St. John's Signal Hill National Historic Site

At the entrance to St. John's harbor, overlooking the city and sea, is Signal Hill National Historic Site. It was here in 1901 that the first wireless transatlantic signal was received. It also played a strategic role in the Seven Years war with France, although the current fortifications were built during the hostilities of 1812.

The Cabot Tower is one of the key sites of Signal Hill. It was built in 1897 to mark the four hundredth anniversary of the discovery of Newfoundland. It also now commemorates Guglielmo Marconi's reception here in 1901 of the first transatlantic radio telegraphy signal, transmitted over a distance of 2,700 kilometers from Poldhu in England. In the tower are exhibitions on the history of Signal Hill and the history of communications (with a special section on Marconi). From the top, visitors can enjoy panoramic views of the city and the coast as far as Cape Spear - the most easterly point of North America.