Mayday and SOS

The Answer:

According to our encyclopedia entry on SOS, "mayday" is used as a distress signal for aviators because it approximates the French term m'aider, meaning "come help me!" The term came into use between the years 1925-30.

?SOS? was selected as a distress signal by the International Radiotelegraphic Convention at London in 1912. It is expressed in Morse code as "... - - - ..." (three dots, three dashes, three dots), and was chosen not because it refers to any words, but because it is easy to transmit.

-The Editors