1866
First Successful Transatlantic Telegraph Cable
After a failed 1858 attempt that worked only briefly, the Atlantic Telegraph Company successfully laid a durable submarine telegraph cable …
The Full Timeline of Trade
Over a hundred events spanning early exchange networks to today's global logistics. Combine filters, search, and switch between chronological and card views.
Communication and Commerce
1866
First Successful Transatlantic Telegraph Cable
After a failed 1858 attempt that worked only briefly, the Atlantic Telegraph Company successfully laid a durable submarine telegraph cable across the North Atlantic in 1866, using…
c. 1870
Telegraph Links Extend to India
During the 1860s and early 1870s, a combination of submarine and overland telegraph lines connected British India to London, cutting communication time from months by sea to a mat…
1871
Submarine Cable Links East Asia to Europe
In 1871, the Great Northern Telegraph Company and affiliated firms completed submarine telegraph cables connecting Shanghai and Hong Kong to the existing Europe-to-Asia telegraph …
1884
International Meridian Conference Sets World Time Standards
Delegates from twenty-five nations met in Washington in October 1884 to agree on a common global reference system for longitude and time, choosing the meridian through Greenwich, …
c. 1880s-1900s
The Telephone Reshapes Business Coordination
Following Alexander Graham Bell's 1876 patent, telephone exchanges spread rapidly through American and European cities in the 1880s and 1890s, giving merchants, brokers, and facto…
c. 1920s
Radio Broadcasts Carry Commodity Prices
In the early 1920s, radio stations in American farming regions began broadcasting daily grain, livestock, and other commodity prices to rural listeners, building on earlier market…
c. 1930s-1960s
Telex Networks Link International Trading Offices
Telex, a service that sent typed text messages over switched telegraph-style networks, began in Germany in the early 1930s and spread across Europe before growing into an internat…
c. 1960s-1970s
Early Computerized EDI Streamlines Trade Documents
Through the 1960s, American railroads, trucking firms, and later retailers developed early computer-to-computer systems for exchanging standardized shipping manifests, invoices, a…
1973
SWIFT Network Founded for Interbank Messaging
In 1973, two hundred thirty-nine banks from fifteen countries founded the Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication, known as SWIFT, to replace the slow and inco…
early 1990s
Early Commercialization of the Internet for Business Communication
In the early 1990s, restrictions that had limited the earlier research-oriented internet to academic and government use were lifted, and commercial internet service providers bega…
c. 1870
Telegraph Links Extend to India
During the 1860s and early 1870s, a combination of submarine and overland telegraph lines connected British India to London, cutting commun…
1871
Submarine Cable Links East Asia to Europe
In 1871, the Great Northern Telegraph Company and affiliated firms completed submarine telegraph cables connecting Shanghai and Hong Kong t…
1884
International Meridian Conference Sets World Time Standards
Delegates from twenty-five nations met in Washington in October 1884 to agree on a common global reference system for longitude and time, c…
c. 1880s-1900s
The Telephone Reshapes Business Coordination
Following Alexander Graham Bell's 1876 patent, telephone exchanges spread rapidly through American and European cities in the 1880s and 189…
c. 1920s
Radio Broadcasts Carry Commodity Prices
In the early 1920s, radio stations in American farming regions began broadcasting daily grain, livestock, and other commodity prices to rur…
c. 1930s-1960s
Telex Networks Link International Trading Offices
Telex, a service that sent typed text messages over switched telegraph-style networks, began in Germany in the early 1930s and spread acros…
c. 1960s-1970s
Early Computerized EDI Streamlines Trade Documents
Through the 1960s, American railroads, trucking firms, and later retailers developed early computer-to-computer systems for exchanging stan…
1973
SWIFT Network Founded for Interbank Messaging
In 1973, two hundred thirty-nine banks from fifteen countries founded the Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication, know…
early 1990s
Early Commercialization of the Internet for Business Communication
In the early 1990s, restrictions that had limited the earlier research-oriented internet to academic and government use were lifted, and co…