Don't Look Back in Anger: Wildman Whitehouse and the Great Failure of 1858
summary
1858 project tries to run a ~2,000 mile gutta‑percha–insulated cable and it goes live with cannons and fireworks then dies after about three weeks when the chief electrician secretly cranks up the voltage and fried the cable. Earlier attempts break under stress after four at‑sea spooling tries; cables weigh about an imperial ton per mile. Later rework uses thicker conductors, low voltage and repeated fishing and repair to make it actually work, sparking a public inquiry and lasting lessons about feedback and hero behavior.
AI-written summary · about
chapters (7)
- 0:00Start
- 4:29First Transatlantic Telegraph Cable
- 6:16The 1858 Telegraph Cables Completion
- 11:54The Transatlantic Telegraph Cable
- 13:04William Thompson
- 22:14Atlantic Telegraph
- 27:39Recap
related talks
31mDon't Look Back in Anger: Wildman Whitehouse and the Great Failure of 1858
42mThe Victorian Internet
31mThomas Edison vs Three Teslas in a Trenchcoat
57mThe Pony Express and How Technology Moves Fast
05mLightning Talk: The Process Is The Problem
46mBuilding a world class engineering organization — learning from...
01h 00mWorth a Million Arguments
35mThe Pony Express and How Technology Doesn't Last