The First Transatlantic Telegraph Cable
In short: The project to link the continents via an undersea telegraph cable was first suggested by Samuel Morse in 1840. The Atlantic Telegraph Company, founded by Cyrus Field and subsidized by the British and U.S. governments, sought to connect Ireland and Newfoundland using cables manufactured by the Gutta Percha Co. [src_01]. While a cable was successfully inaugurated in 1858, it was considered a 'bold, beautiful failure' as a 98-word message took 16 hours to transmit [src_01]. Success was finally achieved in July 1866, with the SS Great Eastern laying the first reliable cross-Atlantic line [src_02…
A 1:40 short film in the series “90 Seconds of History”.
Sources used in this film: IEEE Spectrum, “The First Transatlantic Telegraph Cable Was a Bold, Beautiful Failure”; Smithsonian Institution, “Cyrus Field and the Transatlantic Telegraph Cable”; Encyclopaedia Britannica, “Cyrus W. Field | Transatlantic Cable, Atlantic Telegraph & Businessman | Britannica Money”; Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), “Creating the First Web: The 19th-Century Expansion of Telegraphy [Historical]”; World History, “SS Great Eastern”.
Sources used in this film
- IEEE Spectrum — The First Transatlantic Telegraph Cable Was a Bold, Beautiful Failure · View →
- Smithsonian Institution — Cyrus Field and the Transatlantic Telegraph Cable · View →
- Encyclopaedia Britannica — Cyrus W. Field | Transatlantic Cable, Atlantic Telegraph & Businessman | Britannica Money · View →
- Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) — Creating the First Web: The 19th-Century Expansion of Telegraphy [Historical] · View →
- World History — SS Great Eastern · View →
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Sources
- Summary by Intellect · source: IEEE Spectrum: The First Transatlantic Telegraph Cable Was a Bold, Beautiful Failure
- Also: Smithsonian Institution: Cyrus Field and the Transatlantic Telegraph Cable
- Also: Encyclopaedia Britannica: Cyrus W. Field | Transatlantic Cable, Atlantic Telegraph & Businessman | Britannica Money
- Also: Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE): Creating the First Web: The 19th-Century Expansion of Telegraphy [Historical]
- Also: World History: SS Great Eastern
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