-
U.S. Coast Survey
President Thomas Jefferson signs a bill authorizing the United States Coast Survey. - https://www.nationalgeographic.org -
Life in the Deep Sea
Charles Wyville Thomson, dredging from the H.M.S Lightning, finds sea life at 4,389 meters (14,400 feet), shattering previous theories that the sea was lifeless below 549 meters (1,800 feet). -https://www.nationalgeographic.org -
Early Marine Survey of the Americas
Naturalist Louis Agassiz steams from the U.S. East Coast to its West Coast around South America, collecting some 30,000 marine specimens. - https://www.nationalgeographic.org -
The First Oceanographic Research Vessel
The U.S. Fisheries Commission steamer Albatross begins operations as the first ship built to serve as an oceanographic research vessel. - https://www.nationalgeographic.org -
The Sinking of the Titanic
The Titanic sinks after hitting an iceberg, killing 1,500 people. The tragedy led to efforts to develop an acoustic device to find objects ahead of a vessel. - https://www.nationalgeographic.org -
The Bathysphere
William Beebe is lowered in a tethered bathysphere to 923 meters (3,028 feet). He and partner Otis Barton pioneered manned exploration of the ocean. - https://www.nationalgeographic.org -
Discovery of Magnetic Striping on Ocean Floor
The U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey ship Pioneer, in a joint project with the U.S. Navy and the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, tow the first marine magnetometer and finds magnetic striping on the seafloor off the West Coast. The discovery adds a key element to the theory of plate tectonics. - https://www.nationalgeographic.org -
Submersible Deep Dives
The Deep Submergence Vehicle Alvin is constructed by the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute. Alvin was the first U.S.-based deep-diving submersible, and has now made over 4,400 descents and led to numerous ocean floor discoveries. - https://www.nationalgeographic.org -
Sylvia Earle Leads Women Aquanauts:
Sylvia Earle leads the first team of women aquanauts during the Tektite Project and sets a record for solo diving to a depth of 1,000 meters. - https://www.nationalgeographic.org -
Cataloging the Biodiversity of the Ocean
The first-ever Census of Marine Life catalogs the diversity, abundance, and distribution of marine species collected in an online database. - https://www.nationalgeographic.org
