The 1883 Krakatau eruption is widely considered history’s loudest sound. Heard 3,000 km away, the eruption reached 170 decibels, enough to cause permanent hearing damage. The 1908 Tunguska meteor blast was similarly powerful, which sent pressure waves around the world. In modern era, the 2022 Hunga Tonga eruption holds the record, producing sound heard by humans thousands of miles away.