William Thomson (Lord Kelvin) invents the siphon recorder to automatically transcribe signals from the transatlantic telegraph cable: a glass capillary vibrates according to the electrical signal and deposits an ink jet on moving paper. It is the first device using electrically controlled ink to record information, a principle that evolved into oscilloscope plotters (1950s), industrial continuous inkjet systems (CIJ, 1960s-70s), and finally the modern inkjet printer.