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Morse code was developed by Samuel Morse and Alfred Vail in the 1830s and 1840s for use with the electric telegraph. It encodes letters and numerals as sequences of short signals (dots) and long signals (dashes). Dots and dashes were originally called "dit" and "dah" by telegraph operators. The system was designed so that the most common letters in English (E, T, A, I, N, O) are represented by the shortest codes, minimising transmission time.
International Morse Code (the version used today) was standardised in 1865, replacing the original American Morse Code with a more consistent system. It was the dominant long-range communication technology from the mid-19th century until satellite communications made it largely obsolete. The last commercial Morse code transmission in the United States was in 1999. The distress signal SOS (··· --- ···) was chosen specifically because it is easy to recognise in Morse — not because it stands for any phrase.
Morse code has precise timing rules based on the "unit" (one dot length): a dash is 3 units; the gap between symbols within a letter is 1 unit; the gap between letters is 3 units; the gap between words is 7 units. Speed is measured in Words Per Minute (WPM), where one word is standardised as "PARIS " (50 units). 13 WPM means one full dot takes about 92 milliseconds.
Morse code is still used by amateur (ham) radio operators worldwide. It remains the only mode that can communicate through extremely poor signal conditions where voice becomes unintelligible. The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) removed the Morse code requirement for maritime distress communication in 1999, though GMDSS (Global Maritime Distress and Safety System) replaced it. Several countries still require Morse proficiency for amateur radio licences.