa Wray from the UK set the Guinness World Record for the loudest individual shout by yelling the word "quiet" during the Citybus Challenge in Belfast. Her record-breaking shout was louder than most rock concerts! That's almost as loud as a jet engine!
6. The Chelyabinsk Meteor (2013)
- Decibel Level: Estimated at 180 dB
- This meteor exploded over Russia with the force of 30 Hiroshima bombs. The sound wave shattered windows across six cities and caused injuries to over 1,500 people.
7. Arrowhead Stadium (2014)
- Decibel Level: 137.5 dB
- Kansas City Chiefs fans at Arrowhead Stadium broke the record for the loudest crowd noise during a football game, creating an ear-splitting roar that set a world record for sports stadiums.
Whether it’s nature’s fury or human-made chaos, these extraordinary events remind us just how powerful sound can be.