WHO AMONG US is unfamiliar with the fact that one of the most common complaints filed to police departments against venues that book live music has long involved the booming volume of that music? The violation of city "noise ordinances" has led to the closing of many a nightclub or tavern over the decades. And while we can sympathize somewhat with the individuals who have rented an apartment or purchased a home while failing to realize that there is a dancehall downstairs, across the alley, or down the street, the forcing such popular places to go out-of-business and shutter their windows and doors is always unfortunate. So, what then would you do if the loud music was emanating, not from an easy target like a rowdy tavern, but rather from the skies? Who you gonna call? How would you seek relief?
Well, for guidance on these matters let's review what occurred one day -- October 8, 1948, to be exact -- in Seattle. That was the day that a Gray's Harbor County man named E.R. Jackson decided to test what he called the "world's largest" loudspeaker by blasting musical selections through it from his Cessna airplane, while buzzing downtown Seattle. Read on to learn more about that fateful day...
