Synopsis

The arduous endeavor of Cyrus Field to span the Atlantic with telegraph cables during the 1850s and 1860s is a tale of perseverance. Field's ultimate triumph in 1866, historian David Czitrom notes, signified "the annihilation of space and time." This thirteen-year undertaking – revisited here through historical accounts and insights from engineers – was marked by numerous setbacks and one notable catastrophe. Yet, Czitrom emphasizes, Field "never let up."