Crank It Up This Thanksgiving

<sup>Today is the start of Thanksgiving in the United States where it has been an officially designated holiday for a long time - since 1863 in fact when it started out as a way of celebrating the year's harvest. It's a time when people look back and reflect upon the good things in life and give thanks.

Many people also stop to think back to the first Pilgrims who landed on the shores of North America - a different time and a very different world from what we have today. It's history with a meaning that still lives on today.

I love history and I suppose what you would call 'old-fashioned' things. Take for example this old crank horn.</sup> 

<sup>It was made by a skilled craftsman around 1880 to the early 1900s. Being over 100 years old, it is a definitive 'antique'. With my fascination for audiosonics and acoustic technology, this old crank horn has special meaning. 

A century ago, there were no sonic horns such as I supply today through www.sonic-horns.com but there was a need for sound technology of a different kind - at sea. It was designed for use by yachts and the instructions tell you how many blasts and of what duration you need to give depending upon your situation. Using only basic technology this piece of equipment still works and we measured the level of blast that it's still capable of - up to 122-125 dBA. Quite incredible! 

This old crank horn is also important to me beause it is part of the chain of events that led up to the development of today's sophisticated acoustic technology. Without the work of the pioneers in the early days of acoustic science, we could not do what we do today. So today I would like to give my thanks to them.</sup>