Morse code

Portrait of Samuel Finley Breese Morse, creator of the Morse Code. Source: Wikipedia

Morse code is one of the earliest forms of modern real-time communication. It used a combination of short and long pulses of sound, light or electrical impulses to represent numbers and letters.

Morse code was originally invented for transmitting information across electrical telegraph systems, but was later used for other purposes such as communicating between naval ships over long distances.

Probably the most famous and well-known phrase in Morse code is *** --- ***, or S.O.S, standing for Save Our Souls. This became the internationally recognised distress signal used by ships, planes and people in all kinds of dangerous situations

Although Morse code was created for Samuel Morse’s telegraph, the concept of Morse code has been around much longer.

Binary code was the forerunner of Morse code, and was first created by Pingala, a scholar, musician and mathematician who lived in ancient India between 400 BC and 200 BC. His binary code used short and long dashes very similar to that of the Morse code, with a long syllable equal in length to two short syllables, to represent musical symbols or meters, rather than letters.

Morse code is still used in certain industries, although it has slowly been replaced by other systems over time. Maritime communication was still using Morse code until 1999, when the Global Maritime Distress Safety System replaced it.

Morse code is one of the most enduring forms of communication to have been invented and has shaped modern history. It is little wonder that when the French navy ceased using Morse code in 1997; the final message was a tribute to the importance of the code:

"Calling all. This is our last cry before our eternal silence."

• A dash is equal to three dots
• A space between parts of the same letter is equal to one dot
• The space between two letters is equal to three dots
• The space between two words is equal to five dots

The Continental (International) code was based on Samuel Morse’s original code, or better known as Railroad or American Morse code.