Being referred to as a loud person isn’t always a compliment. But for a certain subset of people—the really, really loud, that is—it’s a skill they’re quite proud of.

It can even bring them global recognition and, for at least one of them, a Guinness World Record.

Australian “town crier” crowned World’s Loudest

Believe it or not, The World’s Loudest Person is a record tracked by Guinness World Records. For decades, it was held by one woman: an Irish schoolteacher named Annalisa Flanagan.

Flanagan set her World Record by reaching a vocal magnitude of 121.7 decibels back in 1994. For over 30 years, her record was untouchable. That is, until a humble air conditioning cleaner from Australia came along.

Joseph McGrail-Bateup was recently crowned the new World’s Loudest Person, hitting a peak of 122.4 decibels. To set the record, he yelled the word “now” at the........

© Upworthy