The Atlantic cable part I

In this era of shrinking distances, it may be hard to realize that slightly more than a century ago it took weeks to communicate between the European and American continents. In one giant leap, electrical technology all but annihilated time and distance, bringing both continents within a few seconds' reach of each other. This is the story of that epoch-making achievement. It introduces the contributions of some of the giants of 19th Century electrical science — Lord Kelvin, Morse, Faraday, and others. It is told in three installments.