
Since the 19 th century, the system of communication between ships at sea was the wireless telegraphy. That is why we chose it as the IATE term of this week. Since then, every time there is an emergency, the SOS distress signal is used to ask for help. The MyHEH platform hosts hundreds of personal stories about European history, culture, heritage and much more, covering the period from the beginning of the 20th century up to the present day.Įxactly 108 years to this day, the SOS became the worldwide distress signal, three years after the German government first adopted it. My House of European History My House of European History (MyHEH) is a project of the Directorate General for Translation of the European Parliament, managed by the My House of European History Unit.Interinstitutional and external cooperation.Defence Terminology Military terminology.University of Naples Parthenope Projects.Aristotle University of Thessaloniki Projects.IATE – the EU’s interinstitutional terminology database.Vacancy Notices, EPSO and European Civil Service.We invite “foodies” from all over the world to contribute with their posts. I♺TE Food Term of the Week Since 2016, TermCoord publishes every Saturday a post on food terminology presenting the similarities and differences of gastronomic culture between and in different countries.To see how you can reduce the risk of harm during one of these natural disasters, check out our article on how to survive an earthquake. One such scenario that could require the use of SOS is in the aftermath of an earthquake. Knowing how to signal for help in an emergency situation - even when tapping out SOS in morse code is the only option - can lead to being rescued. In 1927, SOS was replaced by the spoken word “mayday” due to advancements in technology and the phasing out of the telegram.ĭespite being replaced, SOS is still a commonly used signal for help around the world.

Before then, each country used its own emergency alert signals, which understandably led to some confusion. SOS wasn’t even supposed to be used in letters originally, but rather in morse code (… – – – …).ĭuring a radiotelegraph conference on November 3, 1906, SOS became the internationally recognized sign of distress. Many people believe SOS stands for “save our souls” or “save our ship” however, in truth, it isn’t an abbreviation for anything. In the following video, Let’s TEACH provides a brief history of the SOS distress signal:
