“It’s called the Phonetic alphabet that’s a legitimate thing that people know and learn,” gushed Brogan. “What the f–k, mind is blown!” Getty Images/iStockphoto ...

By the mid-1950s, NATO recognized the need for a singular, universally-adopted phonetic alphabet, so the organization launched a review of the Able Baker alphabet, led by the U.S. and the U.K.

Franklin developed his phonetic alphabet in 1768 but it wasn’t published until 1789, when Noah Webster, intrigued by Franklin’s proposal, included its description in his book Dissertations on ...