The Eighth Wonder of the World: The Atlantic Cable.

The Eighth Wonder of the World: The Atlantic Cable. © National Maritime Museum, London

Repro ID: PX8263

Description: Within 20 years of the 'Great Eastern' laying the 1866 cable there were 107,000 miles of undersea cables linking all parts of the world. Submarine telegraph cables enabled messages to be sent long distances in very short times. Prior to the telegraph, messages were physically transported, sometimes taking weeks to deliver. The telegraph was the first step leading up to the information age of today.

Creator: Kimmel & Forster (publishers)

Date: 1866-07