Cyrus Field's Big Dream: The Daring Effort to Lay the First Transatlantic Telegraph Cable

by Mary Morton Cowan

Overview

A NSTA Best STEM Book

Explore the extraordinary achievement of Cyrus Field and one of the greatest engineering feats of the 19th century: laying a transatlantic telegraph cable to create instant communication between two continents.

Cyrus Field had a big dream to connect North America and the United Kingdom with a telegraph line, which would enable instant communication. In the mid-1800s, no one knew if it was possible. That didn't dissuade Cyrus, who set out to learn about undersea cables and built a network of influential people to raise money and create interest in his project. Cyrus experienced numerous setbacks: many years of delays and failed attempts, millions of dollars lost, suspected sabotage, technological problems, and more. But Cyrus did not give up and forged ahead, ultimately realizing his dream in the summer of 1866. Mary Morton Cowan brilliantly captures Cyrus's life and his steadfast determination to achieve his dream.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781684371426
Publisher:	Astra Publishing House
Publication date:	09/11/2018
Sold by:	Penguin Random House Publisher Services
Format:	eBook
Pages:	224
File size:	8 MB
Age Range:	10 - 14 Years

About the Author

Award-winning author, Mary Morton Cowan, has focused on writing for young readers for more than twenty-five years. Cyrus Field's Big Dream is her second biography. Earlier books include: Captain Mac: the Life of Donald Baxter MacMillan, Arctic Explorer, which received multiple awards, including the National Outdoor Book Award and the Society of School Librarians International Honor Book Award; Timberrr... A History of Logging in New England, for which received Maine Library Association's Lupine Honor Award; and a historical novel, Ice Country. Her articles and stories have been published in more than eighty issues of children's magazines, and several have been reprinted in textbooks and anthologies. A member of Maine Writers and Publishers Alliance and SCBWI, Mary is a visiting author in schools and speaks to a variety of community groups. She and her husband live near Sebago Lake, ME.

Editorial Reviews

The relentless persistence of one man resulted in one of the greatest engineering feats of the 19th century and the transformation of international communication… (m)aking extensive use of primary sources, Cowan admiringly chronicles how… Field endured delays and failed attempts…Her well-paced, vivid account makes for a read that is at times gripping. An inspiring portrait of a man with a dream and his steadfast determination to achieve it.” –Kirkus Reviews

“This detailed biography, filled with archival reproductions, chronicles Field’s rise from a penniless paper mill worker to one of the richest men in New York City. Cowan relates the scientific and historical events that shaped the process….there is much for young entrepreneurs to learn.” -Booklist

“Cowan offers a detailed look at the great fortitude of an American pioneer who had an audacious vision. Field's story is filled with examples of the kind of determination that is always beneficial for teens to experience in nonfiction...(and) provides insight about events that many teens do not know about, making this a good addition for library collections serving young adults.” -VOYA

From the Publisher

2018-06-11
The relentless persistence of one man resulted in one of the greatest engineering feats of the 19th century and the transformation of international communication. Cyrus Field's success in business enabled him to amass enough of a fortune to partially retire at the age of 34. His interest in telegraphy was sparked by Canadian engineer Frederic Gisborne, who aimed to establish a telegraph connection between St. John's, Newfoundland, and New York City. Field formed a new company to take over Gisborne's venture and convinced investors to lay a cable line from Newfoundland to Ireland. In 1857, after securing financing in England and backing from the American and British governments, Field's Atlantic Telegraph Company established the first trans-Atlantic telegraph cable. The cable officially opened on Aug. 16, 1858, when Queen Victoria sent President James Buchanan a message in Morse code. Widespread jubilation over this feat was short-lived when the connection broke down and was not reconnected until 1866. Making extensive use of primary sources, Cowan admiringly chronicles how, in those intervening years, Fields endured delays and failed attempts, millions of dollars lost, suspected sabotage, technological problems, and public accusations of fraud and treason. Her well-paced, vivid account makes for a read that is at times gripping. The principal figures in her tale are white. An inspiring portrait of a man with a dream and his steadfast determination to achieve it. (charts, maps, diagrams, photos, timeline, source notes, bibliography) (Nonfiction. 10-14)

Kirkus Reviews