In this hyper-modern, satellite-powered wireless age, it's easy to forget how not too long ago our main connection to Europe was a single cable: the TAT-1. This, the first submarine transatlantic telephone cable was finally completed in 1956, just in time for operators to realize they needed a second. Guess what they named that one.
TAT-2. They named it TAT-2, AT&T just posted a short film from its archives explaining in 1959 not only how the cables was laid but also how it worked. It's a great watch for anybody who's into history but especially for anyone who's into infrastructure. The fiber optics cables that replaces the TAT-1 and TAT-2 in the late 1970s and early 1980s, respectively, still power the internet you're reading this on. So without that early technology, the technology that's now preserving its history might not exist.
Makes you wonder: without those cables under the sea, would the internet have ever existed? And without the internet, would anything really exist?