Simply Thimbles

The first current sent through the transatlantic cable stretching from Valentia Island, Ireland to White Sand Bay, Newfoundland was in 1866.  The message was sent by Latimer Clark.  After a few unsuccessful attempts he came up with the idea of making a small electric cell from a touch of sulphuric acid, a little bit of zinc and a smidgen of silver.   The silver came from a thimble like the one above. It was lent to him by Emily Fitzgerald, the daughter of the Knight of Kerry.  Emily's thimble generated enough current to send the signal 3,700 miles across the Atlantic in a mere second.  Imagine that - high speed communication - from a thimble! The thimble now resides in the London Science Museum.You can see a picture of it here . This particular design of thimble is now known as the Atlantic Cable thimble.  The one pictured above is from my collection. I think it's from around 1870 judging by the tallness and slightly domed to...