National Medal Winner
Joyce, William H., National Medal of Technology, 1993Transoceanic telephone cable
"My suggestion would be a cross-sectional cut of a transoceanic cable. It is small, size of a silver dollar, and is representative of the century. A brief background on ocean cable would start early in the century before plastics with a primitive attempt to span the continents (Europe and North America). By mid-century, the cables included modern plastics and electronic circuritry. Today's cable employs fiber optics and connects all continents. The cable symbolizes the reach of man to connect the continents and to communicate with all men. The technology spans the range of natural insulating materials and jute to fiber optic communication systems."