On this day in history, Oct. 24, 1861, transcontinental telegraph completed, connecting coasts for first time
Fox News
The transcontinental telegraph was completed on Oct. 24, 1861, making possible instant communication between the coasts possible for the first time. It rendered the Pony Express obsolete.
"The people of California desire to congratulate you upon completion of the great work," the state's chief justice, Stephen J. Field, wrote in the absence of the governor to President Abraham Lincoln in Washington, D.C. The transcontinental telegraph "will be the means of strengthening the attachment which bind both east and west." The transcontinental telegraph rendered obsolete the Pony Express. It was ended two days later. Kerry J. Byrne is a lifestyle reporter with Fox News Digital.
"They believe it will be the means of strengthening the attachment which bind both east and west to the Union. They desire in this the first message across the continent to express their loyalty to that Union."