The first transatlantic telegraph cable died three weeks after its triumphant debut

In August 1858, Cyrus Field's transatlantic cable let Queen Victoria and President Buchanan exchange messages that once took ten days by ship in minutes, and crowds celebrated across America. Weeks later, the cable's chief electrician overloaded it trying to boost the signal, and it went dead for good. A durable replacement didn't arrive until 1866.

— Cyrus Field and associates, Transatlantic telegraph cable — 1858; permanent cable completed 1866