How the Telegraph United America and Britain
Long before the Internet, attempts to connect the eastern and western hemispheres through a wired telegraph network reshaped the global landscape. Telegraphy grew out of scientific advances in the first three decades of the nineteenth century—especially the discovery of electromagnetism and the development of the electrical battery. By 1840, several researchers had begun to harness these discoveries for long-distance rapid communication. At the time, few realized that these discoveries would have profound consequences that would reshape social, economic, and political relationships.