Start here · Essential guide
The First Satellite Communications: A New Era in Technology
Satellite communications began years before 1967: the Echo balloon in 1960, Telstar in 1962, then Syncom in 1963 and 1964. Here is how the early story unfolded.
Science, Firsts and Sport
Communications Origins
How cables, satellites, television and mobile phones began, and where 1967 fits in that story.
The First Commercial Satellite Communications System Launched
The first commercial communications satellite, Early Bird, was launched in April 1965 via Comsat and Intelsat. Intelsat II satellites followed in 1966-67.
The First Commercial Television Broadcast: A Revolution in Media
Television began long before 1967: the BBC opened from Alexandra Palace in 1936 and US commercial licences began in 1941. BBC2 started colour in July 1967.
The First Mobile Phone: A 1967 Communication Innovation
The first handheld cellular call was made by Martin Cooper of Motorola in April 1973. In 1967 people used bulky car radiotelephones instead of mobile phones.
The First Transatlantic Telephone Cable Completed
The first transatlantic telephone cable, TAT-1, opened in September 1956 from Scotland to Newfoundland, after telegraph cables in 1858 and 1866, not in 1967.
Related topics
More in science, firsts and sport
Science, Space and Firsts Milestones and setbacks in technology, medicine and space. Sport in 1967 Football, baseball, tennis, motor racing and cycling. Sporting Moments of 1967 Single matches, races and seasons that fans still remember. Space and Flight in 1967 Rockets, probes and aircraft from a setback-filled year. Womens Golf History How womens professional and amateur golf grew, with its major championships and its spread beyond the US and Britain. Womens Tennis History The history of womens singles at the Grand Slam tournaments, region by region, from the 1880s to the 1967 amateur era. Computing Origins Where computers, chips, lasers and video games really began, set against the technology of 1967. Transport Origins The real beginnings of commercial flying, the jet airliner and high-speed rail. Women and the Nobel Prizes When women first won each Nobel prize, and why none of it happened in 1967. Baseball 1967 The 1967 pennant races, the World Series and the teams and leagues around them. Pro Leagues 1967-68 Football, basketball and hockey seasons as the leagues expanded. Olympic and World Cup Years The Games and World Cups around 1967, with the facts of what was and was not held. Sport and Counterculture Where the late 1960s mood met sport, from long hair to defiance.