Prompt Cast
The Origin and Use of the Distress Call "Mayday"
TLDR The distress call "mayday" originated in 1923 and was officially adopted in 1927. It is used to indicate that the caller is in trouble and needs immediate assistance, and can result in fines if used as a hoax.
Timestamped Summary
00:00
The hosts discuss their recent experience ordering pizza from a popular delivery chain and how they enjoyed it despite considering it "garbage pizza."
02:16
Mayday is a distress call that should be repeated three times to avoid confusion and indicate that the caller is in trouble, followed by providing details of the situation.
04:36
When making a distress call in an airplane, it's important to provide your location, the direction of travel, the weather conditions, the number of people on board, and the type of help needed.
07:09
The origin of the distress call "mayday" came from the idea of using a word that is easily understood and independent from other words, and it was proposed by a radio officer named Frederick Mockford in 1923.
09:45
The distress call "mayday" was officially adopted by the international radio telegraph convention in 1927 and became a nautical term in 1948, although boats adopted it later than planes.
12:18
Hoax distress calls can result in hefty fines, as one person in Florida had to pay the Coast Guard back $906,000 for a search operation, and there are other distress call phrases like "panpan" and "security" that can be used in non-life threatening situations.
14:57
"Security" is a distress call phrase used to alert others about hazards or important information, and saying "over and out" in radio communication is a movie trope that is unrealistic.
Categories:
Society & Culture
