Uploaded August 2026 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
August 17, 1858. New York City wakes to a hundred-gun salute. Church bells ring, flags fly from public buildings, and by nightfall, fireworks light up the sky. The city is celebrating a telegram from Queen Victoria to President Buchanan. Not what it says, but how it traveled: along a 2,000-mile cable running under the Atlantic Ocean. Messages that once took two weeks by steamship now arrive in an instant. And the man behind the cable, a retired paper tycoon named Cyrus Field, is about to become the most famous person in America. But Field has a secret. His cable is already failing.
Why did a bored millionaire attempt the moonshot of the Victorian era? And how did one fragile wire lay the foundation for our connected world?
Special thanks to our guest, James M. Tabor, author of Lightning Beneath the Sea: The Race to Wire the World at the Dawn of the Information Age.
To stay updated on all things HISTORY This Week, sign up at historythisweekpodcast.com. Have thoughts or questions? Email us at historythisweek@history.com.
Sign up for ad-free listening and bonus episodes at htwpod.com.
Credits:
Jon Earle | Host/Producer
Ben Dickstein | EP/Sound Design
Eli Lehrer | Executive Producer
Liv Fidler | Executive Producer
Get in touch: historythisweek@history.com
Follow on Instagram: @historythisweekpodcast
Follow on Facebook: HISTORY This Week Podcast
To stay updated: historythisweekpodcast.com
Apple: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/history-this-week/id1493453604
Spotify: open.spotify.com/show/2YFm0ezrXmMqLXbxgZpkmd?si=9a84fadee11447d4
Audacy: audacy.com/podcast/history-this-week-71b4d
Subscribe for more HISTORY:
histv.co/SubscribeHistoryYT
Check out exclusive HISTORY content:
History Newsletter - histv.co/newsletter
Website - histv.co/History
Facebook - histv.co/Facebook
TikTok - bit.ly/4kZKjXi
HISTORY® is the leading destination for award-winning original series and specials that connect viewers with history in an informative, immersive, and entertaining manner across all platforms. The network’s all-original programming slate features a roster of hit series, premium documentaries, and scripted event programming.
August 17, 1858. New York City wakes to a hundred-gun salute. Church bells ring, flags fly from public buildings, and by nightfall, fireworks light up the sky. The city is celebrating a telegram from Queen Victoria to President Buchanan. Not what it says, but how it traveled: along a 2,000-mile cable running under the Atlantic Ocean. Messages that once took two weeks by steamship now arrive in an instant. And the man behind the cable, a retired paper tycoon named Cyrus Field, is about to become the most famous person in America. But Field has a secret. His cable is already failing.
Why did a bored millionaire attempt the moonshot of the Victorian era? And how did one fragile wire lay the foundation for our connected world?
Special thanks to our guest, James M. Tabor, author of Lightning Beneath the Sea: The Race to Wire the World at the Dawn of the Information Age.
To stay updated on all things HISTORY This Week, sign up at historythisweekpodcast.com. Have thoughts or questions? Email us at historythisweek@history.com.
Sign up for ad-free listening and bonus episodes at htwpod.com.
Credits:
Jon Earle | Host/Producer
Ben Dickstein | EP/Sound Design
Eli Lehrer | Executive Producer
Liv Fidler | Executive Producer
Get in touch: historythisweek@history.com
Follow on Instagram: @historythisweekpodcast
Follow on Facebook: HISTORY This Week Podcast
To stay updated: historythisweekpodcast.com
Apple: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/history-this-week/id1493453604
Spotify: open.spotify.com/show/2YFm0ezrXmMqLXbxgZpkmd?si=9a84fadee11447d4
Audacy: audacy.com/podcast/history-this-week-71b4d
Subscribe for more HISTORY:
histv.co/SubscribeHistoryYT
Check out exclusive HISTORY content:
History Newsletter - histv.co/newsletter
Website - histv.co/History
Facebook - histv.co/Facebook
TikTok - bit.ly/4kZKjXi
HISTORY® is the leading destination for award-winning original series and specials that connect viewers with history in an informative, immersive, and entertaining manner across all platforms. The network’s all-original programming slate features a roster of hit series, premium documentaries, and scripted event programming.
