All’s fair in love and war. In times of conflict, people will use any tool at their disposal as a weapon against adversaries, and sound is no exception. Much like the military helicopters in Apocalypse Now blasting out “Ride of the Valkyries” as they swarm ominously over Vietnam, sonic warfare techniques have played a vital role in many real-life combat situations.

In recent years, the Israeli military’s acoustic blaster Scream has been wheeled out on occasions to dispel Palestinian protestors from the Gaza border, similar to how sound cannons were deployed by riot police at the Ferguson demonstrations. That said, weaponized sound is hardly a modern phenomenon; there are examples dating back to the Troubles in the early 1970s and further still to Nazi propaganda music during World War II

Whether it’s nausea-inducing ultrasonic signals or ear-splitting Guns N’ Roses, acoustic weapons have a deep and fascinating history. Here are ten examples.

10 The Overthrow Of Manuel Noriega

General Manuel Noriega cut a fearsome figure in Latin American politics. As the de facto leader of Panama throughout most of the 1980s, he earned a formidable reputation as a ruthless, repressive dictator comparable to the notorious Augusto Pinochet. His purported crimes include the harassment and intimidation of opponents, orchestrating drug smuggling into Miami, and the torture and murder of physician Hugo Spadafora.

Initially, Noriega had been a close ally of the US; under Nixon, he helped arrange the release of two American freighters from Cuba. However, relationships gradually soured, and in 1989, amid claims of drug trafficking and a corrupt presidential election, the US staged an invasion of Panama. Noriega sought refuge in the Vatican embassy in Panama City.

US troops soon had the embassy surrounded, and on Christmas Day 1989, they began a campaign of psychological warfare to force Noriega out of power. The US Army blared out an endless playlist of rock and heavy metal bands on loudspeakers at the building. Several of the tracks were specifically chosen to humiliate the dictator and his crumbled regime, such as The Clash’s “I Fought The Law” and the Van Halen song “Panama.” After three days of relentless exposure, the music was turned off, and on January 3, 1990, Noriega surrendered.

The US has repeated these tactics on numerous occasions. Texas law enforcement agents are reported to have played loud pop music and Tibetan chants as part of the Waco siege of the Branch Davidian cult in 1993. During a 2010 campaign in Afghanistan, Marines reportedly blasted Metallica and Thin Lizzy into Marjah villages for hours at a time.^[1]

9 The Israeli Scream

In terms of new-generation military equipment, Israel is one of the undisputed global front-runners—so much so that in 2017, they were described by the New York Post as having “the most technologically advanced military on Earth.” The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) have stood firmly at the cutting edge of a multitude of developments in recent years. Unmanned vehicles patrol the borders with Gaza and Syria. Israeli spy satellites monitor the country’s enemies from miles above the clouds. In 2000, with the launch of the Arrow system, Israel proudly announced that it had developed the first working system for intercepting ballistic missiles.

One of the IDF’s innovations is a less-than-lethal sonic weapon named Scream. The sound gun was first deployed in 2011, when demonstrators began hurling stones and burning tires in protest against the ongoing occupation. The high-tech weapon fired sonic pulses at the rioters at the checkpoint between Jerusalem and Ramallah. The protesters were left with feelings of nausea and dizziness.^[2]

8 The Squawk Box In Northern Ireland

The issue of Northern Ireland has always been a contentious one in the UK and remains so to this day, but as the violence of the Troubles spilled over into the 1970s, tensions neared breaking point. In January 1973—only a year after the infamous Bloody Sunday attacks saw 14 civilians shot dead by the British Army—mass rioting broke out across the streets of Derry. Throughout that year, reports of people losing their lives to the conflict surfaced on a near-weekly basis. Many of them were civilians killed in violent bomb attacks.

In an attempt to quell the escalating resistance movement, the British Army developed a sonic weapon for what they described as the “non-violent” dispersal of rioters. The device emitted two ultrasonic signals with similar but not identical frequencies. In isolation, these signals were relatively harmless—the frequencies were barely low enough to be audible. However, when the two combined in the ear, the result was said to be ear-splitting. A number of people targeted by the device reported feelings of giddiness and nausea. A handful even passed out.

This repellent machine, named the Squawk Box, was thought to have been developed by a team of researchers at the army’s barracks in Lisburn, a city a few miles outside Belfast. The box was favored for its direct precision; the beam was so calculated that it could pinpoint individual targets during a riot.

Although New Scientist magazine reported on the development at the time, the British Army was reticent to divulge much information about the device. The exact range and power of the Squawk Box is unknown, as is the number of cases during which it was deployed.^[3]

7 Havana Syndrome

From the minute Fidel Castro and his band of revolutionaries drove General Fulgencio Batista out of Cuba, the United States has used any means available to them in their attempts to overthrow the socialist government. While the Bay of Pigs invasion fell flat, the ongoing US-imposed embargo has severely limited the island’s access to trade and tourism—costing the Cuban economy a reported $130 billion. Other attacks on the Cuban government have seemed more like something out of a James Bond movie. During the 1960s, the CIA’s failed plans to assassinate Castro included poisoning his ice cream, drugging his cigars with hallucinogens, and the infamous attempt to conceal a hypodermic needle inside a pen.

However, in recent years, it seems that US government personnel in Havana have also come under attack. As the relationship between the US and Cuba grows increasingly taut, accusations have flown over strange incidents of potential sonic warfare: Havana Syndrome. From late 2016 to August 2017, staff at the US Embassy in Havana suffered a number of neurological health issues after hearing a high-pitched whining noise in their homes and hotels. Twenty-four diplomats reported feelings of nausea, dizziness, and headaches, with many experiencing long-term symptoms like cognitive dysfunction and sleep impairment.^[4]

It was initially reported by the US that the illnesses were induced by a sophisticated acoustic attack. After all, it was highly suspicious that a varied group of people with no history of head trauma would all experience similar symptoms around the same time. Further evidence appeared to verify this explanation after US personnel released a recording of buzzing drone noise to the Associated Press. Government officials told reporters that they were investigating the possibility that a third country was behind the attacks, perhaps in an attempt to widen the divide between the US and Cuba.

However, following investigation from the University of Pennsylvania, several scientists expressed doubts that the sickness was caused by an external stimulus. Some scientists have even claimed that the recording was not an audio device at all but the mating call of a Caribbean cricket.

6 The Mosquito Alarm

The Mosquito Alarm is a highly controversial device, designed to disperse groups of teenagers from public areas. The alarm, which was first sold commercially in Britain over a decade ago, emits an irritating high-pitched tone that is supposedly only audible to people younger than 25. In less than ten minutes, the grating whine is said to be able to move loiterers on from car parks or outside shops. From personal experience as a teenager in Britain, I can confirm it’s a horrible metallic din.

Naturally, the squalling Mosquito has amassed several detractors. UK advocacy group Liberty have claimed that the alarm infringes on young people’s fundamental human rights. Various campaigners have called for it to be banned. The device indiscriminately causes distress to young people passing by. Under-25s with no intention of loitering will still be “stung” by the mosquito, including those with sensitive hearing, like babies and children with autism.

Thousands have been sold in the UK to date, with police forces and city councils among the purchasers. Only a few cities like Edinburgh and Kent have actually taken to prohibiting the Mosquito. In spite of many objections, it seems the anti-teenage buzz will continue.^[5]

5 Deterring Pirates

Acoustic weapons are a popular choice for ships arming themselves against a pirate invasion, and on some occasions, they’ve been brilliantly effective. When the cruise liner Seabourn Spirit was attacked by pirates near the coast of Somalia in November 2005, the security team managed to stave off their armed assailants with a sonic cannon and a high-pressure water hose. Under fire from grenades and rocket launchers, security officer Michael Groves deployed a Long Range Acoustic Device (LRAD) to safeguard the boat’s 300-plus passengers. Groves and his colleague Som Bahadur Gurung, who was injured in the skirmish, were subsequently awarded honors by the Queen for their bravery.^[6]

Although the LRAD was successful for Seabourn Spirit, a few years later, a US chemical tanker would not share the same fortune. In 2008, pirates mounted a vicious attack on M/V Biscaglia, again in waters near Somalia—only on this occasion, when security fired up their sonic blaster, the invading crew shrugged it off. The security team later told writers for British newspaper The Mirror : “We thought it would make the pirates back off, but they just laughed. It was a total waste of time.”

While the pirates brandished automatic assault rifles, Biscaglia’s security were left trying to fend them off with scaffolding poles and flare guns. In the end, their only option was to dive from the tanker into the water—a 15-meter (50 ft) drop—to avoid being killed.

4 Nazi Propaganda Music

Germany has a proud history of revered classical composers—Beethoven, Bach, and Wagner, to name a few. In fact, the tradition is so rich and deeply entrenched that some thinkers have been inspired to describe music as “the most German of the arts.” For this reason, music became a significant weapon in the arsenal of the Third Reich.

During the 1930s, the rising popularity of modernist styles like swing and jazz was viewed as degenerate by various pockets of German society. Several nationalists saw these trends, often performed by Jewish and African-American musicians, as a symptom of the decaying culture they yearned to preserve.

With a clear hostility to modern trends appearing, music was utilized by the Nazi Party as a way to stoke nationalist sentiment and instill people with what they saw as traditional German values. On top of this, it was a valuable tool for attracting new supporters. Songs concerning Hitler and the Third Reich were regularly performed at rallies during World War II; the anti-Soviet propaganda piece “Horst-Wessel-Lied” was a particularly popular choice. The Hitler Youth even established their own prodigious music program.

The Nazi’s regime of cultural propaganda was wildly successful in keeping spirits high and widening the support for their far-right politics. As Joseph Goebbels remarked: “Music affects the heart and emotions more than the intellect. Where then could the heart of a nation beat stronger than in the huge masses, in which the heart of a nation has found its true home?”^[7]

3 Wildlife Preservation

Humans aren’t the only species to be targeted and manipulated by sonic weapons. Across the globe, sound cannons are blasting out harsh tones in order to deter local animals and prevent wildlife-related damage. Some can even be programmed to mimic the call of a predator.

Wind farms, oil platforms, and vineyards are among some of the businesses known to use acoustic systems to protect their assets from attack.^[8] For example, over the better part of the last decade, LRAD units have played an integral role in reducing the number of bird strikes on the Guglielmo Marconi Airport in Bologna, Italy. Elsewhere, villagers in Northern Canada have begun to use them as a humane defense against polar bear attacks.

2 US Riot Police

In recent years, sound cannons have been an effective tool for police in the United States to intimidate and disperse protesters. In 2014, the shooting of Michael Brown sparked enormous anger across the country. Demonstrators in Ferguson, Missouri, took to the streets, enraged by the death of another young black man at the hands of law enforcement.

To stave them off, police deployed a LRAD similar to the one used against Somali pirates. Initially, the device issues vocal instructions for crowds to clear the area, followed by a piercing deterrent tone that has been known to induce headaches. The ear-splitting sonic blaster, an LRAD 500X-RA, ranges over 2,000 meters (6,600 ft) and can achieve a maximum volume of 149 decibels. To put that in perspective, 120 decibels is the discomfort threshold above which a sound becomes painful, and after 130 decibels, you face possible hearing loss.^[9]

This is hardly the first time a US police force has used a sound cannon to clear out protestors. Similar tactics were used by the NYPD during the Occupy Wall Street movement of 2011, and in 2016, LRADs were deployed on several occasions as police stepped up their aggression against the Dakota Access Pipeline protests.

1 CIA Torture

In 2014, the Senate Intelligence Committee published an extensive report disclosing a number fascinating and disturbing facts about CIA torture techniques. Among the controversial revelations was the use of “sound disorientation techniques” at the COBALT facility, similar to those reported at Guantanamo Bay in 2008. The report describes how prisoners were detained in shackles in an unlit cell and prevented from falling asleep by repeatedly playing loud music for extended periods of time. This psychological attack disorientates and intimidates detainees, with the aim of eventually “breaking” them into submission.

On top of this, certain songs were used as a form of conditioning to let prisoners know that another torture session was imminent. Before the interrogation of suspected terrorist Ramzi bin al-Shibh, staff would taunt him with the Blues Brothers’ “Rawhide.” Traditional American genres like metal and country are favored by the CIA. These styles are deliberately chosen because the foreign, alien sounds have a disorienting effect on prisoners from the Middle East, thus exacerbating the torment.^[10]

For as long as any of us can remember, there has always been much debate surrounding the topic of to what extent civilians should be able to legally arm themselves. For most, this hot button issue revolves around firearms and the limits, or lack thereof, their ownership. However, this discussion is unimportant to the more creative deviant. I am speaking, of course, about those specially trained civilians who, in a Jason Bourne-esque fashion have the keen ability to turn common household items into deadly weapons. The most experienced of this elite group will tell you that when you are in a situation where a course of violence must be taken, the best thing to be armed with is nothing more than the various sauces found all around your kitchen. In this list, I will be taking you on a journey through the top ten times in our history where sauce has been weaponized. Whether it be for personal gain, defense, or just to add a splash of chaos to the daily routine- all of these individuals have found sauces coming to their aid as they venture into the dangerous world.

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10 Striking with Soy Sauce

Ricky Tong of Heaton Village, UK was minding his own business when all of a sudden, his quiet evening in his corner shop was intruded upon by a would be robber wielding a bottle of soy sauce. The man entered unarmed, and immediately grabbed a bottle of Tong’s own sauce and used it against him like a weapon. It is a scary thought to think of our sauces being used against us, but that is the reality of this scary world we live in. Tong was understandably frightened, but stood his ground as the menacing man threatened him with the popular Asian condiment. Tong said “I was determined to make sure he didn’t get anything, I wasn’t scared at the time. There was only one of him and all he had was a sauce bottle.” The wielder of the sauce, a sixteen year old from a nearby town, faced a trial with an unknown outcome.^[1]

9 Lethal Spice

Lethal Spice is not in fact the sixth Spice Girl, it is however referring to a new weapons development in the US Military. The United States Military, in its continual efforts to be the absolute powerhouse of armed forces, has decided to kick things up a notch with the VKS PepperBall Launcher. This non-lethal weapon will essentially launch small, concentrated balls filled with hot sauce at enemies of the state. It is clear the US Military has seen what their civilians are able to accomplish armed only with condiments; understandably, they wanted to see what trained professionals could make happen when loaded up with the same weaponry.^[2]

8 Petty Dispute Solved by Sauce

Two roommates at Lakewood University in Illinois were in the heat of an argument when one of them decided to be the victor of said argument and picked up a bottle of hot sauce (the brand of hot sauce has not been disclosed at this time). The fight, which began with one roommate taking all of the lightbulbs from around the living area ended with the other roommate hurling a bottle of hot sauce accompanied by a cast iron skillet at the offending roommate’s door. Sauce again proved to be an effective and useful weapon in this scenario; of course, the cast iron skillet played some role in the conquest- but that is for a different article.^[3]

7 It’s Steak Sauce Innit’?

The case of the mysterious brown substance was solved in Northern London by two officers of the London Police who, on one fateful night, decided to investigate an oddly smelling vehicle only to find themselves being rushed to the hospital moments later. The officers approached the car and before they knew it were covered in an “unknown brown substance” and were then taken to the hospital as a precautionary measure. Once at the hospital, a team of medical professionals were able to reason through the powers of deduction that the substance was none other than HP Sauce, a common steak sauce in the UK and the United States. It just goes to show the innovation and average cunningness of the typical Londoner. No arrests were made.^[4]

6 Tomatoes of Terror

Things in Oregon have always seemed pretty chill: an excess of natural beauty, the charming streets of Portland, and the many quaint towns all throughout the state. But, as we have seen previously, whenever sauce is brought into the equation, things have the potential to get spicy, and boy did they on one fateful evening in March of 2018 in Coos Bay, Oregon. Lavigne, a stand up citizen, had been out doing meth with some friends and what had been a fun and flirty time with the gals turned ugly when Lavigne arrived home around 3 A.M. to her worried husband. Lavigne’s husband reportedly asked where she had been out so late when he was unexpectedly taken out by a can of flying tomato sauce. Lavigne, clearly a talented and possibly trained individual, knew exactly what would shut him up and couldn’t have hoped for better results. Lavigne’s husband ran to the police, and officers were able to subdue Lavigne shortly after, though I highly doubt they would have been able to if she had stocked up on more ragu.^[5]

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5 Cops Should Stick to the Doughnuts they Know

At a local Denny’s in the town of Lebanon, New Hampshire, a grillman took vigilante justice into his own hands. The man of action, Michael Towne, a twenty year old at the time decided to fight back against what he thought was unjust police work with the only tools he had at his disposal, a large bottle of Tabasco hot sauce and the officers’ breakfast orders. Towne seems to have been biding his time to make his big move until the perfect opportunity arose. Said opportunity came waltzing into his Denny’s one day in the form of two policemen hungry for some eggs. The officers had no idea what had hit them when they bit into Michael Towne’s specialty that I have titled “Hot Justice”. Both were furious and one officer claimed to have one very bad case of an upset stomach. Towne, who thought he was simply playing a prank, was charged with assault of an officer for giving them food that was too spicy for their tum tums. Luckily, the judge was on the side of Towne and he lives on serving up justice aided by his weapon of choice wherever he feels needed.^[6]

4 Spicy Revenge

Adding to the long list of proud moments in Florida’s extensive and checkered history is Esmerelda Lopez and her trusty bottle of hot sauce. One night in Pasco County, Lopez and her husband got into something of a tussle. Esmerelda, being the handy woman she was, turned to her surroundings for something to defend herself and low and behold she found her savior in the form of an open bottle of hot sauce on the counter. Lopez proceeded to strike her husband in the face before “pouring hot sauce” in her husband’s eyes.^[7]

3 Boom Boom Sauce

With a name like “Boom Boom Sauce” I don’t know what the popular chain of gas stations Sheetz were expecting, but how they didn’t see something like this coming is beyond me. On a warm July night this past summer, at 1:10 a.m., a motley crew of young boys nicknamed by the media “the sauce tossers” drove up to their soon to be victim, who without a moment to react was assaulted with wave after wave of Sheetz Boom Boom Sauce. It is still unclear where the team got such a large supply of Boom Boom Sauce, but police are looking into it. The Boom Boom Sauce does in fact contain cayenne pepper, leading us to the conclusion that this was not the sauce tossers’ first rodeo- they clearly had some experience in the weaponization of sauce arena and are still at large to this day.^[8]

2 Assault with a Deadly Sauce

If you had been living your life up until this moment in blissful ignorance of how potentially dangerous sauce can be, I warn you that our next sauce master was seasoning to kill. At a karaoke night in a local Austin, TX bar, in the summer of 2017, two regulars got into a brawl which was ended by one of the two launching a bottle of the popular Valentina brand hot sauce across the bar. The bottle was thrown by one Elsa Martin Garcia, who has some mighty fine aim by the sound of it. Garcia was later booked for assault with a deadly weapon as the bottle of Valentina broke upon colliding with the other participants head, slicing open their face and filling their wounds with a peppery sauce. Beware who you offend at your local karaoke night, you never know what kinds of sauces the bar might stock.^[9]

1 Put Your Hands Where I can See Em’ or I’ll Sauce Ya.

In the small town of Valley, AL a faceful of sauce was the last thing a 73 year old store clerk expected when a one Michael Brisky came into her store asking to buy some candy. Brisky, 42, went up to the register with two pieces of candy to purchase. When the clerk opened the register, Brisky proceeded to throw a cup of hot sauce he had previously prepared for just this situation, in her eyes. Such an abrupt change of pace for the elderly woman getting blasted in the face by copious amounts of hot sauce was clearly more than enough to catch her off guard. In her temporary blindness and confusion, Brisky was able to clean the register of all cash and book it out the door. He was caught some while later, and charged with robbery. It just goes to show you, if you are at all talented in the ancient art of sauce defense- use your gift for good, help others and spread your knowledge.^[10]

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About the author: My name is Lane Griffiths. I am an aspiring creative working in New York trying to get my life started during these weird times, check out more of my work on my instagram page.–@luan.griffiths