{{Short description|Instrument which produces sound from a stream of forced air}} {{Hatnote group| {{For|whistling without the help of the instrument|Whistling}} {{Other uses}} }} {{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}} [[File:Pea Whistle.jpg|thumb|A metal pea whistle]] [[File:V29D_Fixed_Whistle.stl|thumb|A 3D-printable whistle]]
A '''whistle''' {{audio|En-us-whistle.ogg|Pronunciation}} is a [[musical instrument]] which produces sound from a stream of gas, most commonly air. The whistle makes a high-pitched, piercing, and shrill sound. It is a type of [[Fipple|fipple flute]], and may be mouth-operated, or powered by air pressure, steam, or other means. Whistles vary in size from a small slide whistle or [[nose flute]] type to a large multi-piped [[Organ (music)|church organ]].
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.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Arroyos |first1=Rafael Pérez |title=Egypt: Music in the Age of the Pyramids |date=2003 |publisher=Centro de Estudios Egipcios |location=Madrid |isbn=978-8493279615 |page=28 |edition=1st}}</ref> Many present day [[Wind instrument|wind instruments]] are inheritors of these early whistles. With the rise of more mechanical power, other forms of whistles have been developed.<ref name=":0">{{Cite journal |date=2020-09-01 |title=An ancient whistle was crafted from a human thigh bone |journal=[[Nature (journal)|Nature]] |language=en |volume=585 |issue=7824 |page=163 |doi=10.1038/d41586-020-02509-9 |s2cid=221465463 |doi-access=free }}</ref>
[[File:Party whistle on radio.jpg|thumb|right|A party whistle]] One characteristic of a whistle is that it creates a pure, or nearly pure, [[Musical tone|tone]]. The conversion of flow energy to sound comes from an interaction between a solid material and a fluid stream. The forces in some whistles are sufficient to set the solid material in motion. Classic examples are [[wikt:Aeolian|Aeolian]] tones that result in [[Conductor gallop|galloping power lines]], or the [[Tacoma Narrows Bridge (1940)|Tacoma Narrows Bridge]] (the so-called "Galloping Gertie" of popular media). Other examples are circular disks set into vibration.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Chanaud |first1=Robert C. |date=1970 |title=Observations of Oscillatory Radial Flow between a Fixed Disk and a Free Disk |journal=[[The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America]] |volume=47 |issue=5B |pages=1471–2 |doi=10.1121/1.1912065|bibcode=1970ASAJ...47.1471C }}</ref>
==History==
===Early whistles===
[[File:Carved whalebone whistle dated 1821. London. 8 cm long.jpg|thumb|Carved [[whalebone]] whistle dated 1821. 8 cm long.]] [[File:Quillacinga clay whistle.jpg|thumb|Quillacinga clay whistle, c. 1250–1500 AD, at the [[Museum of Texas Tech University]].]] Whistles made of bone or wood have been used for thousands of years.<ref name=":0" /> Whistles were used by the Ancient Greeks to keep the stroke of [[galley]] slaves. Archaeologists have found a terracotta whistle at the ruins of the ancient Greek city of [[Assos]], most probably a child's toy placed in a child's grave as a burial gift.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Ancient whistle found in Assos|url=https://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/ancient-whistle-found-in-assos-177792|date=19 October 2022|access-date=2023-02-11|website=Hürriyet Daily News|language=en|archive-date=4 November 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221104202326/https://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/ancient-whistle-found-in-assos-177792|url-status=live}}</ref> The English used whistles during the [[Crusades]] to signal orders to archers. [[Boatswain's call|Bosun's whistles]] were also used in the [[Age of Sail]] aboard naval vessels to issue commands and salute dignitaries.
===Joseph Hudson===
[[Joseph Hudson (inventor)|Joseph Hudson]] set up [[J Hudson & Co]] in [[Birmingham]] in 1870. With his younger brother James, he designed the "Acme City" [[brass]] whistle. This became the first [[Referee (association football)|referee]] whistle used at association [[Association football|football]] matches during the [[1878–79 FA Cup|1878–79 Football Association Cup]] match between Nottingham Forest and Sheffield. Prior to the introduction of the whistle, [[Handkerchief|handkerchiefs]] were used by the umpires to signal to the players.<ref>{{Cite web |title=History of the Whistle |url=https://www.gdfra.org.au/history_of_the_whistle.htm |access-date=2022-06-30 |website=Granville District Football Referees Association |archive-date=21 June 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170621012006/http://gdfra.org.au/history_of_the_whistle.htm |url-status=dead }}</ref>
[[File:Bobbypfeife.ogg|thumb|A police whistle being blown]] In 1883, he began experimenting with pea-whistle designs that could produce an intense sound that could grab attention from over a mile away. His invention was discovered by accident when he dropped his violin and it shattered on the floor.{{Dubious|date=December 2025|reason=Violins don't "shatter" when dropped.}} Observing how the discordant sound of the breaking strings travelled ([[Trill (music)|trill effect]]), Hudson had the idea to put a [[pea]] in the whistle.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |last=Hernandez |first=Daisy |date=2020-04-30 |title=Why We've Blown the Police Whistle for 150 Years |url=https://www.popularmechanics.com/culture/a32316416/acme-whistles-made-here-video/ |access-date=2022-06-30 |website=[[Popular Mechanics]] |language=en-US |archive-date=11 March 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240311075215/https://www.popularmechanics.com/culture/a32316416/acme-whistles-made-here-video/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Prior to this, whistles were much quieter and were only thought of as musical instruments or toys for children. After observing the problems that local police were having with effectively communicating with [[Ratchet (instrument)|rattles]],<ref>{{cite web |last=Cross |first=David |date=2011-02-17 |title=On the Beat in Birmingham - Rules and regulations |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/history/british/victorians/beat_01.shtml |access-date=11 March 2014 |website=[[British Broadcasting Corporation|BBC]] |quote=Police whistles came much later; the early Victorian constable would have carried a small wooden rattle. |archive-date=15 April 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230415060815/https://www.bbc.co.uk/history/british/victorians/beat_01.shtml |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |year=2003 |title=The Victorian Police Rattle Mystery |url=http://www.constabulary.com/mystery/rattle.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050218125210/http://www.constabulary.com/mystery/rattle.htm |archive-date=2005-02-18 |access-date=2022-06-30 |website=The Constabulary}}</ref> he realised that his whistle designs could be used as an effective aid to their work.<ref name=":1" /><ref name="acme">{{Cite web|url=https://www.acmewhistles.co.uk/the-first-whistle|title=The First Whistle|website=Acmewhistles.co.uk|access-date=12 January 2021|archive-date=11 December 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231211125403/https://www.acmewhistles.co.uk/the-first-whistle|url-status=live}}</ref> [[File:Pio nº 20 de jatobá (2), Fábrica de Pios Maurílio Coelho.jpg|thumb|Bird whistle]] Hudson demonstrated his whistle to [[Scotland Yard]] and was awarded his first contract in 1884. Both rattles and whistles were used to call for back-up in areas where neighbourhood beats overlapped, and following their success in the [[Metropolitan Police]] of [[London]], the whistle was adopted by most police forces in the United Kingdom.<ref name=":1" />
=== World War I === During [[World War I]], [[Officer (armed forces)|officers]] of the [[British Army]] and [[United States Army]] used whistles to communicate with troops, command [[Charge (warfare)|charges]] and warn when [[artillery]] pieces were going to fire.<ref name=":2">{{Cite web |date=2014-06-04 |title=Biscuits, puttees and ACME whistles |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-25879184 |access-date=2022-06-30 |website=[[BBC News]] |language=en-GB |archive-date=30 June 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220630203503/https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-25879184 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Williamson |first=Lori |date=2017-09-24 |title=US Army Trench Whistle |url=https://www.mnhs.org/blog/collectionsupclose/9157 |access-date=2022-06-30 |website=[[Minnesota Historical Society]] |language=en}}</ref> Most whistles used by the British were manufactured by J & Hudson Co.<ref name=":2" />
==See also==
* [[Vessel flute]] (acoustics of whistles and tunable whistles) * [[Low whistle]] (low-pitched [[tinwhistle]] or [[flageolet]]) * [[Liquid whistle]] (mixes fluids) * [[Physics of whistles]] * [[Firedamp whistle]] (for detecting [[methane]] in mines) * [[Whistler (radio)]] (very low frequency radio feature caused by lightning and atmospheric effects) * [[Rossby whistle]] (climate oscillation of the Caribbean)
==References== <references />
==External links== * {{commons-inline|Category:Whistles|whistles}} * {{Wiktionary-inline}} * {{Cite EB1911|wstitle=Whistle|volume=28|pages=595–596}} * [http://ludowe.instrumenty.edu.pl/en/instruments/show/instrument/4697 Whistle (''Polish folk musical instruments)'']
{{Flutes}} {{Whistles}} {{Orienteering}} {{Authority control}}
[[Category:Internal fipple flutes]] [[Category:Whistles| ]] [[Category:Blown percussion instruments]] [[Category:English musical instruments]] [[Category:Sports officiating technology]] [[Category:Toy instruments and noisemakers]]