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Cornelius Drebbel's submarine successfully completes several 15 foot dives in the Thames River
One of those dives happened to have King James I on board and showed the world that there was a promising future under the surface of the ocean. -
Submarine technology shows first signs of militaristic applications
David Bushnell's design for a military submarine was the first of its kind and began to open the doors for applications of underwater research in a broader sense. -
Robert Fulton's Nautilus submarine initiates the use of horizontal rudders
The introduction of this new control system creates better handling of the submarines and greater opportunities for use of submarines in the exploration underwater ecosystems. This design still in effect today. -
HMS Challenger begins deep sea environmental research
As the first expedition of the deep sea with the purpose of finding accurate answers to proposed questions about the marine environment, the HMS challenger started an era of oceanography. The resulting data was organized by Wyville-Thomson into a 50 volume collection with the intent of disproving the "deadzone" theory of the time. -
Jacque Cousteau and team search for long lost Roman ship
Jacque Cousteau was a part of another famous exploration that consisted of seeking the long lost Mahdia (Roman ship). His previous invention of the Aqua-Lung device assisted him and other scientists in starting the study of “underwater archaeology.” -
USS Nautilus was the first nuclear submarine launched.
The adoption of a nuclear reactor as the general power source allowed for longer submersion periods, up to 4 months. This created great opportunities on the military front. -
Jacques Piccard reached the ocean floor of Mariana's Trench
The dive itself took over 5 hours and Piccard was submerged 7 miles down, but with this investment scientist could see that the technology was now available to explore what had been left previously unexplored. -
Sylvia Earle became a powerful woman in the realm of underwater exploration
Amongst other things, Sylvia Earle has made a grand impact on the marine world through her leadership in the first all-female group that participated in Tektite II (studies in habitat capsules). In addition, she set the record for the world’s longest dive in a submarine (100 meters), out-competing her husband.
