text: It should become apparent that sonic booms 
  are a byproduct of supersonic aviation and, 
  with supersonic flight becoming more common- 
  place, the problem is more perplexing. The 
  potential of sonic booms is mostly of 
  the 
  audible nature and nuisance of the disturbance. 
  The damage potential of the ordinary sonic 
  boom is quite small and the principal effects 
  are confined to structures which are extremely 
  low strength, and have characteristic 
  brittle, 
  high residual stresses. In other words, only 
  the extremes of pressure waves generated by 
  airplanes in flight could possibly cause cracked 
  plaster and window glass. Such materials 