The Disastrous History of the First Transatlantic Cable - World History - Extra History

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🐟 In the mid-19th century, a daring dream took shape as two nations celebrated the historic link created by an undersea cable beneath the English Channel. But one man, Frederic Newton Gisborne, envisioned a grander feat - connecting continents with a transatlantic telegraph cable.
Join us in this captivating journey through the challenges, setbacks, and triumphs as Gisborne's dream becomes the obsession of Cyrus West Field. From the rocky seabed to the frozen wilderness of upstate New York, witness their struggle to overcome adversity.
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Artist: Ali R Thome I Writer: Jonathan D. Beer I Showrunner & Narrator: Matthew Krol I Video Editor: Devon House Creative I Audio Editor: Clean Waves I Studio Director: Geoffry Zatkin I Social Media: Kat Rider
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[@extrahistory]

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[@danielsantiagourtado3430]

You guys always make My day! Always look forward to learn more from You all😊😊😊❤❤❤

[@also_arles]

A new upload from you guys always makes my weekend even better! I'm very excited to watch it! :3

[@abdulal7605]

Best. History. Channel. Ever.

[@someone2436]

I send the video to my friend

[@sarad2487]

ok

[@samreid6010]

“When I first came here, this was all swamp. Everyone said I was daft to build a castle on a swamp, but I built in all the same, just to show them. It sank into the swamp. So I built a second one. That sank into the swamp. So I built a third. That burned down, fell over, then sank into the swamp. But the fourth one stayed up. And that's what you're going to get, Lad, the strongest castle in all of England”

[@theoutlook55]

I don't get that reference or its relevance to this video, nor why it has gotten 32 upvotes. Sorry.🤷🏿‍♂️

[@samreid6010]

@@theoutlook55 it’s a quote from the movie Monty Python and the Holy Grail. It’s a joke about, just like how the idiot in the movie keeps trying to build a castle on a swamp and it keeps collapsing, these people kept trying to lay undersea cable and kept failing over and over until they finally lucked out, and even then it was a temporary victory

[@greensteve9307]

I understood that reference!

[@MrBringus]

@@samreid6010I thought it was Shrek lol.

[@Kamdrimar]

More often than not you fail a bunch of times before you succeed. Perseverance is one of the most important parts of innovation.

[@GrabTheMikeVA]

The first cable across two countries under water and they use it to shoot stuff. Classic humanity

[@Ambiorix33]

I mean in this case it so you could hear it from the opposite bank, confirming to everyone that ot worked. So it's more akin to using fireworks to announce the new year instead of some thing belligerent

[@jesseberg3271]

And of course it's the French and the Brits.

[@timesnewlogan2032]

@@jesseberg3271Pretty awesome that two of the biggest rivals in history were the first to do something like this, and they used it to fire each other’s cannons. It was like an international handshake.

[@CharDhue]

Military dreams always comes first

[@Nerdnumberone]

​@timesnewlogan2032 It makes sense. Most disputes happen among neighbors, as does most trade and communication. At their nearest point, you can see France from England and vice versa. If you're in a conquering mood and have some good ships, it's free real estate.

[@jamesboyle6134]

Laying a cable under the Atlantic Ocean will be a ... *SNAP*!

[@Rudn4z_127]

*drum beat*

[@jacobcave1587]

Ba dum tiss

[@DamonNomad82]

And while laying the cable, they were often heard saying "Oh, snap!", only usually not quite that mildly worded...

[@karielefler1012]

@@jacobcave1587”Ba Stupid Pee.” Well I’m smiling like an idiot.

[@elizabethsanford3131]

Samuel Morse speaking in Morse code is too, too precious!

[@ACoolKidsProduction]

My favorite part is the Magikarp under the sea.

[@andyjay729]

Considering that the Internet developed from mainframe computers connected via phone lines, and that the present-day Net still makes much use of undersea cables, this could be considered one of the stepping stones of the creation of the Internet. Perhaps even the birth of the Net, since it was the first connection of two separate communication networks separated by an ocean (okay, maybe the first-ever connection of two separate telegraph networks might be a more accurate milestone).

[@2x2is22]

You could say simply sending an electronic signal over a cable was the birth. That's really what it all boils down to in the end

[@tomlxyz]

​@@2x2is22but for the internet it has to be world spanning or it's just a local network. And for that internet cables are a good option

[@technicolordiode9891]

It moreso was a rebuilding of existing infrastructure lol

[@zaroko8105]

Finally, I've always gotten curious whenever the lines get brought up in my class or in news, "I wonder what the logistical nightmare was trying to set this up during start"

[@callumeaston640]

It has sometimes been suggested that the breakdown of the first cable was a blessing in disguise because, if rapid communication had been possible in 1861, it would have been more likely that the US and Britain would have gone to war over the Trent affair. Arguably, the long delay while news and diplomatic messages crossed the Atlantic in ships allowed tempers to settle and cooler heads to prevail.

[@tomlxyz]

You can kinda see the opposite now with the internet: people getting mad and arguing back and forth quickly because there's no cool down period

[@sirrliv]

While I love that this story got an episode, I am bitterly disappointed that the SS Great Eastern got barely a mention. We're talking about the largest ship in the world, built by the greatest civil engineer in the world, Isambard Kingdom Brunel. She carried enough coal to transport 4,000 passengers all the way from England to Australia and back without refueling. And that in an age when oceanic steamships were still a new concept.

[@jarekwrzosek2048]

We generally need an episode on Isembard Kingdom Brunel.

[@hallamhal]

Yeah, this is cool and all, but I clicked expecting at least a little more on Brunel

[@molybdaen11]

The only ship which not only survived a boiler explosion, but barely noticed it...

[@itwaswalpole]

And, if I remember correctly, it was also a hybrid in that it had sails for when the wind was favourable and engines for when it wasn't. This reduced the amount of fuel needed to make such long voyages and more room for cargo or people.

[@GoranXII]

@@molybdaen11 Better yet, she was properly double-hulled. On one trip to New York, she ran over an uncharted rock needle (later named after her), and acquired a gash in her outer hull 9' wide and 83' long. The result was a slight list to starboard.

[@danes.4551]

The first successful written message nearly made me cry. We need more positive discoveries like that, and the hope that it would bring.

[@florians9949]

Though the part about brinking world peace and ending discrimination realy didn’t age well.

[@Raziel312]

Remember when people thought the internet would bring about a new age of understanding and brotherhood?

[@aidenhall8593]

It is, how many large wars have countries with high rates of internet started? How many deadly riots have there been? How much ethnic violence? I’d bet you a million dollars it’s no where near the level we saw before the internet.

[@thechief00]

@@Raziel312 "My generation will put it right We're not just making promises That we know we'll never keep" - Phil Collins, 1986

[@technicolormischief-maker5683]

@@Raziel312 It has. The fact that we are in the midst of several *massive* and overlapping cultural transitions cannot change that. No number of trolls or cancellations or post-truth movements can erase the fact that people are wildly more informed and empathetic than they were even a few decades ago, across every generational line.

[@jacksonfunke8230]

"Many believed that this new era would usher in world peace" I started cackling

[@quietone610]

As did I.

[@Nevae_696]

Little did they 😂 it’s so dad 😂

[@aidanhammans9337]

The unfortunate part about quick overseas communication is that you can still use it for baseless arguments and spreading hatred, about as effectively as saying it yourself with less personal risk.

[@typacsk]

*"Too much* communication" -- Homer Simpson

[@malachiphoniex8501]

Your one-off episodes are usually some of your best imo. However, I highly encourage more of these upbeat, celebratory episodes. I think a lot of people can do with some good feeling episodes, especially in these current times: humans often times suck, but it's nice to see that sometimes, we do accomplish some good.

[@intrepid1160]

*Your

[@Ice_Karma]

I've known about it for years but I'm still utterly amazed they managed to find the ends of any of the cables that snapped and fell to the seabed in thousands of feet of water.

[@VictorQuesada-bl1xk]

As crazy as it may seem, large parts of the abyssal deep are relatively smooth mud on top of relatively smooth basaltic rock. If they had enough practice dropping anchor at depth, and heaving it back up again, and with sufficiently accurate charts of where the break took place, the intuition about what lay at the seafloor that a mariner of that age would have had based on how it "felt" when they dropped those hooks would have made the difference and allowed them to snag the cable

[@theoutlook55]

Consider how the original sailors undoubtedly would have charted the location, or at least the approximate one, where they lost the cable. So they had a starting point at least.

[@puffsniffy6425]

They have the still connected ends of the cables. They just traced the lines till it ended. Duh😅

[@MatthewTheWanderer]

I like how determined some people were to make this happen, despite all the numerous setbacks!

[@JonathanScarlet]

It's not a far cry to suggest that thing like this, or any other major innovative effort in any field, only comes about when one person (or a group of people) are just that determined to see their ideas become reality.

[@andrewhopkins886]

@@JonathanScarlet it's only insanity if it doesn't work.

[@aarontrujillo4860]

The only thing I wonder is how many of his investors managed to actually turn a profit.

[@MatthewTheWanderer]

@@aarontrujillo4860 Probably very few.

[@dylanrodrigues]

It’s amazing what you can do when you have lots of money at your disposal

[@ZeothGames]

The bigger wonder is this guys ability to gather investors lmao

[@user-cm5of7ip1s]

The story of the telegraph line is not really discussed in Canadian Grade 10 history classes at school, but it is mentioned as an important event before Canada became it's own country.

[@NewfoundMapping]

it’s taught in newfoundland!

[@grayhatjen5924]

​@@NewfoundMapping Cape Race ❤

[@doogless]

This story reminds me of the Monty Python and the Holy Grail castle bit. "When I first came here, this was all swamp. Everyone said I was daft to build a castle on a swamp, but I built in all the same, just to show them. It sank into the swamp. So I built a second one. That sank into the swamp. So I built a third. That burned down, fell over, then sank into the swamp. But the fourth one stayed up. And that's what you're going to get, Lad, the strongest castle in all of England."

[@AHersheyHere]

It's truly amazing that they persisted and much of it may be to preserve the man's reputation. The man who gives up on his dream is a fraud, the man who succeeds is a visionary.

[@ironwolf5802]

I love the little fish and cram looking at the cables. Maybe the fish hopes if they attack it can be a super powered fish.

[@bonniedowd294]

Well, sharks are a common cause of cable damage today. (The first is rodents, especially squirrels. I'm a cable designer and they went over that in the first week of training.) More modern undersea cables have a layer of armor to help prevent this chewing from causing damage, so this has become less and less common over time.

[@Wolfeson28]

@@bonniedowd294 Under da' sea Under da' sea We'll break your cable Soon as we're able Make you D/C

[@lysanamcmillan7972]

"Speedy international communication will bring about world peace!" -looks at the Internet -looks at the world -looks at the Internet again -laughs like The Joker

[@tjt1224]

Use to work for a company that made oceanic fiberoptic cables the amount of work that goes into it so it can survive the ocean is amazing

[@evershumor1302]

5:47 interesting how it was the same optimism as with the early internet

[@justinbuergi9867]

Yeah I’m not surprised. I’m honestly amazed they managed to make this work at all Heck, I’m surprised that we can get undersea cables working today. It’s an utterly insane concept

[@Zoten001]

Amazing how we USED to celebrate things that brought us closer together, but now all we are doing is trying to separate ourselves again.

[@charlesburgoyne-probyn6044]

Because we are going to have a war

[@rya3190]

I remember another issue that came up, that we still have trouble explaining today, is that the signals took an astronomical amount of power compared to if it was set up on land. It was overcome by feeding more power, but it was VERY confusing when the problem came up.

[@jaelwyn]

Doesn't seem entirely confusing? Salt water is a great sink for EM fields, and power flowing through a wire generates exactly that. So it would effectively 'leach' power from the cable, this requiring significantly more power to get the same output than if it had been over land. Granted it wouldn't have been obvious then, but I'm not aware of any "trouble explaining it" today?

[@rya3190]

@@jaelwyn Eh, I was explained this...2nd, 3rd hand? Eh, whatever. I think the main problem is that if you put this in, say a large swimming pool's worth of salt water, you wouldn't get this issue, but it becomes "infinite" at the bottom of the ocean, so it becomes even weirder that we can do it at all (though, I suppose that comes more from we can't find a good law/equation that isn't just estimations). I figured the water/minerals broke down the EM field, or leach in your words, but once you push past a certain point, the immediate area around the cable can't leach at it enough to break it, but it still affects the EM fields (like the relativity of gravity).

[@musiclover01ization]

This was quite a good video. I have to respect Cyrus West Field for not giving up even though he suffered a lot of setbacks.

[@Avalikia]

Fun, true, related fact: When sharks find something strange and new that they don't understand, they check it out. ...By biting it. So any time one lays a cable of any kind on the ocean floor, it needs to be strong enough to withstand the nibbles of curious sharks.

[@Fable91]

Great episode! As a Newfoundlander, I have two notes. First of all "Newfoundland" rhymes with "understand", no one ever pronounces it right. Second, not only did Canada not exist for another decade, we didn't join it for another century. A cable between Newfoundland and Ireland had literally nothing to do with Canada. In fairness, the cable did pass through what would become Canada to get from NY to NL but Newfoundland was a separate thing until after WW2 and even now is at arms length so to speak. This is our history, not Canada's.

[@YeDickrider]

do you say it like, New-fin-LAND, Newfin-Land, or New-Found-Land?

[@MisterOcclusion]

@@YeDickriderthe second, though I’m a prairie boy

[@metarcee2483]

I always pronounced it like the dog breed, thanks for clarifying.

[@Fable91]

@@metarcee2483 I mean this all also applies to pronouncing the dog breed lol. No hate, just saying the dogs are named that because they were bred here.

[@jensfingerhat5078]

Maybe they wanted to say "in present day canada". Did Canada even confederate back then or was it still divided into companies like hudson bay?

[@denpadolt9242]

It's mind-blowing to think that France became connected to Britain via electrical cable only a few years after its last Capetian king was ousted...

[@spicy788]

Happy to see my city mentioned. Watching from Karachi

[@napoleonibonaparte7198]

The one Victorian/Industrial era mega project that is actually truly a mega project.

[@bf0189]

Is there a more technical in depth video on this? It seems like an extremely important historical event that's underappreciated. This video is great but I would like to know more!

[@swordsnspearguy5945]

i wouldn't call it a failure but merely a lesson on what not to do and what one needs to take into consideration during the next attempt

[@A.J.Howlett]

love how your art keeps getting better!

[@danielsantiagourtado3430]

You guys are the Best! Keep up the good work 😊😊😊❤❤❤❤

[@planetfall5056]

0:00 and 0:30 are so cool! The sound effects are epic and the way the Onomatopoeia's letters turn to smoke is just brilliant!

[@pendragonxt3674]

Now this shall be quite the awesome topic!

[@danielsantiagourtado3430]

Amazing work as always! You guys make history even better! You're the Best!😊😊😊😊❤❤❤❤❤

[@zacharia9709]

Thank you 🙏🏻 so much for making these amazing videos ❤❤

[@YeDickrider]

this is actually so interesting i had no idea we were laying undersea telegraph cables in the 1850's! To me, seeing that art you made of two traditional wood & sail ships laying high tech copper wire under the ocean looked an anachronism on par with a medieval knight holding an AK-47. I had no idea just how damn innovative we were! Great video I loved it!

[@backwashjoe7864]

@3:16, you could say that Cyrus had become a... force Field!

[@Vanic00]

It's been a little while since the last one off video, this one caught me by surprise. I was totally expecting a part 2. Lol. Love your work, great job folks!!!

[@erintheer]

“He had one last marvel up his sleeve” Well there’s plenty of room up there since he’s not using them to store arms.

[@Quinold]

It’s easily taken for granted how interconnected the world is now

[@Suldaan295]

what fascinating and highly informative video

[@lliamreusser4534]

I can’t believe you didn’t talk about the crazy story of the Great Eastern

[@molybdaen11]

A true leviathan of its time. Sadly it bankrupted Least 3 company's...

[@oasntet]

Thanks for pointing out that Morse didn't create Morse Code alone. It's bad enough that it is named after him, and not Vail, despite Vail's version being the one we use today (and for the last century and then some) over most mediums. One thing you left out is that engineers working on the first cable raised concerns about the signal quality issue. Some basic physics and math showed that the power loss over that distance, for that kind of cable, was just not going to work that well. The reason it took so long is that the voltage dropped so low, it took literal minutes for enough voltage to build up at the other end to energy the electromagnet. But Fields was a businessman, not a scientist or engineer, and he didn't believe them...

[@AndrewJohnson-oy8oj]

Amazing video! I didn't know any of this. Can you imagine what that was like for people of 1851? It would be like someone inventing warp drive today.

[@FakeBlocks]

Please do the Greek war of independence of 1821 against the ottoman empire next I've been asking for this since the first episodes of the sengoku Jidai!

[@Mito383]

It's crazy how I can watch this video with a friend living across the Atlantic ocean instantly. We've come so far in such a short amount of time.

[@rickhouse4407]

You should do a series about the development of railroads. I'm really enjoying your videos!

[@KeldWolf]

Excellent episode and it was a 1 episode one instead of a series which is a nice treat sometimes!

[@Kth7o9]

Thank you so much for including km!

[@Sulu41]

Doing a one-off episode on the great eastern would be an amazing thing! That ship has such an incredible story.

[@ThatGibusPyro]

This channel taught me more about greek and mesopotamian mythology then my history teacher ever could,big love to the crew behind these videos❤

[@bizmen81]

This was neat to learn! Thank you!

[@WilliamLee-bv4tv]

Always love to watch your videos

[@fireballkid1178]

Always has the best ad transitions 9:35

[@MaxFerney]

Honestly such a fun history lesson. Thank you for making the topic of history nonpolitical and interesting for a broad audience ♥

[@sarad2487]

love yer vids!

[@ezsu]

I like it when you upload videos I enjoy watching it

[@MaxwellLederer]

Good morning

[@fritoss3437]

I really liked those type of videos !

[@ButteredToits-]

Love this channel

[@v.emiltheii-nd.8094]

When communication turned internationally peak.

[@anlydaly5726]

I admirer Feild's persistence and love for the idea. And he actually lived to see his dream come true 👍.

[@fedbia2003]

Another perfect video!

[@someone2436]

Great video

[@Pravaification]

1:37 I want to live in the timeline where "Person waves to squirrels" is the most exciting headline

[@thinkimpostergaming4626]

You made history fun for me thak you

[@joshquivey6990]

Absolutely frickin' WILD

[@chadjones1266]

Thanks again

[@noone4700]

This was a really good video!

[@mrbushi1062]

i would never of expected this kind of telecom in the 1830s WILD. I love History. Ive been getting into the 1860s but jesus 1830

[@sleepychickadee4087]

This was really interesting!

[@Disgustedorite]

This is way better than the presentation i did on this subject for school as a kid

[@nicolajsalblbrandt7997]

Love how the explosion at the start looks

[@axelsmith209]

I love that you even included the little piece of gold splicing. A little fun fact about the cable 😄

[@MykePagan]

I hope you have read Neal Stephenson’s 135-page article “Mother Earth, Motherboard” from Wired Magazine circa 1996. It is exactly this story, juxtaposed with the story of the FLAG modern fiber optic cable. It is, of course, in Stephenson’s inimitable style.

[@pochuyma9530]

Amazing story! Cyrus Fields was an awesome salesman! 😊

[@bthsr7113]

Given how many times the lack of communication has caused things to go from bad to worse, this was a huge leap forward for humanity

[@xcaliber7779]

The telegraph to the mobile phone: "You're welcome." 😅

[@carsonpiano1]

5:29 This kind of optimism in the 1800s is what created the language I speak, Esperanto. It's been used since the 1890s as an international language that is easy to learn. It was created to spread understanding and peace between cultures. I've been able to speak to people from China, Japan, Germany, Korea, France, The Democratic Republic of the Kongo, Russia, Australia, USA, Mexico, Brazil, by using the language. It's also helpful if you travel internationally because there are Esperantists in almost every country who are willing you let you stay with them

[@prestonjones1653]

I eagerly await the day that EH does a series on the Second Pacific Squadron, aka the Voyage of the Damned. They even wrecked a few transatlantic cables!

[@Kaiju-Driver]

Amazing.

[@josephryman3799]

thank you Extra History I always wander how it happened

[@UltraGinormous]

I love your channel!

[@abhishekvanenooru2869]

communication that connects all walks of life irrespective of the worth of the message it needs courage to take that endeavour to connect that line from ireland to america

[@pyrofrog368]

I've heard of this but never actually learned about it. It was very interesting, and i hope to see more of these history lessons. Perhaps you could do an episode on the island of jersey and its surrounding islands Still very good video

[@handdrawnmemes]

wow great vid

[@brotquel1592]

3:18 that's why the project failed! A Gyarados munched on the cable!

[@Mel-mu8ox]

didnt realise there was ever a cable between america and england. Only ever learnt of the one between eng and france :D good to learn more :D

[@yousifnash5378]

A new form of communication that everyone thought will unite the world, but instead erupted into chaos. I felt like I heard of that story before...

[@graysonjohnston7972]

I really liked this video. Can we please get more technology history stories 👍

[@KX36]

a great video to watch while laying cable at home!

[@NateAdamsMadeofAdams]

Samuel Morse saying hi in Morse code, amazing

[@SLDFMechWarrior]

This dude feels like a modern tech bro who keeps getting funding despite pasted failures because he a has a silver tongue.

[@__-jt4tv]

Shout out to the Great Eastern, with the cable laying being a redemption arc for a vessel well ahead of her time..

[@pnkheadphonz4019]

Yayyy! Newfoundland mention!

[@WaywardVet]

All I'll say is "Electric Universe" is a fantastic book. And he does not hold back on criticism on some of the more unpleasant characters.