America 250: A Call Heard ‘Cross the Pond

On January 7, 1927, the first transatlantic telephone call was successfully completed between the United States and the United Kingdom.

On January 7, 1927, the first transatlantic telephone call was successfully completed between the United States and the United Kingdom. The call connected New York and London using radio signals transmitted across the Atlantic Ocean. AT&T and the British General Post Office collaborated to make the breakthrough possible. The first official call was placed by AT&T president Walter Gifford to British officials in London. The achievement marked a major advance in global communication, allowing real-time conversation across continents for the first time.