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In 1989 a US military action to capture Panamanian dictator, Manuel Noriega, saw him granted sanctuary in the Apostolic Nunciature in Panama City. For the military to have invaded what was effectively an embassy of the Roman Catholic church would have provoked widespread outrage, and so the besieging forces needed a different strategy to capture their man. What they did would be familiar to anyone who has shared a house with a recently born human, or has worked a nightshift—they deprived him and everyone else inside of sleep. In addition to gunning their engines incessantly, they landed helicopters on a bulldozed patch of land, and played very loud rock music for 3 days solid until the Vatican formally complained. Naturally you can find the playlist online.

History does not …