History of the Atlantic Cable & Submarine Telegraphy
History of the Atlantic Cable & Undersea Communications
from the first submarine cable of 1850 to the worldwide fiber optic network
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Research Material Needed
The Atlantic Cable website is non-commercial, and its mission is to make available on line<br>as much information as possible.
You can help - if you have cable material, old or new, please contact me.
Cable samples, instruments, documents, brochures, souvenir books, photographs, family stories, all are valuable to<br>researchers and historians.
If you have any cable-related items that you could photograph, copy,<br>scan, loan, or sell, please email me:
Bill Burns - [email protected]
Atlantic cables of 1858,
1865, and 1866<br>Atlantic Telegraph Company stock certificate dated 19th May 1858<br>The Eighth Wonder
of the World
Atlantic Cables: 1857-1866
Master Index to articles on the first Atlantic Cables
The 1857-58 Atlantic Cable
History of the Atlantic Cable enterprise, 1850-1858
by Bill Glover
The 1858 cable history as it happened - reported by Frank Leslie’s Illustrated Newspaper
Atlantic Cables: 1856-2022
Master Timeline of all Atlantic Cables
Cyrus Field - A Contemporary Record
Cyrus Field Photographs and Portraits - the man behind the Atlantic Cable
Cyrus Field Medals and other cable medals and tokens
Cyrus Field’s Descendants - Diane Gravlee’s comprehensive list of Cyrus Field’s family and descendants, down to the seventh generation
The Brothers Field - Russell Carpenter’s history of the five brothers of the Field family who held among them a total of 10 academic and honorary degrees from Williams College.
Cyrus Field Family Portraits - images of paintings of Cyrus Field and his parents, wife, and sons, owned by Peter Christian Hall and Alix-Marie Hall, New York City-based siblings whose great-grandfather was Frederick Joseph Stone, Cyrus Field’s nephew
Cable Bibliography
Main Reference Bibliography - books and other printed material, films and videos on cable laying
Current Bibliography - books available for purchase, book reviews, recent magazine articles
Additional Bibliography - Gill Cookson’s Submarine Telegraphy Research Notes
Book Cover Images - from Cable and Telegraph Books
Cable Company Book Advertisements
Atlantic Cable Sheet Music - popular songs and music inspired by the cable expeditions
Cable Pioneers
Images, brief biographies, and autographs of the men who pioneered and promoted the cable industry
Cable Timeline - 1845 to 2022 by Bill Glover
A chronological record of every major submarine communications cable worldwide.
Corrections and updates are welcome.
Includes sections on cable signalling speeds, cable design features, and cable recovery.
Master Timeline of all Atlantic Cables
Cable & Wireless
Bill Glover’s History of Cable & Wireless - a detailed history of the firm and its predecessor companies, illustrated with original telegrams, covers, and other documents.
Cable Ships
Cable Ships - illustrated articles on ships used for cable laying and repair, from 1850 to 2010
Cable Stories - 1850 to 2015
Personal stories and photographs of the cable industry, shared by site visitors. Contributions are welcome!
Cable Stamps and Covers
Submarine Cable Stamps and First Day Covers - includes Atlantic Cable 75th and 100th anniversary stamps and covers, Bill Glover’s extensive collection of cableship stamps and covers with information on each ship and the cables laid, and Bill’s history of Cable & Wireless, illustrated with original telegrams and covers.
Cable Artifacts, Ephemera, and Memorabilia
Atlantic Cable Broadsides 1856-66
Cable Equipment and Cable Samples
Early Cable Instruments - text and images of a talk given at the Antique Wireless Association Conference, August 2009
Memorabilia, Ephemera, and Promotional Material - Cable Watch Fob, 1858 Atlantic Cable Album, Cable Candlestick, Niagara Anchor, Cable Cane, Cable Snuff Box, Cable Earrings
1858 Cable Souvenir Advertisements - the short-lived frenzy in New York for all things cable after the successful expedition of 1858
Cables for Electrical Power
A guide to the differences between power and communications cables
Research Requests - contributions welcome
Mystery Cable at Porthcurno Telegraph Museum by Allan Green. This landline cable may have been used as a telegraph connection, or in a radio application.
Special Feature Sections
Back Reflections - Stewart Ash's articles on many aspects of cable history and technology
Major Submarine System Suppliers (1850 -2012) - a diagram showing the evolution of undersea cable companies from the beginning of the industry until the present day, by Stewart Ash
The Atlantic Telegraph Cables Trail - an illustrated guide for visitors to the sites of...