Tech History Made on December 14, 1902

On this day in 1902 the very first section of cable for was laid from America to the Philippines, China and Japan. This cable was used for telegraphs that would travel the 9612 miles of cable. Prior to this messages had to travel across the Atlantic to the Far East via Capetown and the Indian Ocean, or via London to Russia, then across the Russian landline to Vladivostock, then by submarine cable to Japan and the Philippines. The splicing of the cable at Ocean Beach (pictured above) was done amidst much fanfare including a brass band and dignitaries, drawing a large crowd.

The project took $12 million to complete - equivalent to about $280 million today. Upkeep was so expensive that in 1951 the Commercial Pacific Cable Company had to close its doors and, like everything else these days, was merged with AT&T.