Born on August 16
First Transatlantic Telegraph Message
Ninety-eight words across an ocean.
Next: August 16, 2027
Where it comes from
This Story marks 16 August 1858, when Queen Victoria's message to the United States President, James Buchanan, crossed the Atlantic on the first telegraph cable laid along the ocean floor, from Valentia in Ireland to Newfoundland.
How it's celebrated
There is no formal observance, but the day is remembered by museums and historians of communication. In 1858 it set off wild celebrations: New York held a parade and fireworks, which accidentally set the dome of City Hall alight, and the jeweller Tiffany & Co. cut leftover cable into short souvenir pieces.
Did you know
The cable was fragile and failed within weeks, after about 732 messages; a lasting transatlantic line followed in 1866.
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