Who REALLY Invented Morse Code?
Who really invented Morse code? This is almost like asking, “Who’s buried in Grant’s Tomb?”
Many publications, including encyclopedias and reference books, credit the invention of Morse code to Samuel F.B. Morse. Many people know that Morse sent the message “What hath God wrought?” from Washington, DC to Baltimore, but few know that Alfred Vail (Morse’s collaborator) received that message. When I was learning CW for my Novice license in 1960, I found a library book that said how upset Vail was because he wasn’t credited for inventing Morse code.
Many years later, I found some Internet sources1,2 and YouTube videos3,4 that say Alfred Vail invented Morse code. These fit into my preconception, and I was convinced that Alfred Vail invented Morse code. My belief was also reinforced when I found that Fort Monmouth, New Jersey used to be named Camp Alfred Vail, in recognition of Vail inventing Morse Code. This is supported in a booklet entitled A Concise History of Fort Monmouth, New Jersey (Prepared by the Staff of the Historical Office, U.S. Army Communications-Electronics Command, Fort Monmouth, NJ, 1985) that states:
“On 15 September 1917, only three months after its establishment, the camp was placed on a semi-permanent basis and officially named Camp Alfred Vail. [4]
Vail, an associate of Samuel F.B. Morse, inventor of the telegraph, was credited with devising the Morse alphabet of dots, dashes, and spaces. It was felt that in view of his great contributions to wire communications it was proper that his name be commemorated in a
