American Experience

Season 17 Episode 7: The Great Transatlantic Cable

Cyrus Field's struggle to lay telegraph cables across the Atlantic in the 1850s and '60s is chronicled. When Field finally succeeded, in 1866, it marked "the annihilation of space and time," says historian David Czitrom. But the 13-year effort -- recalled here in re-creations and comments from historians and engineers -- included many false starts and one spectacular failure. Still, says Czitrom, "he never let up."

Genre:

Documentary

Seasons:

37

Episodes:

396

Actor:

Quality:

HD

Status:

Returning Series

First Air:

1988

IMDb:

6.5