Morse Code

On this day in 1840 Samuel F.B. Morse received his patent on what would become known as Morse code. One hundred years later Morse code would still be the system used for the Royal Navy's wireless transmissions. It was even used between aircraft and carrier despite the RAF having happily used voice for many years, but then the navy had never been very good at technological innovation. With the brief exception of HMS Dreadnough (and only then because it was being pushed so hard by the irrepressable technophile Jackie Fisher) the last time that the Royal Navy had had a real technological advantage was during the Elizabethian period when Drake and Hawkins were up against the Spainish Armarda.