What Is The Biggest Fart Ever Recorded?
There are a few different ways to answer this question, depending on how you define "biggest." If you're talking about the loudest fart ever recorded, that would be Paul Hunn, also known as "Mr. Methane." Hunn holds the Guinness World Record for the loudest human fart, which was clocked at a whopping 106 decibels. But if you're talking about the longest-lasting or most powerful fart ever recorded, that title goes to Joseph Pujol—better known by his stage name Le Pétomane—a professional French flatulist (fartiste) who performed in Parisian music halls in the late 19th century.
Pujol's extraordinary ability was first discovered by accident when he was just a boy. While taking a bath one day, he noticed that he could hold water in his anus and then expel it at will. He soon realized that he could control his anal sphincter muscles to such an extent that he could produce sounds and even imitate musical instruments with them. After perfecting his technique, Pujol began performing professionally under the stage name Le Pétomane ("the Fartiste").
At his peak during the 1890s, Pujol was earning up to $150 per week—a small fortune at the time—and regularly selling out shows at some of Paris's most prestigious venues. He became something of a celebrity and even caught the attention of famous figures like Oscar Wilde and Mark Twain (who both reportedly attended one of his performances).
So what made Pujol's farts so special? For starters, they were incredibly long-lasting; according to some reports, he could sustain a single emission for over two minutes without taking a breath! And unlike many other flatulists who simply relied on intestinal gas for their act (which can be quite smelly), Pujol actually used food and drink to create different sounds and smells onstage. He would consume things like onions or garlic before going on stage in order to make his farts stinkier; alternatively, if he wanted them to make more noise, he would eat dried peas or beans beforehand. This gave him an incredible amount of control over both the volume and odor of his emissions—something no other fartiste has been able to match since.