"On This Date in Cryptologic History" Calendar
Inventors' Day & the Wadsworth Cipher
It's National Inventors' Day! It is generally believed that the inventor of the modern-day disk cipher was Charles Wheatstone in 1865. However, this little-known device was discovered at the Hamden Historical Society of Connecticut by William Friedman in the 1940s. Engraved "Decius Wadsworth 1817," it is considered by Friedman to be the first modern disk cipher invented.
The National Cryptologic Museum partnered with the Hamden Historical Society to be able to display this great piece of history. The Wadsworth Cipher was on display during the summer of 2024.
Learn more about this cipher device and William Friedman's review via the link provided below.
Photo credit: Hamden Historical Society.
