Joseph McGrail-Bateup, 58, a professional air conditioner cleaner and honorary town crier for Canberra, was recognized on 19/6 by Guinness World Records as the person with the loudest scream in the world.
He screamed the word "now" at a measured volume of 122,4 dB. This achievement broke the previous record of 121,7 dB, which Northern Irish teacher Annalisa Flanagan set in 1994 by screaming the word "quiet".
The 122,4 dB level is comparable to the noise of a chainsaw, a jet engine taking off, or an ambulance siren at close range. McGrail-Bateup stated on 23/6 that training for this record was not possible.
"There's no way to practice", he said. "You have to save your strength for the day of the attempt, especially when you are trying to conquer a world record."
He recounted, "It took me 7 attempts just for that one word, 'now'. I also lost my voice for a few days afterward. My voice was very hoarse, it was terrible. So, practicing was out of the question."
The scream was recorded on 2/5 in a Canberra sound studio, supervised by a professional acoustic engineer and a witness. The audio file was submitted to Guinness World Records and officially recognized on 19/6.
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McGrail-Bateup demonstrates his scream in Canberra on 23/6. *Photo: AP* |
McGrail-Bateup was appointed as Canberra's honorary town crier in 2017. His duties include making announcements at community events, school fairs, and auto shows. He is also a member of the Ancient and Honourable Guild of Australian Town Criers, a professional organization dedicated to preserving historical and ceremonial roles.
In 2024, McGrail-Bateup won a guild competition for the loudest "Oyez, Oyez, Oyez" (hear ye) cry, reaching 98 dB. This command traditionally calls for silence and attention before a town crier makes an announcement.
This is McGrail-Bateup's second world record. A former archer, he set a record in 2019 for shooting 10 arrows in 60,03 seconds. However, just 9 months later, a 7-year-old boy surpassed this record by 11,4 seconds.
McGrail-Bateup is not concerned with regaining his archery record or holding onto the loudest scream record.
"If someone beats me, that's fantastic", he stated. "Records are made to be broken."
By Hong Hanh (According to AP)
