Post by Mr. Jon Donnis on Mar 6, 2015 10:45:09 GMT
Alan Turing - The Enigma Code
During World War II, the German Armed Forces sent thousands of coded messages on a daily basis. These messages included information including bombing locations, cargo deliveries, status updates, combat plans, and supply routes. Turing deciphered their Enigma Code allowing the Allies Forces to receive all of the German's plans and communication without their knowledge. Breaking this code was probably the most significant factor that led to the Germans being defeated.
Bacon Cipher
A piece of manuscript called the Voynich Manuscript was discovered in a Catholic school in 1912, and the contents were renamed “the Bacon Cipher” because history traces the origin of its contents back to an Englishman called Roger Bacon. Many academics refuse to credit Bacon’s involvement due to the inclusion of various alphabets not used during his time. However, themes exist within the manuscript that supports claims of Bacon’s contribution. He was famous for his interest in designing a potion to extend one's life among other topics related to mysticism. Similar topics were mentioned within the Voynich Manuscript, and to this day the code remains unbroken.
Proto-Elamite
The Elamites were amongst the world’s oldest evidence of civilized living. In 3300 BC, they went to great lengths to develop a written language to allow them to be able to communicate with each other. In 8th century BC, the Elamites used shaped clay tokens to represent different goods or services. They even used wallets and IDs to keep track of who owned the money and how much they had. This appears to be the earliest evidence of a numerical system. Around 2900 BCE their language advanced to a completely new method. It is assumed that the unbreakable Proto-Elamite language was some form of accounting system. Still advancing, and stumping modern cryptologists, the Proto-Elamite was switched up again from a right-left-down reading system to a linear one. A few historians have found similarities between the Proto-Elamite and proto-cuneiform styles of writing. Unfortunately, at the approach of the 5th century BCE, Proto-Elamite began to fade away. There are currently 1,600 clay tablets in existence that nobody can read.
Dorabella Cipher
At the end of the 18th Century, author and legendary composer Edward Elgar sent an encrypted message to his young girlfriend. He managed to disguise his message so well that she couldn’t even read it. Elgar was fascinated with the idea of encrypted messages. He even cracked a seemingly unbreakable code that was published in the famous Pall Magazine. Over the years, people have noted the reoccurrence of the same scribbled symbols, or cypherbet, that make up the Dorabella Cipher in Elgar’s musical compositions and personal notebooks. Everybody has a theory, but no one has proved a concrete solution.
D’Agapeyeff Cipher
Alexander D’Agapeyeff wrote a book on cryptography. The year 1939 was pre-computerised encryption and it is believed his unbreakable code was completely hand drafted. This mind-boggling phenomenon is more difficult to solve than other computerised codes of the pre-modern world. His most famous code was so difficult, he couldn’t even solve it. Cryptanalysis took his numerological cipherbet and assigned the numbers to letters. Even this didn't help. All they had was a selection of doubled and tripled letters. His book, “Codes and Ciphers,” printed by the Oxford Press, wasn’t any help either. For some reason, later editions decided to leave out his famous cipher, most probably because it was impossible to understand.
During World War II, the German Armed Forces sent thousands of coded messages on a daily basis. These messages included information including bombing locations, cargo deliveries, status updates, combat plans, and supply routes. Turing deciphered their Enigma Code allowing the Allies Forces to receive all of the German's plans and communication without their knowledge. Breaking this code was probably the most significant factor that led to the Germans being defeated.
Bacon Cipher
A piece of manuscript called the Voynich Manuscript was discovered in a Catholic school in 1912, and the contents were renamed “the Bacon Cipher” because history traces the origin of its contents back to an Englishman called Roger Bacon. Many academics refuse to credit Bacon’s involvement due to the inclusion of various alphabets not used during his time. However, themes exist within the manuscript that supports claims of Bacon’s contribution. He was famous for his interest in designing a potion to extend one's life among other topics related to mysticism. Similar topics were mentioned within the Voynich Manuscript, and to this day the code remains unbroken.
Proto-Elamite
The Elamites were amongst the world’s oldest evidence of civilized living. In 3300 BC, they went to great lengths to develop a written language to allow them to be able to communicate with each other. In 8th century BC, the Elamites used shaped clay tokens to represent different goods or services. They even used wallets and IDs to keep track of who owned the money and how much they had. This appears to be the earliest evidence of a numerical system. Around 2900 BCE their language advanced to a completely new method. It is assumed that the unbreakable Proto-Elamite language was some form of accounting system. Still advancing, and stumping modern cryptologists, the Proto-Elamite was switched up again from a right-left-down reading system to a linear one. A few historians have found similarities between the Proto-Elamite and proto-cuneiform styles of writing. Unfortunately, at the approach of the 5th century BCE, Proto-Elamite began to fade away. There are currently 1,600 clay tablets in existence that nobody can read.
Dorabella Cipher
At the end of the 18th Century, author and legendary composer Edward Elgar sent an encrypted message to his young girlfriend. He managed to disguise his message so well that she couldn’t even read it. Elgar was fascinated with the idea of encrypted messages. He even cracked a seemingly unbreakable code that was published in the famous Pall Magazine. Over the years, people have noted the reoccurrence of the same scribbled symbols, or cypherbet, that make up the Dorabella Cipher in Elgar’s musical compositions and personal notebooks. Everybody has a theory, but no one has proved a concrete solution.
D’Agapeyeff Cipher
Alexander D’Agapeyeff wrote a book on cryptography. The year 1939 was pre-computerised encryption and it is believed his unbreakable code was completely hand drafted. This mind-boggling phenomenon is more difficult to solve than other computerised codes of the pre-modern world. His most famous code was so difficult, he couldn’t even solve it. Cryptanalysis took his numerological cipherbet and assigned the numbers to letters. Even this didn't help. All they had was a selection of doubled and tripled letters. His book, “Codes and Ciphers,” printed by the Oxford Press, wasn’t any help either. For some reason, later editions decided to leave out his famous cipher, most probably because it was impossible to understand.