The Loudest Sound Ever Recorded
It was heard nearly 3,000 miles away, and the shock wave circled the globe three times
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.
Sound and Fury
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.
