Krakatoa burst eardrums 40 miles away — then got louder

On August 27, 1883, sailors aboard the Norham Castle — roughly 40 miles from Krakatoa — had their eardrums ruptured by an eruption that was still building. The blast was reportedly heard nearly 3,000 miles away, and its pressure wave circled the globe multiple times on barographs worldwide. This is the story of the loudest sound in recorded history. Chapters: 00:00 A quiet island in the Sunda Strait 01:45 The warning eruptions of May 1883 04:10 August 26 — the sky turns black 06:30 The four explosions of August 27 09:15 Heard around the world 11:40 Tsunamis and the human cost 14:20 The pressure wave that circled the Earth 16:00 Anak Krakatau — the child returns Summary: In August 1883, the volcanic island of Krakatoa in the Dutch East Indies (modern Indonesia) destroyed itself in a series of cataclysmic explosions. The final blast is widely considered the loudest sound in recorded history — reportedly heard as far as Rodrigues Island, nearly 3,000 miles away — and the resulting tsunamis killed an estimated 36,000 people. Atmospheric pressure waves from the eruption were recorded circling the planet, and volcanic ash altered sunsets worldwide for months. If stories like this keep you up at night in the best way, subscribe for more unlucky history every week. Sources: Simon Winchester, "Krakatoa: The Day the World Exploded" (2003) Royal Society, "The Eruption of Krakatoa and Subsequent Phenomena" (1888) Smithsonian Institution Global Volcanism Program — Krakatau Ship logs of the Norham Castle, August 1883 (as cited in Royal Society report) Question for you: if a sound could be heard 3,000 miles from your home, what would be on the other end of that distance? Tell us in the comments. #Krakatoa #History #Volcano