Tag: Atlantic

• Podcast

16th August 1858: Queen Victoria sends the first transatlantic telegram

• 16th August 2026
• Tagged as: Atlantic, Buchanan, Queen Victoria, Science, Technology, Telegraph

Queen Victoria sent the first telegram using the newly-installed transatlantic telegraph cable to US President James Buchanan.

• Podcast

24th April 1916: Sir Ernest Shackleton and five companions set off in James Caird, a recovered lifeboat, to sail from Elephant Island to South Georgia in the southern Atlantic Ocean

• 24th April 2026
• Tagged as: Adventure, Antarctica, Atlantic, Boat, Elephant Island, Expedition, Exploration, Sailing, Sheckleton, South Georgia

Despite all the odds stacked against them, the crew of the tiny boat reached South Georgia in 16 days and then crossed to the whaling station at Stromness.

• Podcast

3rd August 1492: Christopher Columbus sets sail from the Spanish port of Palos de la Frontera on the voyage that takes him to the Americas

• 3rd August 2025
• Tagged as: America, Atlantic, Canary Islands, Columbus, Spain

Palos de la Frontera holds the official title as the starting point of Columbus’ transatlantic voyage.

• Podcast

8th July 1497: Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama sets sail from Lisbon on the first known voyage to India from Europe

• 8th July 2025
• Tagged as: Atlantic, Cape of Good Hope, Exploration, India, Indian Ocean, Lisbon, Portugal, Spices, Vasco Da Gama

In May 1498, the expedition reached the Indian city of Calicut (present-day Kozhikode) on the Malabar Coast. Da Gama met with the the local ruler, and attempted to establish a trading relationship.

• Podcast

11th December 1866: The first transatlantic yacht race begins in Sandy Hook, New Jersey

• 11th December 2024
• Tagged as: Atlantic, Gordon Bennett, Isle of Wight, New Jersey, New York, Queen Victoria, Race, Sailing, Sandy Hook, The Needles, Transatlantic, Transport, Yacht

The first transatlantic yacht race, from Sandy Hook in New Jersey to the Needles off the coast of the Isle of Wight in England, was the result of a drunken wager between three prominent New York businessmen: James Gordon Bennett Jr., Pierre Lorillard, and George Osgood.

• Podcast

4th December 1872: Deserted US merchant ship Mary Celeste found drifting in the Atlantic

• 4th December 2024
• Tagged as: Atlantic, Cargo, Ghost, Gibraltar, Mystery, Ship, Transportation

Mary Celeste had departed New York on 7 November.

• Podcast

25th September 1956: Inauguration TAT-1, the first transatlantic telephone cable

• 25th September 2024
• Tagged as: America, Atlantic, Britain, Canada, Cold War, Communication, Newfoundland, Scotland, Technology, Telephone, USA

Known as Transatlantic No. 1 or TAT-1, the £120 million system actually consisted of two identical cables to allow transmission in each direction.

• Podcast

7th July 1952: SS United States establishes the record for the fastest transatlantic crossing by an ocean liner

• 7th July 2024
• Tagged as: America, Atlantic, Blue Riband, Ocean Liner, Ship, Transatlantic, United States, USA, Virginia

SS United States secured the Blue Riband, an accolade awarded to the passenger liner crossing the Atlantic with the highest average speed, and continues to hold the record to this day.

• Podcast

8th April 1838: SS Great Western begins her maiden voyage to New York as the first steamship specifically built for transatlantic travel

• 8th April 2024
• Tagged as: Atlantic, Bristol, Britain, Brunel, England, Great Western, New York, Steam, Steamship, Technology, Transatlantic, United States, USA

Great Western’s maiden voyage crossed the Atlantic in a record time of 15 days and five hours.

• Podcast

1st January 1739: Discovery of Bouvet Island, the world’s most remote island

• 1st January 2024
• Tagged as: Antarctica, Atlantic, Bouvet Island, Discovery, Exploration, France, Norway, South Atlantic

The fact that Bouvet island, with a total area of just 19 square miles, lies almost 1,000 miles from the nearest uninhabited land makes the chance discovery even more incredible.