There are thousands of miles of internet cables under the ocean.

Water has a way of disrupting Wi-Fi connections, so it may come as a surprise that there are hundreds of thousands of miles of internet cables along the ocean’s floor. In fact, our ability to communicate globally is thanks to nearly 750,000 miles of fiber optic cables that crisscross underwater. While it’s commonly believed that our phones and computers connect us through satellites, about 95% of all voice and data transmissions are routed through these cables. The first such cable connected the United States, U.K., and France in 1988, but the concept dates back more than 150 years — the first transatlantic communications cable was a simple copper wire used to transmit telegraphs between the U.S. and Great Britain. First used in 1858 following two years of planning and line laying, the cable worked for just a few weeks — but would inspire a world of communication for years to come.