Throughout the day on August 27th, 1883, people around the Pacific would look up to the sky and scratch their heads. Their eyes saw blue skies, fluffy white clouds and no signs of rain and yet they heard thunder. In Australia, people remarked that the army or navy must have been doing drills out of sight because the sound of cannon fire and gunfire could be heard intermittently in places such as Perth. Men on ships looked around frantically for signs of storm or foe but saw nothing.What had been mistaken for thunder and cannon calls was the distant rumble of the loudest sound ever recorded making its way around the globe.
This remarkable sound was created by the ancient volcano Krakatoa. On August 27th, the mountain blew itself to pieces in one of the most violent geologic events in Earth’s history. What had been an island mountain rising over 2,600 feet above the waves of the Indonesian islands was reduced to nothing.The combination of the powerful explosions that ripped through the volcano and the subsequent collapse of the rock into an undersea magma chamber resulted in the loudest sound ever recorded. It clocked in at 310 decibels.
The loudest sound ever created by humans, not by natural causes, was said to be the atomic bomb blasts over Nagasaki and Hiroshima. Those clocked in at around 250 decibels. NASA’s highest recorded decibel reading was 204 and that was the first stage of the Saturn V rocket.
310 decibels is loud enough to kill you. Ear drums rupture between 150 and 160 decibels. That means Krakatoa was exponentially higher on the decibel scale as a sound high enough to cause your ear drums to literally explode. A sound exponentially louder than anything likely to have been heard in thousands, perhaps millions of years.
The explosion was loud enough that this level of noise was recorded many miles away from the site of the blast. A sound of 174 decibels was recorded by barometers 100 miles from Krakatoa.
That meant anyone within an 100 mile radius of Krakatoa had a chance of being literally deafened by this sound.
Miles away farther still, the sound was recorded at the same level as an uncovered shotgun blast near your head.
And all the way in Australia, some 2,800 miles distant, an ocean away, it was reported as far off rifle or cannon fire.
That is roughly the same distance between Los Angeles and New York City. Imagine being on the street in Manhattan and hearing something that was occurring in downtown Los Angeles. It’s almost unbelievable. Almost.
Luckily, this event happened in a modern enough time that barometers and other atmospheric pressure sensors were prevalent all over the world. From heavy industry to ships at sea, the resulting shock wave was felt by all. In fact, all sound is is your eardrum detecting and interpreting aerial shock waves.
This sound was so loud that the shock wave was recorded moving around the globe. It circled the globe not once, not twice, but three times before petering out.
The force of the blast was so great, it was reported that an island less than ten miles from the volcano was devoid of all life. Three thousand natives were reportedly killed, most likely due to the force of the shock wave alone.
The sound alone killed them.
On this day, 137 years ago, the most destructive and terrible sound ever recorded was let loose by an unprecedented blast and circled the globe. Nature’s fury was on full display, a fury that humans have only dreamed of matching in their darkest dreams.
Apparently this actor lost some hearing, because he kept missing his cue in the community theater production of “The Mummy.” Can’t have the main character always entering late.
About the red/blue traffic lights… If I had to guess, it might be that red/green colorblindness is common but there is also blue/yellow colorblindness. I don’t think there is red/blue, so you’d at least see one of the colors. Though most places, red is always on top, there used to be lights mounted horizontally, though I haven’t seen that in a while. You’d have to remember red is on the left. It just makes it safer, anyway. Except when you have to fold a fitted sheet, then all hell breaks loose.
Well-reinforced against uncontrollable movements, the shattering noise ordained shall in all likelihood cause your eyes to bleed and your throat to convulse, swallowing your tongue and choking. The indescribably painful-cum-pleasurable NOISE will be the last you ever hear, as your eardrums shatter.
On another note, I grew up with contour sheets and Charlie Brown’s lament was perfectly understandable to me as I learned to read from Peanuts™ instead of Dick and Jane.
“In the eary afternoon, standing upright in the canoe, she sighted Hikueru Its wealth of cocoanut palms was gone. Only here and there, at wide intervals, could she see the ragged remnants of trees.“
Randy B Premium Member over 3 years ago
Ears must remain unobstructed for maximum therapeutic effect.
painedsmile over 3 years ago
I’m blowing my dog whistle now. Can I help it that you can’t hear it? No noise appointment refunds, buddy.
6turtle9 over 3 years ago
Acoustic mantras not optional. Yeh! It’s a Frog Applause sing along! How toot-sweet it is. All Together now…
Is this the real life?
Is this just comic fantasy?
Caught in a landslide
No escape from reality….
painedsmile over 3 years ago
Throughout the day on August 27th, 1883, people around the Pacific would look up to the sky and scratch their heads. Their eyes saw blue skies, fluffy white clouds and no signs of rain and yet they heard thunder. In Australia, people remarked that the army or navy must have been doing drills out of sight because the sound of cannon fire and gunfire could be heard intermittently in places such as Perth. Men on ships looked around frantically for signs of storm or foe but saw nothing.What had been mistaken for thunder and cannon calls was the distant rumble of the loudest sound ever recorded making its way around the globe.
This remarkable sound was created by the ancient volcano Krakatoa. On August 27th, the mountain blew itself to pieces in one of the most violent geologic events in Earth’s history. What had been an island mountain rising over 2,600 feet above the waves of the Indonesian islands was reduced to nothing.The combination of the powerful explosions that ripped through the volcano and the subsequent collapse of the rock into an undersea magma chamber resulted in the loudest sound ever recorded. It clocked in at 310 decibels.
The loudest sound ever created by humans, not by natural causes, was said to be the atomic bomb blasts over Nagasaki and Hiroshima. Those clocked in at around 250 decibels. NASA’s highest recorded decibel reading was 204 and that was the first stage of the Saturn V rocket.
310 decibels is loud enough to kill you. Ear drums rupture between 150 and 160 decibels. That means Krakatoa was exponentially higher on the decibel scale as a sound high enough to cause your ear drums to literally explode. A sound exponentially louder than anything likely to have been heard in thousands, perhaps millions of years.
The explosion was loud enough that this level of noise was recorded many miles away from the site of the blast. A sound of 174 decibels was recorded by barometers 100 miles from Krakatoa.
painedsmile over 3 years ago
continued:
That meant anyone within an 100 mile radius of Krakatoa had a chance of being literally deafened by this sound.
Miles away farther still, the sound was recorded at the same level as an uncovered shotgun blast near your head.
And all the way in Australia, some 2,800 miles distant, an ocean away, it was reported as far off rifle or cannon fire.
That is roughly the same distance between Los Angeles and New York City. Imagine being on the street in Manhattan and hearing something that was occurring in downtown Los Angeles. It’s almost unbelievable. Almost.
Luckily, this event happened in a modern enough time that barometers and other atmospheric pressure sensors were prevalent all over the world. From heavy industry to ships at sea, the resulting shock wave was felt by all. In fact, all sound is is your eardrum detecting and interpreting aerial shock waves.
This sound was so loud that the shock wave was recorded moving around the globe. It circled the globe not once, not twice, but three times before petering out.
The force of the blast was so great, it was reported that an island less than ten miles from the volcano was devoid of all life. Three thousand natives were reportedly killed, most likely due to the force of the shock wave alone.
The sound alone killed them.
On this day, 137 years ago, the most destructive and terrible sound ever recorded was let loose by an unprecedented blast and circled the globe. Nature’s fury was on full display, a fury that humans have only dreamed of matching in their darkest dreams.
Source: https://medium.com/exploring-history/the-loudest-sound-ever-recorded-c1927ef0de4d
Ninette over 3 years ago
Noise appointment: Selected as Town Crier. Ceremony late afternoon.
Mad-ge Dish Soap over 3 years ago
Time for sentry duty.
Mad-ge Dish Soap over 3 years ago
Lets time go by…the ins and outs.
Brass Orchid Premium Member over 3 years ago
The rest? Well, the rest was just noise.
Brass Orchid Premium Member over 3 years ago
They don’t know it is just noise. For them, it has meaning and depth and texture. They’re silly!
Radish the wordsmith over 3 years ago
Is his nose noisy?
coltish1 over 3 years ago
Apparently this actor lost some hearing, because he kept missing his cue in the community theater production of “The Mummy.” Can’t have the main character always entering late.
charles9156 over 3 years ago
looks painful to me
coltish1 over 3 years ago
Contour sheets? Never heard of it.
UltraLameFest2 over 3 years ago
About the red/blue traffic lights… If I had to guess, it might be that red/green colorblindness is common but there is also blue/yellow colorblindness. I don’t think there is red/blue, so you’d at least see one of the colors. Though most places, red is always on top, there used to be lights mounted horizontally, though I haven’t seen that in a while. You’d have to remember red is on the left. It just makes it safer, anyway. Except when you have to fold a fitted sheet, then all hell breaks loose.
Sisyphos over 3 years ago
Well-reinforced against uncontrollable movements, the shattering noise ordained shall in all likelihood cause your eyes to bleed and your throat to convulse, swallowing your tongue and choking. The indescribably painful-cum-pleasurable NOISE will be the last you ever hear, as your eardrums shatter.
Payment must be made in advance.
Have a nice day!
Bill Thompson over 3 years ago
Looks like he finds the experience quite noisome.
3hourtour Premium Member over 3 years ago
…living near a hospital with next door neighbors that had wolves…
…the deaf dumb and blind man…
…pondered whether contoured sheets flapping in the wind…
…was the same as fitted sheets blowing in the breeze…
…since the pinball machine accident he had often wondered about such things…
…did communion really turn into body and blood?…
…was it more than actually just symbolic?…
…was that even possible?…
…the American Flag…
…supposedly just a symbol…
…wasn’t it more?…
…and if it was…
…the wafer & the wine definitely could be, too…
…he just couldn’t shut the noise off in his head…
…until he started taking a teaspoon a morning of Doctor John’s Medicine…
…now, he was learning to channel the noise…
…even writing opinionated pieces on Facebook…
…he called them his noise appointments…
…and today’s lesson was on Rolling Coal…
The Old Wolf over 3 years ago
Silenzia!
The Old Wolf over 3 years ago
On another note, I grew up with contour sheets and Charlie Brown’s lament was perfectly understandable to me as I learned to read from Peanuts™ instead of Dick and Jane.
Mad-ge Dish Soap over 3 years ago
PEACE ON EARTH
Rotifer HEATHEN POTATO WE KNEW YE WELL Thalweg Premium Member over 3 years ago
The middle letter of the second word looks like a pickle.
If it is, I wonder what it’s doing?
Radish the wordsmith over 3 years ago
Do we have to bail Frogbert out of jail again?
Howard'sMyHero over 3 years ago
“In the eary afternoon, standing upright in the canoe, she sighted Hikueru Its wealth of cocoanut palms was gone. Only here and there, at wide intervals, could she see the ragged remnants of trees.“
—Jack London: South Sea Tales: Chapter 1