What is Morse Code?

Since today is Morse Code Day, lets see where it started and how it's used!

According to Britannica.com, "The term Morse Code refers to either of two systems for representing letters of the alphabet, numerals, and punctuation marks by an arrangement of dots, dashes, and spaces. The codes are transmitted as electrical pulses of varied lengths or analogous mechanical or visual signals, such as flashing lights. The two systems are the original “American” Morse Code and the later International Morse Code, which became the global standard."

Though similar, the International Morse Code is simpler and more precise. International Morse Code uses a combination of of dots and short dashes for all letters whereas the original code used patterns of dots and spaces to represent a few of the letters. 

Also different is that the International Morse Code uses dashes of the same length rather than the variable lengths used in the original Morse Code.

One of the systems was invented in the U.S. during the 1830's by Samuel F.B. Morse, an artist and inventor.This version was later improved by American Scientist and Businessman Alfred Lewis Vail, assistant and partner to Morse. 

Not long after it's introduction to Europe, it became clear that the original Morse Code was not sufficient for the communication of much non-English text. To remedy this, the International Morse Code was constructed by a conference of European nations in 1851. 

International Morse Code was used in World War II and in the Korean and Vietnam wars. It was used greatly by the shipping industry and for the safety of the seas up until the early 1990's.

Morse code has been used to assist in technology, helping people with a variety of disabilities to communicate. IE: The Android operating system versions 5.0 and higher allow users to input text using Morse Code as an alternative to a keypad or handwriting recognition.

Watch this video to learn more!

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