naval radio direction finding signal lamps radio silence

Radio let navies talk farther — and be tracked

Radio gave ships longer-range communication, but direction finding could detect and track their signals. Navies kept signal lamps for times when they needed radio silence, including when ships replenished supplies at close range.

Britain gave a trading company powers normally reserved for governments

The English East India Company began as a commercial enterprise, but royal charters granted it extraordinary authority overseas. In territories under its control, it could administer justice, maintain armed forces, mint money and negotiate with other powers. A private company could therefore operate simultaneously as a merchant, military force and government.

Locke argued that animals can remember

John Locke said animals, including oysters and cockles, can perceive and remember. He distinguished those abilities from abstract reasoning, which he saw as specific to humans. In his view, minds differ by degree across species rather than being an exclusively human capacity.

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naval radio direction finding signal lamps radio silence

Radio let navies talk farther — and be tracked

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