Sometimes Roman tightrope walkers stretched cables between the tops of two neighboring hills and performed comic dances and pantomimes while crossing.
American businessman and financier Cyrus West Field and his colleagues completed the first transatlantic telegraph cable in 1858. It crossed the Atlantic Ocean from Valentia Island in Ireland to Heart's Content, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada.
U.S. President James Buchanan inaugurated the new transatlantic telegraph cable by exchanging greetings with Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom. The galvanometer was the instrument used to detect the weak electrical signals that came through the transatlantic cable. It was a very sensitive instrument, and it was able to pick up the signals even though they had traveled over 2,000 miles underwater.
In an experiment requiring nothing more complicated than two buckets, a tap and some water, the Irish scientist John Tyndall in 1870 observed that a flow of water could channel sunlight. Fibre optics – tubes of glass or plastic capable of transmitting signals much more efficiently than traditional metal wire – operate under the same principles and were perfected by Charles Kao and George Hockham in 1966.
The first cable across the Pacific Ocean was spliced between Honolulu, Midway, Guam and Manila in 1903.
The first trans-Atlantic telephone cable went into service on September 25, 1956 with an exchange of greetings between London, Ottawa and New York. The $42 million cable consisted of two lines laid 18 and a half miles apart on the ocean floor.
Ferrets were used to lay the TV cable for use during the broadcast of the festivities of Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer's wedding in the Royal parks.
American businessman and financier Cyrus West Field and his colleagues completed the first transatlantic telegraph cable in 1858. It crossed the Atlantic Ocean from Valentia Island in Ireland to Heart's Content, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada.
U.S. President James Buchanan inaugurated the new transatlantic telegraph cable by exchanging greetings with Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom. The galvanometer was the instrument used to detect the weak electrical signals that came through the transatlantic cable. It was a very sensitive instrument, and it was able to pick up the signals even though they had traveled over 2,000 miles underwater.
The message that Queen Victoria sent was: "To The President of the United States, Washington. The Queen desires to congratulate the President upon the successful completion of this great international work, in which The Queen has taken the deepest interest. The Queen is convinced that the President will join her in fervently hoping that the electric cable, which now connects great Britain with the United States, will prove an additional link between the nations, whose friendship is founded upon their common interest and reciprocal esteem. The Queen has much pleasure in thus communicating with the President, and renewing to him her wishes for the prosperity of the United States."
The message was 98 words long and took 16.5 hours to transmit. It was a historic moment, and they hoped it marked the beginning of a new era of communication between the United States and Europe.
It was a major disappointment when the first transatlantic cable failed after just a few weeks. There were a number of reasons for the cable's failure. The insulation was not strong enough, and it was damaged by the currents in the ocean. The cable was also too heavy, and it put too much strain on the ships that were laying it.
The failure of the first transatlantic cable was a setback, but it did not deter the engineers and entrepreneurs who were determined to make it a success. They learned from their mistakes, and they made improvements to the design and construction of the cable. In 1866, a new cable was laid that was much more successful. It worked for many years, and it helped to revolutionize communication between the two continents.
In an experiment requiring nothing more complicated than two buckets, a tap and some water, the Irish scientist John Tyndall in 1870 observed that a flow of water could channel sunlight. Fibre optics – tubes of glass or plastic capable of transmitting signals much more efficiently than traditional metal wire – operate under the same principles and were perfected by Charles Kao and George Hockham in 1966.
The first cable across the Pacific Ocean was spliced between Honolulu, Midway, Guam and Manila in 1903.
The first trans-Atlantic telephone cable went into service on September 25, 1956 with an exchange of greetings between London, Ottawa and New York. The $42 million cable consisted of two lines laid 18 and a half miles apart on the ocean floor.
Ferrets were used to lay the TV cable for use during the broadcast of the festivities of Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer's wedding in the Royal parks.
A 3,000 mile long fiber-optic cable called Project Express was installed between London & New York in 2012. At a cost of $300 Million, the line was designed to shave 5.2 milliseconds from data traveling between the two cities.
The longest cable in the world is the SEA-ME-WE-3, which runs from Western Europe, through the Middle East and finally to South East Asia and it provides communication to 33 countries. It's 24,200 miles (39,000 km) long.
In German, the word for when cables under the desk tangle and create a mess is "Kabelsalat"—"cable salad."
The O2 Arena in Greenwich is supported by 43 miles of high-strength cable which holds up 100,000 square meters of fabric.
Source The Independent 3/11/07
The longest cable in the world is the SEA-ME-WE-3, which runs from Western Europe, through the Middle East and finally to South East Asia and it provides communication to 33 countries. It's 24,200 miles (39,000 km) long.
In German, the word for when cables under the desk tangle and create a mess is "Kabelsalat"—"cable salad."
The O2 Arena in Greenwich is supported by 43 miles of high-strength cable which holds up 100,000 square meters of fabric.
Source The Independent 3/11/07
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