Night of Nights for the year 2024 is celebrated/observed on Wednesday, July 12th. There are until the next observance.

Every year on July 12, the Night of Nights is observed. It celebrates the date of the final commercial Morse code transmission in the United States. Messages, mainly in Morse code, were sent using radio waves many years ago.

📆 When is Night of Nights?

This year, Night of Nights is on July 12th. It is the 2nd Wednesday in July; in 2024, it is on Friday.

Countdown to Night of Nights

Did you know: It was taken from the Book of Numbers, chapter 23:23, and recorded on a paper cassette.

You can also view all fascinating things you didn’t know about and facts about July 12, 2023.

📜 History of Night of Nights

To preserve the history of marine radio, Tom Horsfall and Richard Dillman founded the Maritime Radio Historical Society (M.R.H.S.) on the same day that the last Morse message was sent. They went to the K.P.H. transmit-and-receive stations in Point Reyes and Bolinas, which were amazingly still operational despite being shut down for two years. The receivers were still on, and I kept an eye on the channels for Morse calling. They realized then that they had to repair and maintain K.P.H. in order to pay tribute to the men and women who had worked for 100 years to uphold the dignity and expertise of the radio telegrapher profession. They were lucky that they were able to get permission from the National Park Service, whose land the Point Reyes station was on.

Now, in addition to KPPH, a number of other stations, like KSM, KFS, and K6KPH, have also resumed broadcasting. Honoring the memory of the men and women of wireless is made possible year after year by the commitment of the volunteers of M.R.H.S.

☑️ Night of Nights facts

A girl suggested it
Annie Ellsworth, the little daughter of a Morse acquaintance, deserves credit.

It was sent from Washington to Baltimore
It traveled 40 miles from the Old Supreme Court Chamber in the United States Capitol to the Baltimore Railroad’s Mount Clare Station.

It was from Morse to Alfred Vail
Morse forwarded it to his colleague and inventor Alfred Vail, who assisted him in developing American telegraphy from 1837 to 1844.

Things to do on Night of Nights

Go to the receiving station
Get to the heart of the action! Watch and listen as trained radio telegraphers figure out what the long and short beeps mean and turn them into weather forecasts, news reports, and special messages to mark the event.

Call in
Are you fortunate enough to be on a boat? When you call in from a ship at sea, it’s as if the golden era of maritime radio has returned.

Throw a nautical-themed party
Begin at 5:01 p.m. and conclude at midnight, the same time that the Morse code signal transmission is scheduled to begin. Dress in white with stripes of blue or red. Serve some fish and pour some rum!

📅 Night of Nights Observances

YEAR DATE DAY
2023 July 12 Wednesday
2024 July 12 Friday
2025 July 12 Saturday
2026 July 12 Sunday
2027 July 12 Monday

Explore all July holidays, including Fun and other American holidays.

We will continue to update this page with new information and interesting facts about Night of Nights. So be sure to check back soon.