Lesson plan

Code-O-Graph

The Code-O-Graph is a field cipher device and identifier from the Captain Midnight radio serial. In the story line they were used by agents of the Secret Squadron, a paramilitary organization headed by Captain Midnight. In addition to their use as devices in the radio program, they were offered as radio premiums for listeners. As radio premiums, listeners sent in an Ovaltine proof of purchase with their names and addresses. The Code-O-Graph incorporates a cipher disk, a cryptological device, but the letters in the message were substituted by numbers, probably to avoid ambiguity for broadcast messages. On the radio show, usually once a week, a message would be sent that could be deciphered by listeners. Each message, only a few words long, was invariably a clue to the upcoming episode.

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Article summary

The Code-O-Graph is a field cipher device and identifier from the Captain Midnight radio serial. In the story line they were used by agents of the Secret Squadron, a paramilitary organization headed by Captain Midnight. In addition to their use as devices in the radio program, they were offered as radio premiums for listeners. As radio premiums, listeners sent in an Ovaltine proof of purchase with their names and addresses. The Code-O-Graph incorporates a cipher disk, a cryptological device, but the letters in the message were substituted by numbers, probably to avoid ambiguity for broadcast messages. On the radio show, usually once a week, a message would be sent that could be deciphered by listeners. Each message, only a few words long, was invariably a clue to the upcoming episode.

Key claims

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Discussion questions

  1. Summarise the article in your own words. Which single claim would you verify first, and why?
  2. Which claim in this article is most likely to be revised as the sources update? How would you check its current status?
  3. If two sources disagreed about one of these facts, what would you need in order to trust one over the other?

Bibliography

No sources recorded.

Key claims and bibliography are generated from the same tracked claims and sources as the article page.