On 5 August 1858, at Douglas Head by Valentia Island off the west coast of Ireland, HMS Agamemnon landed her end of the transatlantic telegraph cable, which was then connected to a cable house at Knightstown on the Irish mainland.

At the other side of the Atlantic, USS Niagara landed her end of the telegraph cable at Trinity Bay in Newfoundland, Canada.

This marked the first successful attempt to lay a telegraph cable between the UK and Ireland and the USA and Canada.

On 16 August 1858, Queen Victoria send a message to President James Buchanan – the Queen’s message took 16 hours to arrive.

Here is a newspaper story from August 1858 which reports on the completion of the laying of the transatlantic telegraph cable.

Elgin Courant, and Morayshire Advertiser – Friday 13 August 1858

Image © THE BRITISH LIBRARY BOARD. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

http://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000454/18580813/033/0007