The Beginnings of Oceanography

Mihai Negrean

Sep 3, 2021 — 1 min read

The study of oceanography started when people wanted to know how to make their boats fare better at sea. Different people wanted to do different things with their ships.

The Chinese built inland waterways, the Vikings learned how to build strong, fast ships so that they could raid the coasts, and the Portuguese learned about the "Trade Winds", which helped their ships get to their destinations faster.

Some people that were pioneers in early oceanography were:

Captain James Cook

James Cook was a scientific explorer who charted the Easter Islands, New Caledonia, and South Georgia (not the U.S state, the country of Georgia), he made three major voyages to the Pacific Ocean, and was the first European to map Hawaii, Australia, New Zealand, and Newfoundland. He was called "The first Ocean Scientist"

John Harrison

John Harrison invented the Marine Chronometer, a device that helped sailors find out where they were after days at sea.

Lt. Charles Wilkes

Charles Wilkes led the United States Exploring Expedition in 1838, the largest exploring expedition since 1431. It was sent to see if there were holes at the poles of the Earth and collect scientific specimens.

Matthew Maury

Matthew Maury was a naval officer who studied ships' logs for temperature and wind direction to develop wind and current charts.

Captain George Nares

George Nares was the captain of the H.M.S. Challenger, the first ship that sailed on a purely scientific mission: to take samples from the ocean and bring them back to be studied.

World War I

World War I was one of the most destructive wars in the world's history. It involved most of the world, which was why it was called a world war. This war had its beginnings in the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, the heir apparent to the Austro-Hungarian Empire&

Archimedes

Archimedes was a Greek mathematician, physicist, engineer, astronomer, and inventor who lived in the third century BC. He is well known for predicting the use of calculus, and discovering an approximation of pi. While he was in Syracuse, the city was attacked by Rome in the years 213 and 212

Alexander Pope and An Essay on Criticism

Alexander Pope was an English poet born in 1688. He wrote many poems, including English translations of the Iliad and Odyssey. One of his most famous poems, An Essay on Criticism, is written like a guide on how to write and criticize poetry. Some points that Pope makes in his

Literature in the 17th Century

Metaphysical Poets Metaphysical poets were a group of 17th century poets who wrote metaphysical or philosophical poems. Some of the most important metaphysical poets included John Donne, Abraham Cowley, and George Herbert. These poets used conceits, a special type of comparison, to combine "dissimilar images". George Herbert was