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Smoke signal

The smoke signal is one of the oldest forms of long-distance communication. It is a form of visual communication used over a long distance. In general smoke signals are used to transmit news, signal danger, or to gather people to a common area.

For other uses, see Smoke signal (disambiguation).

History and usage[edit]

In ancient China, soldiers along the Great Wall sent smoke signals on its beacon towers to warn one another of enemy invasion.[1][2] The colour of the smoke communicated the size of the invading party.[1] By placing the beacon towers at regular intervals, and situating a soldier in each tower, messages could be transmitted over the entire 7,300 kilometres of the Wall.[1] Smoke signals also warned the inner castles of the invasion, allowing them to coordinate a defense and garrison supporting troops.[2]


In ancient Sri Lanka, soldiers stationed on the mountain peaks alerted each other of impending enemy attack (from English, Dutch or Portuguese people) by signaling from peak to peak. In this way, they could transmit a message to the King in just a few hours.[3]


Misuse of the smoke signal is traditionally considered to have contributed to the fall of the Western Zhou Dynasty in the 8th century BCE. King You of Zhou was said to have had a habit of fooling his warlords with false warning beacons to amuse Bao Si, his concubine.[4]


North American indigenous peoples also communicated via smoke signal. Each tribe had its own signaling system and understanding. A signaler started a fire on an elevation typically using damp grass, which caused a column of smoke to rise. The grass was taken off as it dried and another bundle was placed on the fire. Reputedly the location of the smoke along the incline conveyed a meaning. If it came from halfway up the hill, it signaled that all was well; but from the top of the hill, it signified danger.[5]


Smoke signals remain in use today. The College of Cardinals uses smoke signals to indicate the selection of a new Pope during a papal conclave. Eligible cardinals conduct a secret ballot until someone receives a vote of two-thirds plus one. The ballots are burned after each vote. Black smoke indicates a failed ballot, and white smoke means a new Pope has been elected.


Colored smoke grenades are commonly used by military forces to mark positions, especially during calls for artillery or air support.


Smoke signals may also refer to smoke-producing devices used to send distress signals.[6][7]

Examples[edit]

Native Americans[edit]

Lewis and Clark's journals cite several occasions when they adopted the Native American method of setting the plains on fire to communicate the presence of their party or their desire to meet with local tribes.[8]

Polybius square

Optical telegraph

Gusinde, Martin (1966). Nordwind—Südwind. Mythen und Märchen der Feuerlandindianer (in German). Kassel: E. Röth.

Itsz, Rudolf (1979). "A kihunyt tüzek földje". Napköve. Néprajzi elbeszélések (in Hungarian). Budapest: Móra Könyvkiadó. pp. 93–112. Translation of the original: Итс, Р.Ф. (1974). Камень солнца (in Russian). Ленинград: . Title means: “Stone of sun”; chapter means: “The land of burnt-out fires”. (Leningrad: "Children's Literature" Publishing.)

Detskaya Literatura

Myers, Fred (1986). Pintupi Country, Pintupi Self. USA: Smithsonian Institution.