Encyclopedia

American Institute of Electrical Engineers The American Institute of Electrical Engineers was a United States based organization of electrical engineers that existed between 1884 and 1963 (when it merged with the Institute of Radio Engineers (IRE)). The 1884 founders of the American Institute of Electrical Engineers (AIEE) included some of the most prominent inventors and innovators in the then new field of electrical engineering, among them Thomas Alva Edison, Elihu Thomson, Edwin J.
American Institute of Graphic Arts The American Institute of Graphic Arts (often known simply under the acronym AIGA) is the American professional organization for design. Organized in 1914, the AIGA, which now claims over 16,000 members, conducts various activities and programs to support the profession and enhance its public image, including 365: AIGA Year in Design, 50 Books/50 Covers, AIGA medalists, AIGA fellow award, Corporate Leadership Award and other recognitions and efforts.
American Institute of Chemical Engineers The American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE) is a professional organization for chemical engineers. AIChE was established in 1908, with the purpose of establishing chemical engineers as a profession independent from chemists and mechanical engineers.
American Institute of Iranian Studies American Institute of Iranian Studies (AIIrS) is a non-profit, non-governmental research institute which seeks to support the advancement of knowledge and understanding of Iran and Iranian culture and civilization from the earliest periods to the present. It is an academic consortium, of which the members are universities and museums in North America with interests in the study of Iranian culture and civilization.
American Institute of Mathematics The American Institute of Mathematics (AIM) was founded in 1994 by John Fry and is located in Palo Alto, California. Privately funded by Fry at inception, in 2002, AIM became one of seven NSF-funded mathematical institutes.
American Institute of Mining, Metallurgical, and Petroleum Engineers The American Institute of Mining, Metallurgical, and Petroleum Engineers (AIME) is a professional body for mining and metallurgy, with 90,000 members. It was founded in 1871 by 22 mining engineers in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, United States, being one of the first national engineering societies in the country.
American Institute of Parliamentarians The American Institute of Parliamentarians (AIP), is a not-for-profit educational organization founded in 1958 for the advancement of parliamentary procedure. From a first-year membership of only 48 members, AlP has grown into a progressive association with active chapters and regions.
American Institute of Philanthropy The American Institute of Philanthropy (AIP) was created by Daniel Borochoff in 1993 to address the continuing need for thoughtful information regarding the financial efficiency, accountability, governance and fundraising practices of charities. Charity financial reporting is often inconsistent, unclear, and sometimes unethical and even fraudulent.
American Intellectual Property Law Association Headquartered in Arlington, Virginia, the American Intellectual Property Law Association (AIPLA) is a national bar association that was formed in 1897 to improve intellectual property laws and educate the public about such issues. Its membership is broad, constituting attorneys in private and corporate practice, government service, and academia.
American InterContinental University American InterContinental University, commonly called AIU, is an international for-profit university founded in 1977, which is owned by Career Education Corporation (stock symbol CECO). AIU is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) to award Associate's, Bachelor's, and Master's degrees.
American International Building The American International Building is a 66-story, 952 foot (290 m) tall building in Lower Manhattan in New York City. It was completed in 1932 during the New York skyscraper race, which accounts for its gothic-like spire-topped appearance, a popular architectural style at that time.
American International Center The American International Center LLC was a front organization established in 2001 by Michael Scanlon as part of his conspiracy with Jack Abramoff to receive and redistribute funds given by their clients for personal and political gain. AIC, like Scanlon Gould Public Affairs and Atlantic Research Analysis, was effectively a shell for Scanlon's primary company, Capitol Campaign Strategies.
American International School - Abu Dhabi The American International School in Abu Dhabi was founded in 1995 to serve the needs of the local and expatriate residents of Abu Dhabi who want their children to pursue both American and International Baccalaureate curricula in an international setting. AISA is administered by Walid Abushakra, Superintendent and CEO of Educational Services Overseas Limited (ESOL), which also manages fully accredited schools in Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Lebanon,Cyprus, and Dubai.
American International School Hong Kong The American International School, abbreviated AIS, is a privately-owned school in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. AIS provides educational instruction at the early childhood, elementary, middle school and high school levels and follows an American format English curriculum, modified and tailored towards students with a limited knowledge of English.
American International School of Budapest The American International School of Budapest (or AISB) is an international school located in Budapest, Hungary. It was established in 1973 by the United States Embassy to serve United States Government employees' dependents, however, it now has a much more diverse student body including children of the local and expatriate business and diplomatic communities.
American International School of Bucharest The American International School of Bucharest (AKA AISB) is an international school located 5 km outside central Bucharest, Romania set on a campus 10 hectares in size. English is the primary medium of instruction.
American International School of N'Djamena The American International School of N’Djamena (AISN) is a small international school in the Chadian capital, N'Djamena. It is an independent, coeducational day school which offers an American-style educational program from prekindergarten through grade 8.
American International School Vienna The American International School Vienna is a not-for-profit school international school made up structurally of the parents of each student at the school, and located in Vienna, Austria. The school operates, in part, under the sponsorship of the United States Ambassador to Austria and awards the American Diploma, which all graduates receive.
American International School-Salzburg The American International School (AIS)- Salzburg is an international college preparatory boarding and day school located in Salzburg, Austria. The school is operated on an American High School curriculum accredited by the Middle States Association.
American International Toy Fair The American International Toy Fair (the trademarked name uses all capitals for TOY FAIR) is one of a few major toy industry trade shows held around the world. It is held annually in late winter (mid February) in New York City's Toy District (Broadway and 5th Avenue in the mid 20s)as seen on this Google map] and at the Jacob K.
American Inventors Protection Act The American Inventors Protection Act (AIPA) is a United States federal law enacted on November 29, 1999 as Public Law 106-113. In 2002, the Intellectual Property and High Technology Technical Amendments Act of 2002, Public Law 107-273, amended AIPA.
American Invitational Mathematics Examination The AIME (or American Invitational Mathematics Examination) is a 15-question test given since 1983 to those who rank in the top 5% (or score at least 100) on the AMC 12 high school mathematics contest (formerly known as the AHSME), and those who rank in the top 1% (or score at least 120) on the AMC 10.
American Iron and Steel Institute The American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI) is an association of North American steel producers. With its predecessor organizations, is one of the oldest trade associations in the United States, dating back to 1855.
American Israel Public Affairs Committee The American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) is a special interest group that lobbies the United States Government in favor of maintaining a close US-Israel relationship. Describing itself as "America's Pro-Israel Lobby," it is a mass-membership organization including both Jews and non-Jews.
American Issue Publishing House The American Issue Publishing Company, incorporated in 1909, was the holding company of the Anti-Saloon League of America. Its printing presses operated 24 hours a day and it employed 200 people in the small town of Westerville, Ohio, where the company was headquartered.
American juvenile justice system The American juvenile justice system is the court and prison system in the United States established to try and, if found guilty of an offense, imprison those considered juveniles. Because every state in has its own laws and judicial system, each is slightly different in how it runs its own juvenile justice system.
American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (JDC) is a United States Jewish charitable organization with the declared mission to "serve the needs of Jews throughout the world, particularly where their lives as Jews are threatened or made more difficult."
American Jewish Year Book The American Jewish Year Book, which has been published annually since 1899, is the authoritative record of events and trends in Jewish life in the United States and around the world. Publication was initiated by the Jewish Publication Society (JPS).
American Jobs American Jobs is a 2004 independent film, documentary, written, produced and directed by Greg Spotts. The film is about the loss of American jobs to low-wage foreign competition, covering the phenomenon of outsourcing in manufacturing and high-paying white-collar jobs.
American Journal of Archaeology The American Journal of Archaeology (AJA) is the journal of the American Institute of Archaeology. Featuring articles about Middle Eastern, Classical, and other varied archaeological disciplines, the AJA has been published since 1906.
American Journal of Botany The American Journal of Botany () is a peer-reviewed scientific journal which includes research papers on all aspects of plant biology. The American Journal of Botany is published by the Botanical Society of America and has been published on a monthly basis since 1914.
American Journal of Distance Education American Journal of Distance Education (AJDE) is an academic journal of research and scholarship in the field of distance education in Americas, with particular emphasis on the uses of Internet (e-learning, distributed learning, asynchronous learning and blended learning).
American Journal of Mathematics American Journal of Mathematics is a bimonthly mathematics journal published by the Johns Hopkins University Press and founded in 1878. It is the oldest mathematical journal in the Western Hemisphere in continuous publication.
American Journal of Physics The American Journal of Physics is a peer-reviewed scientific journal published by the American Association of Physics Teachers devoted to the educational and cultural aspects of physics. It is notable for its entertaining and accessible style.
American Journal of Psychiatry The American Journal of Psychiatry (AJP) is the most widely read psychiatric journal in the world. It covers topics on biological psychiatry, treatment innovations, forensic, ethical, economic, and social issues.
American Journal of Psychology The American Journal of Psychology was the first English-language journal devoted primarily to experimental psychology (though Mind, founded in 1876, published some experimental psychology earlier). AJP was founded by the Johns Hopkins University psychologist Granville Stanley Hall in 1887.
American Journal of Science The American Journal of Science was founded in 1818 by Professor Benjamin Silliman, who edited and financed it himself, and it is the oldest American journal in continuous publication. Until 1880 it was also known as the American Journal of Science and Arts, but its focus was always on natural sciences and especially on geology and related subjects.
American Judicature Society Founded in 1913, the American Judicature Society (AJS) is an independent, nonpartisan, national organization of judges, lawyers, and interested members of the public whose mission is to improved the justice system - to "secure and promote an independent and qualified judiciary and fair system of justice."   Its membership roster includes renown members of the legal profession, including U.
American Junior Academy of Sciences The American Junior Academy of Sciences (AJAS) is the only national honor society recognizing America's premier high school students for outstanding scientific research. AJAS meets annually in conjunction with American Association for the Advancement of Science, the largest scientific organization in the world.
American Junior Golf Association The American Junior Golf Association (AJGA) is a "501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to the overall growth and development of young men and women who aspire to earn college golf scholarships through competitive junior golf." It is considered by the vast majority of leaders in the golf industry to be the premiere junior golf organization in the world [http://www.
American Juniors American Juniors was a reality television series broadcast on the Fox Network as a spin-off of the immensely popular American Idol, created by Simon Fuller and 19 Television, FremantleMedia, directed by Bruce Gowers and produced by Nigel Lythgoe and Ken Warwick. It was very similar to the adult American Idol, much like the British series S Club 8 was to S Club 7.
American Juniors (album) American Juniors was the debut and only album from the American Juniors group that emerged from the short-lived American reality television series American Juniors. It was recorded by the five winners of the show: Danielle White, Tori Thompson, Chauncey Matthews, Taylor Thompson and Lucy Hale.
American Juniors: Kids in America American Juniors: Kids in America was an album derived from the short-lived American reality television series American Juniors, and released by Jive Records in 2003. It featured all ten finalists on the show, not just the five who eventually "won".
American Justice American Justice is an hour-long criminal justice program on the cable channel A&E Network, hosted by Bill Kurtis. The show features interesting or notable cases, such as the Scarsdale Diet doctor murder, the Hillside Stranglers, Selena Murder of a Star, Matthew Shepard, or the Wells Fargo heist, with the stories told by key players, such as police, lawyers, victims, and the perpetrators themselves.
American Kennel Club The American Kennel Club (or AKC) is the largest registry of purebred dog pedigrees in the United States. The AKC registered just over 900,000 dogs in 2006, of which the largest numbers were for the labrador retriever (123,760) and Yorkshire Terrier (48,346).
American Kenpo Ed Parker’s American Kenpo is a style of martial arts characterized by the use of quick moves in rapid-fire succession intended to overwhelm an opponent. It is largely marketed as a self-defense style, and is derived from traditional Southern Chinese kung fu and other martial arts found in the cultural melting pot of Hawaii.
American literature American literature refers to written or literary work produced in the area of the United States and Colonial America. For more specific discussions of poetry and theater, see Poetry of the United States and Theater in the United States.
American lobster The American lobster, Homarus americanus, is a species of lobster found on the Atlantic coast of North America. Within North America, it is also known as the northern lobster, Atlantic lobster or Maine lobster.
American Land Title Association The American Land Title Association or ALTA, is a national trade association representing the interests of the abstract of title and title insurance industries. In addition to active members engaged in the title industry, associate members cover a wide range of businesses and occupations relating to real estate law, sales, development, design, construction, and financing.
American Laser Games American Laser Games was a company based in Albuquerque, New Mexico that created a wide variety of light gun laserdisc video games. The company was founded in the late 1980s by Robert Grebe, who had originally created the system to train police officers under the company name ICAT (Institute for Combat Arms and Tactics), and adapted the technology to more mainstream entertainment, namely arcade video games.
American Latino TV American Latino TV is an award winning nationally syndicated television program produced by the AIM Tell-A-Vision Group, a New York based production and syndication company. The weekly magazine and culture lifestyle program showcases American Latino Pride by representing the U.
American Law Institute The American Law Institute (ALI) was established in 1923 to promote the clarification and simplification of American common law and its adaptation to changing social needs. The ALI drafts, approves, and publishes restatements of the law, model codes, and other proposals for law reform.
American Law Reports In American law, the American Law Reports are a resource used by American lawyers to find a variety of sources relating to specific legal rules, doctrines, or principles. It is an important tool for legal research.
American Lawyer Media American Lawyer Media or ALM, publishes magazines and newspapers targeting primarily the legal industry, but also business, real estate and finance. ALM also produces conferences, seminars and trade shows, and the company owns Law.
American League The American League (or formally the American League of Professional Baseball Clubs) is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball in the United States of America and Canada. It developed from the Western League, a minor league based in the Great Lakes states, that eventually aspired to major league status.
American League Against War and Fascism The American League Against War and Fascism was a Comintern affiliate organization formed in 1933 by CPUSA and pacifists united by their concern as Nazism and Fascism rose in Europe. It published "The FIGHT against War and Fascism" broadsheet.
American League Division Series In Major League Baseball, the American League Division Series (ALDS) determines which two teams from the American League will advance to the American League Championship Series. The Division Series consist of two best-of-five series, featuring the three division winners and a wild-card team (the non-division winning team with the best record).
American League Championship Series In Major League Baseball, the American League Championship Series (ALCS), played in October, is a playoff round that determines the winner of the American League pennant. The winner of the series advances to play the winner of the National League Championship Series in baseball's championship, the World Series.
American League of Professional Football The American League of Professional Football was the first professional football(soccer) league in the United States existing for one season in 1894, and one of the earliest professional leagues in the world given that most of the football world at this time was dominated by amateur leagues. It was created by the Owners of the National League partly to fill their dormant stadiums in the winter months and partly for publicity reasons to keep their baseball seasons visible to the public during the off-season.
American League Park American League Park was a baseball park that formerly stood in Washington, DC, at the corner of Florida Avenue and Trinidad Avenue, NE. It hosted the Washington Nationals from April 29, 1901 to September 27, 1902, when the team moved to National Park.
American Legacy Foundation The American Legacy Foundation is a non-profit organization dedicated to prevent teen smoking and encourage smokers to quit. The organization is responsible for the truth anti-youth smoking ad campaign, which won an Emmy Award in 2005.
American Legation, Tangier The American Legation, located at 8 Zankat America (Rue d'Amerique) in the old city of Tangier, commemorates the historic cultural and diplomatic relations between the United States of America and the Kingdom of Morocco.
American Legion The American Legion is an organization of veterans of the United States armed forces who served in wartime. The Organization was founded in 1919 by veterans returning from Europe after World War I and is headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana.
American Legion Field American Legion Field is a stadium in Danville, Virginia. Located in this Southside Virginia city's Dan Daniel Memorial Park, it is primarily used for baseball, and is the home field of the Danville Braves minor league baseball team.
American Legion Riders The American Legion Riders (ALR) are, in a nutshell, motorcycle enthusiasts who are affiliated with the American Legion. The ALR was formed in 1993 to participate in parades and other ceremonies that are in keeping with the aims and purposes of the American Legion, to promote motorcycle safety programs and to provide a social atmosphere for American Legion members who share the same interest, and to promote and support programs of the American Legion.
American Legislative Exchange Council The American Legislative Exchange Council, or ALEC, is a nonpartisan, ideologically conservative, non-profit 501(c)(3) membership association of state legislators composed primarily of Republicans. Among other activites, the group develops "model laws" for state legislatures.
American Letter Mail Company The American Letter Mail Company was started by Lysander Spooner in 1844, competing with the United States Postal Service monopoly in violation of the Private Express Statutes. It succeeded in delivering mail for lower prices, but the U.
American Library Association The American Library Association (ALA) is a group based in the United States that promotes libraries and library education internationally. It is the oldest and largest library association in the world, with approximately 66,000 members.
American Licorice American Licorice (Glycyrrhiza lepidota) is a species of Glycyrrhiza native to most of North America, from central Canada south through the United States to California, Texas and Virginia, but absent from the southeastern states. It is also sometimes known in the United States as "wild licorice", to distinguish it from the related European Liquorice (Glycyrrhiza glabra) which is occasionally cultivated.
American Life League One of the largest pro-life organizations in the United States, according to their website, the American Life League, or ALL, opposes all forms of abortion, birth control, embryonic stem cell research, and euthanasia. Its current president is Judie Brown and its headquarters are in Stafford, Virginia.
American Light and Traction American Light and Traction was founded in 1900 for the purpose for consolidating the utility industry's small, local power suppliers. By 1901, American Light and Traction owned and controlled over 40 gas producting plants, electric light and traction (streetcar) properties.
American Line The American Line was a shipping company based in Philadelphia that existed from 1871 to 1902. In its original guise it was a part of the Pennsylvania Railroad, although the railroad got out of the shipping business soon after founding the company.
American Lung Association The American Lung Association is a non-profit organization that "fights lung disease in all its forms, with special emphasis on asthma, tobacco control and environmental health". It was founded in 1904 to fight tuberculosis as the National Association for the Study and Prevention of Tuberculosis.
American Lung Association of New York State The American Lung Association of New York State is a non-profit organization that "works to promote lung health and prevent lung disease across New York State". The organization is based out of Albany, New York and serves over 10 million people in 57 counties across New York.
American Magazine The American Magazine was a periodical publication founded in June of 1906, stemming from failed publications that had been purchased a few years earlier from publishing mogul Miriam Leslie. It operated between 1904 and August of 1905 as Leslie's Magazine; then until May of 1906 as the American Illustrated Magazine; then subsequently as The American Magazine until publication ceased in August of 1956.
American Machinists' Handbook American Machinists' Handbook was a McGraw-Hill reference book similar to Industrial Press's Machinery's Handbook. (The latter title, still in print and regularly revised, is the one that machinists today are usually referring to when they speak imprecisely of "the machinist's handbook" or "the machinists' handbook".
American Management Systems American Management Systems () was founded in 1970 as a technology and management consulting firm. It was founded by a group of five former United States Department of Defense officials who worked under Robert McNamara in the Kennedy and Johnson administrations.
American Manual Alphabet The American Manual Alphabet is a manual alphabet that augments the vocabulary of American Sign Language when spelling individual letters of a word is the preferred or only option, such as with proper names or the titles of works. Letters should be signed with the dominant hand and in most cases, with palm facing the viewer.
American Marten The American Marten (Martes americana) is a North American marten sometimes also called the Pine Marten, even though it is a separate species from the European Pine Marten. Some sources believe that the population found in the western United States should be considered a distinct species and given the scientific name Martes caurina.
American Mastiff There are at least two lines of dogs competing for the breed name American Mastiff; neither is recognized by any major English-language kennel club, although the Flying W American Mastiff is recognized by the Continental Kennel Club.
American Mathematical Association of Two-Year Colleges The American Mathematical Association of Two-Year Colleges (AMATYC) is an organization dedicated to the improvement of education in the first two years of college mathematics in the United States and Canada. It runs an annual conference, summer institutes, workshops and mentoring for teachers in and outside math, and a biannual math competition.
American Mathematical Society The American Mathematical Society (AMS) is dedicated to the interests of mathematical research and scholarship, which it does with various publications and conferences as well as annual monetary awards to mathematicians.
American Mathematics Competitions The American Mathematics Contest (AMC) is the first of a series of competitions in high school mathematics that determines the United States Math Team, which competes in the International Mathematical Olympiad (IMO). This team, consisting of 6 high school students, competes in the IMO, and traditionally has performed well.
American Meat Science Association The American Meat Science Association (AMSA) is a non-profit professional organization for the advancement of meat science and technology. Founded in 1948 and formerly incorporated in 1964, AMSA is headquartered in Savoy, Illinois, located near the Urbana-Champaign, Illinois area.
American Medical Association The American Medical Association (AMA) is the largest association of medical doctors in the United States. The AMA's purpose is to advance the interests of physicians, to promote public health, to lobby for legislation favorable to physicians and patients, and to raise money for medical education.
American Medical College Application Service The American Medical College Application Service, abbreviated AMCAS, is a service run by the Association of American Medical Colleges through which prospective medical students can apply to various medical schools in the United States and Canada. It thus acts as something of a Common Application among the schools.
American Megafauna American Megafauna is a board game on the topic of evolution designed by Phil Eklund, published by Sierra Madre Games. While the game is not an attempt to be a simulation, incorporation of a variety of genuine evolutionary factors are incorporated in the game, ranging from Milankovich cycles to dentition.
American Memorial Park American Memorial Park on the island of Saipan, Northern Mariana Islands, was created as a living memorial honoring the sacrifices made during the Marianas Campaign of World War II. Recreational facilities, a World War II museum, and flag monument keep alive the memory of over 4,000 United States military personnel and local islanders who died in June 1944.
American Memorial School in Tabriz Memorial School (American School of Tabriz in Persian مدرسه مموريال يا مدرسه آمريكايي تبريز) was opened on 1891 is one of the most famous schools of its type. After world war II the school is chenged to Parvin high school under Iran education ministry's management.
American Merchant Marine Veterans Memorial The American Merchant Marine Veterans Memorial, located in San Pedro, California, was commissioned to honor merchant marine veterans from all wars. It consists of a black wall, similar to the Vietnam Memorial, listing the names of merchant seaman lost at sea during time of war, and a bronze statue.
American Meteor Society The American Meteor Society, Ltd. (AMS) is a non-profit scientific organization established to encourage and support the research activities of both amateur and professional astronomers who are interested in the field of Meteor Astronomy.
American Meteorological Society The American Meteorological Society (AMS) promotes the development and dissemination of information and education on the atmospheric and related oceanic and hydrologic sciences and the advancement of their professional applications. Founded in 1919, the American Meteorological Society has a membership of more than 11,000 professionals, professors, students, and weather enthusiasts.
American Mideast Conference The American Mideast Conference is an affiliate of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics that includes 20 member institutions in Ohio, Pennsylvania, and New York. Founded in 1949, it was known as the Mid-Ohio Conference until 1998 when it adopted its current moniker.
American Military University American Military University (AMU) is a private, for profit online learning university and a member institution of the American Public University System. It is one of the oldest and largest online universities.
American Minority Groups in World War II The following passage from pages 187-190 of Selective Service and Victory: The 4th Report of the Director of Selective Service (Washington: Government Printing Office, 1948) represents the best statistical information available to the US Army Center of Military History to answer questions about the participation of various minority groups in the armed forces of the United States during the Second World War. Note carefully which of these statistics cover those minorities drafted into the armed forces and which include personnel who voluntarily enlisted.
American Miscellaneous Society The American Miscellaneous Society (AMSOC - 1952 to 1964) was a loose collection of scientists that was formed mainly to progress research projects that didn't fit into any category, such as the unsuccessful project to drill into the Earth's mantle, Project Mohole. The society dissolved itself in 1964.
American Missionary Association The American Missionary Association was a Protestant-based abolitionist group founded on September 3, 1846. The main purpose of this organization was to eliminate slavery, to educate African-Americans, to promote racial equality, and to promote Christian values.
American Modern Ensemble The American Modern Ensemble is a contemporary classical music ensemble based in the United States in New York City and was founded in 2005 with the goal of premiering, performing and recording and commissioning the widest possible repertoire written by American composers. The group's focus is to celebrate and showcase American music and especially works written by living composers.
American Monarchist Party The American Monarchist Party is a United States political party, an outgrowth of the independent American Monarchist Society which was founded March 25, 1999 by Manoutchehr M. Eskandari-Qajar, Head of the Political Science department of Santa Barbara City College.
American Morse code American Morse Code — also known as Railroad Morse — is the latter-day name for the Morse Code specification originally developed, in the mid-1830s, by Samuel Morse and Alfred Vail for their electric telegraph. The "American" qualifier was added because, after most of the rest of the world adopted "International Morse Code", the companies that continued to use the original Morse Code were mainly located in the United States.

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