History Schmistory: August 16. Can you hear me now?

Friday, August 16, 2024 by teammarcopolo

1858: The United States exchanges overseas greetings with the United Kingdom for the first time through the transatlantic telegraph cable.

See page for author [Public domain or Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

See page for author [Public domain or Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

Which was destroyed 4 weeks later by this guy…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Portrait of Wildman Whitehouse, 1856-1865, Maull and Polyblank, Science Museum, 1856-1865. Object No. 1980-2/50. © This image is available for use under the following license: CC-BY-NC-ND 2.0]

His complaint was it didn’t work fast enough, so he turned up the juice too high and fried the thing. Way to go, Wildman.

He tried to make it up to everybody with a communications device of his own…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

No one was amused.