Despite its name, Morse code is not a code but a cipher. Each letter of the alphabet, the digits 0-9, and certain punctuation symbols, are replaced by a sequence of short and long beeps, often called “dots and dashes.” A becomes “•-“, B becomes “-•••” and so on. Unlike most other ciphers, it is not used to conceal messages. Morse code was of great use with the invention of Samuel Morse’s telegraph, which was the first widely-used electric means of sending messages long-distance. It involved laying a long wire between places and running an electric current down the wire. The electric current could be detected by a receiver many kilometers away, and dots and dashes were simulated by turning the current on and off. The telegraph revolutionized media, allowing events in one country to be immediately reported in another, and it changed the nature of warfare by allowing instantaneous communication with troops a long distance away. •–• •- •-• •- -••• • •-•• •-•• ••- —