"Long before aviators spanned the Atlantic through clouds, electricians linked the old and new worlds on the ocean floor when, in 1858, the first transatlantic telegraph cable was laid. In Lightning Beneath the Sea, James M. Tabor takes us into the very depths of this remarkable endeavour. It is a world of sparks, storms, pitch, hubris, and, above all, determination. Tabor reconstructs a great moment of the modern age. It is a time when information can flash, like lightning, between continents, and when a new fabric of human connection begins to form."— David Rooney, author of The Big Hop
"In 1854, when New York paper merchant Cyrus West Field decided to take on the unprecedented task of establishing telegraphic communication across the Atlantic Ocean by means of an undersea cable, he had no idea that this would occupy the next twelve years of his life. In Lightning Beneath the Sea, James Tabor tells how Field’s determination to overcome every adversity inspired investors, scientists, and engineers in the USA and Britain alike. He weaves together the wide-ranging stories of Field and his many collaborators into an engaging account of how—despite setbacks that would have defeated a lesser man—a successful cable was finally completed in 1866. Europe and North America have been connected ever since, and now a network of over a million kilometers of undersea fiber optic cables carries today's internet around the world—a direct descendant of Field’s great vision."— Bill Burns, Publisher and Webmaster of the Atlantic-Cable.com Website
The thrilling story of the nineteenth century's moonshot: An Atlantic-spanning telegraph cable that created the global village and changed the world.
In 1854, the American entrepreneur Cyrus Field set out to lay a 2,000-mile telegraph cable across the Atlantic. Nothing like it had ever been attempted, and Field knew nothing about electricity, telegraphy, ships, or oceans. But he believed that wiring the world for near-instantaneous communication would bring about peace on Earth. After enduring years of global scorn, catastrophic failures, staggering losses, and brushes with death, Field would finally lay his great cable in 1866 and usher in the global information age-still undergirded by hundreds of that original cable's descendants-as we know it.
Lightning Beneath the Seais an unforgettable tale of radical vision, unwavering determination, and triumph against overwhelming odds, as Field and a scientific dream team-including Samuel Morse, a young Lord Kelvin, and Michael Faraday-battled epic storms, freak accidents, industrial sabotage, and even the enmity of Abraham Lincoln. From acclaimed author James M. Tabor,Lightning Beneath the Seais the gripping account of an epochal achievement.
The thrilling story of the nineteenth century's moonshot: An Atlantic-spanning telegraph cable that created the global village and changed the world.
In 1854, the American entrepreneur Cyrus Field set out to lay a 2,000-mile telegraph cable across the Atlantic. Nothing like it had ever been attempted, and Field knew nothing about electricity, telegraphy, ships, or oceans. But he believed that wiring the world for near-instantaneous communication would bring about peace on Earth. After enduring years of global scorn, catastrophic failures, staggering losses, and brushes with death, Field would finally lay his great cable in 1866 and usher in the global information age-still undergirded by hundreds of that original cable's descendants-as we know it.
Lightning Beneath the Seais an unforgettable tale of radical vision, unwavering determination, and triumph against overwhelming odds, as Field and a scientific dream team-including Samuel Morse, a young Lord Kelvin, and Michael Faraday-battled epic storms, freak accidents, industrial sabotage, and even the enmity of Abraham Lincoln. From acclaimed author James M. Tabor,Lightning Beneath the Seais the gripping account of an epochal achievement.
Lightning Beneath the Sea: The Race to Wire the World and the Dawn of the Information Age
Lightning Beneath the Sea: The Race to Wire the World and the Dawn of the Information Age
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Product Details
| BN ID: | 2940201926502 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | Tantor Audio |
| Publication date: | 06/09/2026 |
| Edition description: | Unabridged |