1866: First Permanent Transatlantic Telegraph Line

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Innovation:  First Permanent Transatlantic Telegraph Line
Location: Britain-U.S.
Year:  1866
By: Anglo-American Telegraph Company

Although the first transatlantic telegraph cable was completed by August 5, 1858, its structure proved weak and the cable had ceased functioning by the beginning of September. Later, several more attempts were made by different companies to install new cables, including a failed attempt in 1865 [1].

In 1866, the Anglo-American Telegraph Company, headed by an American named Cyrus West Field, successfully laid the first permanent Transatlantic Telegraph Line connecting Britain and the U.S. From there, Field continued to advocate other oceanic cables. By 1902, the first American Trans-Pacific cable system connecting San Francisco to Honolulu, Manila, and Shanghai had been laid [2]. With this technology, communication time across the ocean fell from months to hours, and greater interconnectivity enabled the spread and development of innovations in building material and design, among others.

Web links to more information: 1, 2

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