Born on July 27
The Transatlantic Cable Lands
Weeks became minutes.
Next: July 27, 2027
Where it comes from
This Story marks 27 July 1866, when the steamship Great Eastern, by far the largest ship afloat, reached Heart's Content in Newfoundland trailing a telegraph cable from Valentia Island in Ireland. She had left on 13 July, and in fourteen days laid more than 1,800 miles of cable on the floor of the Atlantic.
How it's celebrated
There is no organised observance. The cable station at Heart's Content, which worked until 1965, is now a museum, and both it and Valentia Island in Ireland carry IEEE Milestone plaques for the link.
Did you know
News of Abraham Lincoln's death in April 1865 took about a week to reach Europe, because it had to cross by ship.
Read the full story of The Transatlantic Cable Lands
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Leo · July 23 – August 22 · Fire sign
Warm, generous and made for the spotlight.