Oceanography Timeline

  • 4500 BCE

    First-time Ocean Discovery

    Ocean discovery first began in 4500 BC when people from China and Greece began diving into the ocean in search of food and supplies.
  • 500 BCE

    Diving for Treasure

    It all begins when the King of Persia, King Xerxes, requests that a diver named Scyllias, along with his daugher, dive into the deep ocean to look for treasures during one of the wars between Greek and Persia.
  • 1405

    Chinese Exploration

    The Chinese sent out seven voyages consisting of 300 ships along with more than 37,000 men. These trips were meant to promote Chinese culture and impress their neighboring lands.
  • The First Submarine

    Cornelis Drebbel was a Dutch engineer who was responsible for creating the world's first ever submarine. The boat was built out of wood, iron and was covered with leather on the inside. Drebbel made several voyages in his submarine, one being at the Thames River near London 15 feet deep in the water.
  • Submarine Valley in Monterey

    James Alen was a rear admiral in the US Navy in the Mexican-American war. He was also the one who first discovered the first known submarine valley in California.
  • Titanic

    The White Star Liner RMS Titanic sinks after colliding with an iceberg on the North Atlantic Ocean, creating a tragedy that caused over 1,500 people to lose their lives.
  • Deepest Ocean Dive

    Jacques Piccard and twon other men dove deep into the ocean at 35,797 feet, which is equal to nearly seven miles!!The divers were able to discover many types of fish and other deep sea life at this depth.
  • The First Underwater habitat

    The first ever underwater habitat was discovered when several experiments were conducted whereby people live in underwater habitats. The habitats had compressed air coming from the surface.
  • Titanic Found

    The Titanic was found thanks to the help of a robotic submarine in 12,500 feet deep off the coast of thee Newfoundland in Canada. The wreckage was discovered in two pieces.
  • Mariana Trench's First Dive

    James Cameron becomes the first man to dive into the Mariana Trench all by himself. He dove nearly seven miles and reaches 35,756 feet. He was able to spend 3 hours underwater before he needed to return back to the surface.