The world record for the loudest thing ever shouted belongs to an Irish teacher who shouted the word “quiet” at 121 decibels, the equivalent of a jet engine.
Annalisa Flanagan is a primary school teacher at Finaghy, south Belfast. Her amazing feat of becoming the loudest person in human history was not an accident but a deliberate practice toward achieving it. It is actually a genetic trait of her as that loud genome runs through her family.
Even though she admitted that she would be considered on the loud side, the teacher said she had no particular technique.
“I just open my mouth and let rip,” she said. “I was on a TV programme and they took me to the Harley Street Clinic, where a lot of singers would go to get their vocals checked.
“In the end, the expert’s conclusion was that I was so competitive when I set the record, so determined to beat my sister, that it spurred me on.”
However, it is an ability that has diminished slightly over the years particularly after her tonsils were removed.
“I don’t like being measured as much any more, because I’m nervous I won’t really get to be as loud,” she said.
“I can get to around 115 but I haven’t come near 120 in a while. It’s difficult to match the record. I’m not sure if I’m holding back a little bit. Also it hurts my head when I’m on full power.”
Meanwhile, the children she teaches remain suitably impressed by their record-breaking teacher.
“It’s quite sweet actually,” Annalisa said.
“Sometimes I see past pupils who are in their 20s walking past the school gates. They would go: ‘Alright Miss, still the world record holder?’
“It’s just mad that it (the record) has stuck this long.”
