Why was William Thomson knighted by Queen Victoria in 1866?

William Thomson was knighted by Queen Victoria in 1866 in recognition of his significant contributions to the successful laying of the transatlantic cable.21

His involvement in the project began in 1854 when he applied his mathematical theories regarding heat flow to solve problems concerning the velocity of electric currents in long-distance submarine telegraphy. Despite initial opposition from the Atlantic Telegraph Company's chief electrician, Thomson’s theoretical findings were eventually validated. He served as the project's chief consultant and invented the mirror galvanometer, a sensitive telegraph receiver that became essential for the operation of the worldwide submarine cable network.2