The Atlantic Telegraph Cable
The route of the transatlantic telegraph cable between Ireland and Newfoundland, the first link to carry messages instantly across an ocean.
Before the cable, news crossed the Atlantic at the speed of a ship — ten days at best. The 1858 line worked for three weeks before failing, and a durable connection had to wait until 1866. What changed then was not just speed but the nature of distance: markets, newspapers and governments on two continents began operating on the same clock. Read the full story in our article on Transatlantic Wires: Undersea Cables and the Making of Global Communication, 1858–1914.
Public domain — source (Wikimedia Commons). Free to reuse under the stated licence.
