On 16th August 1858, Queen Victoria sent the first official telegram using the new transatlantic telegraph system.
For years engineers had been trying to invent new and quicker ways to send messages overseas. However, it wasn’t until the 1840s that the idea of submarine cables came to light, with the first working cable being laid in 1850 between Britain and France.
With this first successful attempt, several other lines were laid and by 1857 the Transatlantic Telegraph Company had been established with the aim of connecting the United States to Britain. Unfortunately the first attempt to lay the cable on the seabed failed as the weigh of the cable caused it to break. Despite this initial hiccup, the second attempt proved successful and was completed in August 1858.
RCIN 84450
Over the coming days, several test messages were sent between company directors located on both ends of the line. Then, on 16th August, Queen Victoria made history by sending the first official message to US President, James Buchanan. The message read:
” TO THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES, WASHINGTON
The Queen desires to congratulate the President upon the successful completion of this great international work, in which The Queen has taken the deepest interest.
The Queen is convinced that the President will join her in fervently hoping that the electric cable, which now connects great Britain with the United States, will prove an additional link between the nations, whose friendship is founded upon their common interest and reciprocal esteem.
The Queen has much pleasure in thus communicating with the President, and renewing to him her wishes for the prosperity of the United States.” (1)
While the Queen’s message only consisted of 98 characters, it took 16 hours to send and for the Morse Code to be deciphered. While the cable had initially been deemed a success, it went on to permanently fail just a few weeks later and an attempt to replace it wasn’t made until the mid 1860s.
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Citation:
(1) Queen Victoria, 16 August 1858 Royal Collection Trust / © King Charles III RCIN 84450
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