Historedia
Person

William Thomson

Events
2
Episodes
7
Years
1858–1865

Every event in Historedia whose sources name William Thomson, with the role they cite and all of that event’s episodes. This is not a biography, and mentions are grouped by name, so two people with the same name can share this page.

Events and episodes

  1. The first transatlantic telegraph cable is completed and fails

    1858

    Role: Engineer

    1. 5 August 1858 · Heart's ContentCable Landing at Heart's Content

      The first transatlantic cable was landed at Heart's Content, connecting to Valentia Island.

    2. 16 August 1858 · Valentia IslandFirst Official Transcontinental Telegram

      Queen Victoria sent a Morse code message to President James Buchanan, marking the first official telegram between continents.

    3. 26 August 1858 · Great Barrington, MassachusettsCyrus Field's Homecoming

      Field returned to Great Barrington, Massachusetts, celebrated as the parent of the Atlantic Telegraph Cable scheme.

    4. September–October 1858 · Valentia IslandCable Failure in September 1858

      The cable failed due to insulation deterioration, ending its short-lived operation.

  2. Maxwell presents 'A Dynamical Theory of the Electromagnetic Field', 8 December 1864

    1864–1865

    Role: Peer Reviewer

    1. 8 December 1864 · Royal SocietyPresentation to the Royal Society

      Maxwell's paper was read to the Royal Society on 8 December 1864, following its submission on 27 October.

    2. 24 Dec 1864 – 23 Mar 1865 · Royal SocietyPeer Review Process

      The paper underwent peer review, being sent to William Thomson and George Gabriel Stokes in late 1864 and early 1865.

    3. 15–16 June 1865 · Royal SocietyApproval for Publication

      The paper was approved for publication in the Philosophical Transactions on 15 June 1865 and sent to the printer the next day.

Sources

  1. Transatlantic telegraph cable Wikipedia, revision of 2026-07-15
  2. A Dynamical Theory of the Electromagnetic Field Wikipedia, revision of 2025-11-28