Secret Decoder Wheel
Secret Decoder Wheel
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Secret Decoder Wheel

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Details: Low tech but high fun! While serving as President George Washington’s secretary of state (1790-1793), Thomas Jefferson devised an ingenious and secure method to encode and decode messages: the wheel cypher. During the American Revolution, Jefferson had relied primarily on messengers to hand-carry sensitive letters, but codes became an essential part of his correspondence when he was America’s minister to France (1784-1789) since European postmasters opened and read all letters passing through their command. Jefferson’s wheel cypher consisted of twenty-six cylindrical wooden pieces, each threaded onto an iron spindle. The letters of the alphabet were inscribed on the edge of each wheel in a random order. By turning these wheels, words could be scrambled and unscrambled. 6 1/4"l x 2 1/2" dia.

Features:

  • Adaptation of the wheel cypher device Thomas Jefferson devised to encode and decode messages during the American Revolutionary War.
  • Made of rubber wood.
  • Recommended for ages 5 and up.
  • 6 1/4"l x 2 1/2" dia.
  • Buy two decoders so recipients can quickly decipher secret messages!

Brand: Monticello

Publisher: Monticello

UPC: 678598141964

EAN: 0678598141964

Package Dimensions: 6.9 x 2.6 x 2.6 inches

Binding: Toy