In 1994, a teacher named Annalisa Flanagan set a record for the loudest shout ever recorded, a feat that has remained unbeaten for over two decades.
Annalisa participated in a competition alongside her twin sister, and no one has managed to match her thunderous voice since.
In fact, her shout was so powerful that it even impressed Slipknot’s lead singer, Corey Taylor, who learned about her during an appearance on the British quiz show QI. For context, QI awards points for interesting answers and penalizes those who give responses based on common misconceptions.
One of the show’s “quite interesting” facts was about the loudest person ever recorded. While you might expect it to be an opera singer, even the loudest in that category, Smilyana Zaharieva, only reached 113 decibels.
Annalisa, however, hit an ear-splitting 121.7 decibels—equivalent to the sound of a chainsaw, and louder than Slipknot’s concerts, which, according to Taylor, top out at 109 decibels. Upon hearing this, Taylor was stunned, remarking, “That’s quite loud. Our shows top out at 109 decibels, and those are quite loud, so 121 is stupid.”
Annalisa’s record-setting moment happened during a church summer camp in 1992, where a record-breaking event was held. Initially, she wasn’t going to participate, finding the idea of a shouting competition embarrassing.
However, when she learned that her twin sister was leading the contest, her competitive spirit kicked in. Her first shout registered at 119.4 decibels, just beating her sister’s 119.1.
Determined to outdo herself, Annalisa went on to produce the 121.7-decibel shout that set the record. She later visited a clinic where vocal experts determined that her drive to outperform her sister likely fueled her ability to achieve such a loud shout.
Despite her powerful voice, Annalisa insists that she doesn’t raise it in the classroom, stating that she’s “not a shouter” when teaching.