Learn Your Name in Morse Code Day

What the day is

Learn Your Name in Morse Code Day is observed on January 11. It was created by an enthusiast who wanted to keep interest in Morse code alive, and the date was chosen to avoid taking sides in an old argument over who deserves credit for the code, Samuel Morse or his collaborator Alfred Vail. Both men took part in an early public demonstration of the electric telegraph in January 1838, at the Speedwell Ironworks in Morristown, New Jersey.

The goal is modest and achievable. You do not need to learn the whole alphabet; you only need to learn the letters in your own name, which usually takes a few minutes.

Origin and background

Morse code represents each letter and number as a pattern of short signals, called dots, and long ones, called dashes. It was developed in the 1830s and 1840s for the telegraph, and the version used internationally today, a revised form, is sometimes called International Morse. The letters used most often have the shortest codes, so E is a single dot and T a single dash. The famous distress signal, SOS, is three dots, three dashes and three dots, sent as one continuous pattern.

Morse code stayed in use for well over a century in shipping, aviation and the military, and amateur radio operators kept it going even longer. It stopped being a requirement for a United States amateur radio license in 2007, and some enthusiasts worry that the skill will fade. It is still taught, and it remains useful, because it can be sent with a light, a tap or a whistle, and read through noise that would swamp a voice.

How to take part

• Look up a Morse code chart and write out the letters of your first name in dots and dashes.
• Tap it out on a table or flash it with a flashlight, and see if a friend can read it.
• Download a free Morse trainer app that teaches by sound, which works much better than memorizing the chart.
• Make a bracelet or card spelling a name or a short word in code.
• Look into amateur radio, where Morse is still used and where licensed operators enjoy teaching newcomers.