Ocean Exploration

  • 4500 BCE

    The Beginning of Ocean Diving

    The Beginning of Ocean Diving
    People in China and Greece began diving into the water to search for food and to look for things to sell.
  • 600 BCE

    The Start of Sea Routes

    The Start of Sea Routes
    Ancient Phoenicians began to make sea routes trying to find tin and other resources. These sea routes went around the Mediterranean and into the Red Sea and Indian Ocean. They even made it to Africa and England.
  • 1492

    Christopher Columbus exploration

    Christopher Columbus exploration
    Christopher Columbus set out on a voyage to find a passage to China and India, across the Atlantic ocean. He instead discovered North and South America, which lead to colonization on these continents.
  • Sep 20, 1519

    First Journey around the Whole World

    First Journey around the Whole World
    Ferdinand Magellan and his crew began their journey to become the first people to sail around the whole world. However, Ferdinand Magellan died in 1521 and his crew had to carry on without him
  • The First Submarine

    The First Submarine
    Cornelis Drebbel built the world's first submarine out of wood and iron covered in leather.
  • The Very First Diving Suit

    The Very First Diving Suit
    Karl Heinrich Klingert created a diving suit. It was made of a leather jacket and pants, a helmet with a porthole, and a front that was metal.
  • The First Scuba Use

    The First Scuba Use
    William H. James designed a breathing tool to use underwater. The diver using the scuba wears a helmet and carries a tube of air around their waist.
  • The Coral Reef Atolls

    The Coral Reef Atolls
    Charles Darwin published a book called The Structure and Distribution of Coral Reefs. In the book he talked about how the coral reefs formed from erosion and subsidence from volcanic islands.
  • First Journey on the Sea Floor

    First Journey on the Sea Floor
    Reginald Fessenden used an oscillator to bounce sound waves in between the seafloor and an iceberg. The oscillator lead to the making of sonar. A sonar allows submarines to signal each other and for ships to watchout out for icebergs.
  • The Ocean Floor Mapping

    The Ocean Floor Mapping
    A German vessel called Meteor sailed around the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean. It took measurements of the ocean floor using echo sounding equipment. The trips showed new information about what the ocean floor looks like.
  • The Furthest Dive in the Dive Suit

    The Furthest Dive in the Dive Suit
    Sylvia Earle set the record for going down the farthest in the dive suit. She went down 1,250 feet without assistance.
  • Giant Squid's First Video

    Giant Squid's First Video
    A Japanese explore and film crew caught a giant squid in its natural habitat, on camera. At the time the squid was only 9 feet long. They can grow up to 60 feet.