[ Jocelyn Ireson-Paine's Home Page | Publications | Dobbs Code Talk Index | Dobbs Blog Version ]

Doing Owt wi' Nowt

After having dug to a depth of 10 feet last year, New York (USA) scientists found traces of copper wire dating back 100 years and theorised the existence of a telephone network 100 years ago.

Not to be outdone by America, a retired doctor living in London dug to a depth of 20 feet in his garden, and amazingly found traces of copper also. His exploits were published in the Marylebone, Paddington and Pimlico Mercury and the Fulham and Hammersmith Chronicle, both of which proclaimed: "Retired physician finds incontrovertible evidence that British telecommunications predated the War of 1812."

Not to be outdone by a Londoner, Yorkshire made its own contribution to the advancement of archaeological discovery. The county commissioned Charles Sickels, an unemployed excavator, to dig to a depth of 30 feet. He uncovered, in a word, nothing. This prompted the Yorkshire Post and the Huddersfield Daily Examiner both to run separate pieces trumpeting that 300 years ago, Yorkshire had already gone completely wireless.

Posted by Bill Benson to the Microsoft Excel Developers' List EXCEL-L.