The Code that Revolutionized Communication
通訊革命：改變通訊方式的密碼
Owain Mckimm
2/26
In the past, sending messages over long distances was a time-consuming and often unreliable task. Letters could take weeks or months to deliver and often went missing. To send messages quickly, such as in military situations, one had to use smoke signals, drums, or even messenger pigeons! All of which were at the mercy of Mother Nature.
In the 1830s, however, an American inventor named Samuel Morse came up with a system for sending messages using electricity. The system was fast and reliable. Electrical pulses were sent through wires between stations, which could be many miles apart. This allowed almost instant communication over vast distances. But in order to allow people to make sense of the pulses, Morse needed to develop a special code.
The code, which came to be known as Morse code, takes each number, letter, and punctuation mark and assigns it a pattern of short and long pulses called dots and dashes, respectively. Commonly used letters have the shortest patterns (e, for example, is represented by a single dot). Less common letters use up to four dots and dashes, and punctuation marks use six (a question mark, for instance, is ..--..).
在過去，遠距離發送訊息是一項耗時且往往不可靠的任務。信件可能需要數周或數個月才能送達，而且經常遺失。為了迅速傳送訊息，例如在軍事情況下，人們不得不使用煙霧信號、鼓，甚至是信鴿！這全都受制於大自然。
然而，在一八三○年代，一位名叫塞繆爾．摩斯的美國發明家想到了一種利用電力發送訊息的系統。這個系統迅速又可靠。電脈衝透過站點之間的電線發送，這些站點可能相隔數英里。這使得可以在遠距離進行幾乎即時的通訊。但為了讓人們能夠理解脈衝，摩斯需要開發一種特殊的密碼。
這種密碼後來被稱為摩斯密碼，它取每個數字、字母和標點符號，並為其分配了短脈衝和長脈衝的形式，分別稱為點和劃。常用的字母形式最短（例如，e用一個點表示）。較不常用的字母使用多達四個點和劃，而標點符號使用六個（例如，問號就是..--..）。
2/27
Morse code quickly spread around the world and became the standard for long-distance communication. People used it to send breaking news, time-sensitive messages, and even distress signals in emergencies.
What’s more, once the code system was established, it could be conveyed with anything that could produce dots and dashes, including flashing lights, radio waves, and even blinking one’s eyes. In fact, one of the most famous uses of Morse code was by an American prisoner, Jeremiah Denton, during the Vietnam War. In 1966, Denton was forced to do a TV interview by his captors. While he was answering questions, Denton blinked his eyes in Morse code, spelling out the word t-o-r-t-u-r-e and thus informing the US military that imprisoned US soldiers were being harmed.
Although advanced communications technology has made Morse code mostly obsolete today, it is still used in certain exceptional situations. Some pilots and sailors, for example, are still taught Morse code as a backup communication method in case their modern equipment fails. Oh, and by the way, it’s also a great way to communicate in secret with your friends!
摩斯密碼迅速傳遍世界各地，並成為遠距通訊的標準。人們用它來發送新聞快報、時效性訊息，甚至是緊急情況下的求救信號。
而且，一旦這個密碼系統建立起來，就可以用任何能產生點和劃的東西來傳遞，包括閃光燈、無線電波，甚至眨眼睛。事實上，摩斯密碼最著名的用途之一是越戰期間的一名美國囚犯耶利米．丹頓。在一九六六年，丹頓被他的劫持者強迫做了一次電視訪談。在回答問題時，丹頓用摩斯密碼眨眼睛，拼出了t-o-r-t-u-r-e（拷打）這個字，從而告知美軍，遭到囚禁的美國士兵正遭受傷害。
儘管先進的通訊科技如今已使摩斯密碼多半被淘汰了，但在某些特殊情況下仍在使用。例如，一些飛行員和水手仍會學習摩斯密碼作為備用的通訊方法，以防現代設備發生故障。哦，附帶一提，這也是與朋友祕密交流的好方法！
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