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Prior to this time the police force had to rely on hand rattles [1] [2] and whistles were only thought of as musical instruments or toys. His whistle is still used by the force and many others worldwide. He later invented the first referee whistle for football matches, prior to this handkerchiefs were used at games.
Whistles have been around since early humans first carved out a gourd or branch and found they could make sound with it. In prehistoric Egypt, small shells were used as whistles. [1] Many present day wind instruments are inheritors of these early whistles. With the rise of more mechanical power, other forms of whistles have been developed. [2]
Stamps of a particular model or popular names at one time or another, include "International", "The King's Own" or "Taxi Call". Acme supplied the original ship's mates' whistles [6] used aboard the RMS Titanic in 1912. In 2012 a replica of this whistle was created to mark the 100 year anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic.
An offstage whistle audible to the audience in the middle of a performance might also be considered bad luck. Transcendental whistling ( chángxiào 長嘯) was an ancient Chinese Daoist technique of resounding breath yoga, and skillful whistlers supposedly could summon supernatural beings, wild animals, and weather phenomena.
The tin whistle in its modern form is from a wider family of fipple flutes which have been seen in many forms and cultures throughout the world. [2] In Europe, such instruments have a long and distinguished history and take various forms, of which the most widely known are the recorder, tin whistle, Flabiol, Txistu and tabor pipe.
Watches were worn during the Franco-Prussian War (1870–1871), and by the time of the Boer War (1899–1902), watches had been recognised as a valuable tool. [184] Early models were essentially standard pocket watches fitted to a leather strap, but, by the early 20th century, manufacturers began producing purpose-built wristwatches.
Large diameter, low-pitched steam whistles were used on light houses, likely beginning in the 1850s. [2] The earliest use of steam whistles was as boiler low-water alarms [3] in the 18th century [4] and early 19th century. [5] During the 1830s, whistles were adopted by railroads [6] and steamship companies. [7]
Some time before 1799, the siren was invented by the Scottish natural philosopher John Robison. [3] Robison's sirens were used as musical instruments; specifically, they powered some of the pipes in an organ. Robison's siren consisted of a stopcock that opened and closed a pneumatic tube. The stopcock was apparently driven by the rotation of a ...