Why was Morse code developed?

Samuel Morse was a co-developer of the telegraph system. In its infancy, the telegraph was limited to electric and/or electro-magnetic impulses: clicks, so to speak. The Morse Code was developed to enable the transmission of letters and numbers via these impulses, in a series of 'dots' and 'dashes', which were originally recorded as such on a moving paper tape. Operators soon learned to interpret the clicks without looking at the tape.