factday#37

Posted on May 27, 2015 Updated on May 27, 2015

SOS
Please respond.
Have you ever used a SOS sign.
Do you know in earlier times what people do before SOS.

Initially CQD was used as distress call it means “Come Quick Danger” .
But Morse Code for this was very difficult.
Then in 1906, the topic of distress signals came up at the Second Berlin Radiotelegraphic Conference, and the group settled upon “SOS.” Proceedings from the conference do not specify what the reasons for this choice were, but SOS had been commonly used in Germany in the year prior to the conference.

It has since been accepted that the three letters were chosen due to their unmistakable nature within Morse code: three dots, three dashes, and three more dots in rapid succession.
. . . – – – . . .

This is contrary to the popular but untrue belief that the letters stand for messages such as “Save Our Ship,” “Save Our Souls,” or “Send Out Succour” (succour means assistance or support).

DO GOOD HAVE GOOD

– eustat