Copper wire and the history of communications

After having dug to a depth of 10 feet last year, British scientists found traces of copper wire dating back 200 years and concluded their ancestors already had a telephone network more than 150 years ago.

Not to be outdone the Americans set about digging to 20 feet, and shortly after, the New York Times reported : "American archaeologists, find traces of 250-year-old copper wire, which means our ancestors had a communications network 50 years earlier than the British".

One week later, Australia's Northern Territory Times reported the following:  "After digging to 30 feet in his backyard in Tennant Creek, Northern Territory, Knackers Johnson, a self-taught archaeologist, reported that he found absolutely bugger-all. Knackers has therefore concluded that 250 years ago, Australia had already gone wireless."

...That makes all us Aussies feel bloody proud to be Australian!