First transatlantic phone cable

September 25, 1956

The TAT-1 cable was laid across the Atlantic seabed between Scotland and Newfoundland, allowing thirty-six simultaneous telephone calls between the United States and Europe for the first time. Before this, transatlantic calls had gone by high-frequency radio, often inaudibly. The cable made reliable voice contact possible between continents. Global communication had acquired its first high-capacity wire.