Module 2: The History of Oceanography
Model Ship from Ancient Egyptian Tomb, 2000 BC
Public Domain
In this module, you will embark on a fascinating voyage through the history of oceanography.
Your schedule includes stops to visit the ancient Phoenicians, Egyptians, Greeks, and Vikings, and then sailing on to meet the Early Christian and Portuguese explorers. Further on, you'll meet Christopher Columbus and join some notable historical voyages from the 1400s through 1900s.
After the historical voyages, grab your SCUBA gear as you jump into the water with fellow oceanographers to learn more about underwater diving, submarines, and submersibles. Your amazing voyage ends with learning about some of the latest research voyages in oceanography today.
Getting Started
Before you set sail, let's check to see what you already know about the history of oceanography. In this non-graded interactivity, read the question and select the correct response. Click SUBMIT to check your response. Click the player button to get started.
Key Vocabulary
To view the definitions for these key vocabulary terms, visit the course glossary.
| Amerigo Vespucci | Dark Ages | HMS Endeavour | Phoenicians |
| Aquarius | Deep Sea Drilling Project | HMS Resolution | Piloting |
| Atlantis | Dr. Robert Ballard | Hundley | Polynesians |
| Augustus Siebe | Echo soundings | International Decade of Ocean Exploration | Prince Henry |
| Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV) | Emile Gagnon | International Project of Ocean Drilling | Remote Operated Vehicle (ROV) |
| Batholomeau Diaz | Eric the Red | Jacques Cousteau | Rudders |
| Bathyscaphe | Ferdinand Magellan | Jason-1 | Scandinavian/Scandinavia |
| Bathysphere | Fram | Joides Resolution | SCUBA |
| Biodiversity | Frederick Johansen | Lief Erickson | SEASAT |
| Buoyant | Fridtjof Nansen | Little Ice Age | Sebastian del Cano |
| C. Wyville Thomson | Global Positioning System | Magnetic Compass | Self-contained diving |
| Cape of Good Hope | Great Barrier Reef | Marianas Trench | Sir Francis Drake |
| Captain James Cook | H. M.S. Challenger II | Matthew Fontaine Maury | Submersibles |
| Captain Robert Fitzroy | Henry Fluess | Meteor | Trieste |
| Cartography | Hieroglyphics | Middle Ages | Vasco de Gama |
| Charles Darwin | HMS Adventure | Natural Selection | Vasco Nunez de Balboa |
| Christopher Columbus | HMS Beagle | Otis Barton | Vikings |
| Circumnavigate | HMS Challenger | Outrigger | William Bebe |