Question 1

True or false: The first transatlantic cable could transmit messages faster than a modern dial-up modem.

Accepted Answer

False. The 1858 cable transmitted at about 0.1 words per minute. Even slow dial-up modems were thousands of times faster.

Question 2

True or false: The first official telegram transmitted by the 1858 transatlantic cable was a message from Queen Victoria to President Buchanan.

Accepted Answer

True. On August 16, 1858, Queen Victoria sent a congratulatory telegram to U.S. President James Buchanan, marking the first official message across the Atlantic cable. Test transmissions had occurred earlier.

Question 3

True or false: The first successful transatlantic telegraph cable was laid in 1866, not 1858.

Accepted Answer

True. The 1858 cable failed after a few weeks. The first truly durable and successful cable was completed in 1866 by the SS Great Eastern.

Question 4

True or false: The first transatlantic cable was so weak that it took hours to send just a few words.

Accepted Answer

True. The 1858 cable had a weak signal and required very slow transmission—sometimes minutes per letter—making a short message take hours to send.

Question 5

True or false: The first transatlantic telegraph cable was laid in 1858 by the ships HMS Agamemnon and USS Niagara.

Accepted Answer

True. The cable was completed on August 5, 1858, when the two ships met in mid-ocean. It connected Ireland and Newfoundland but failed after three weeks.

Question 6

True or false: The cost of sending a message on the first cable was about $5 per word in today's money.

Accepted Answer

False. It was far more expensive—roughly $100 to $200 per word in modern dollars, making it affordable only for governments and big businesses.

Question 7

True or false: During the first transatlantic telegraph cable expedition, a crew member accidentally dropped the only grappling hook overboard, nearly ending the mission.

Accepted Answer

True. In 1858, after the cable broke, sailors attempted to recover it using a grappling hook. A sailor accidentally let go of the only grapnel, losing it overboard and almost causing the expedition to fail.

Question 8

True or false: The First Transatlantic Telegraph Cable was insulated using a material made from tree sap called gutta-percha.

Accepted Answer

True. Gutta-percha, a natural latex from Malaysian trees, was the only flexible waterproof insulator available at the time and proved critical for the cable.

First Transatlantic Telegraph Cable Trivia Questions