Celebrating the 150th Anniversary of the Transatlantic Cable

If you missed the recent celebration recognizing the 150th anniversary of the transatlantic cable, you should know it was one for the ages! Held at the New York Historical Society, the Hibernia Atlantic event brought together politicians, bankers, executives from the telecommunications industry and more.

Who was there? Hibernia Atlantic’s executive management team, including CEO Bjarni Thorvardarson, who welcomed the crowd and gave a champagne toast. Founder and chairman, Ken Peterson, told the crowd, “What sets us apart as humans is our ability to communicate.”

Leading Atlantic cable historians gave informative presentations. Bill Burns talked about the type of cable used 150 years ago and how it compares to those used today. The crowd got to hear the interesting ways the cable was laid so long ago.

David Bart’s passion for the industry came through in his presentation about Lord Kelvin. He talked about the people who played such an important role in laying the first transatlantic submarine cable.

The night didn’t come to an end until after the attendees got to hear from Cyrus W. Field IV, the great, great grandson of Cyrus West Field. He shared wonderful stories about his family’s legacy. He gave the group a look into the type of person his ancestor was.

The younger Field described the elder as a fidgety man who couldn’t sit still. He also called him a serial entrepreneur. He had very few family relics left to share, but he did show pictures. And talk about a strange family dynamic. Two of Cyrus West Field’s siblings were committed to insane asylums, while two others sat on the Supreme Court!

Attendees of the event represented companies including Arbinet, China Netcom, Deutsche Telecom, Ireland's Department of Foreign Affairs, Director of the Audio History Library, MediaXstream, Mzima, PacketExchange, Telx and more.