Innovative Tuesday: The Invention of the Submarine

     Hello everybody and welcome back to another edition of Global History Hub! I'll be your host, Mr. Nations, your tour guide to this massive world we all call home. In today's edition of Innovative Tuesday, we'll be taking a look at the invention of the submarine, an important tool in the world of underwater exploration. Well, what are we waiting for? Let's dive straight into it!

     Underwater exploration has fascinated humans for thousands of years, but up until fairly recently, we couldn't do a great deal of it. Submarine travel didn't become common until around the mid-twentieth century. The first instance of underwater traversal was military operations carried out by ancient Athenians. It is also thought that Alexander the Great descended into the sea using a primitive diving bell, although this is regarded as a legend rather than fact.

     The first American submarine was designed before the Revolutionary War by David Bushnell, a young inventor based out of Connecticut. He designed and built a one-man submarine that needed to be hand-cranked to operate. Small pipes protruded out the cockpit that allowed air to circulate and featured a torpedo used to attack ships. Bushnell dubbed it "The Turtle". Unfortunately, this vessel was extremely inefficient.

     The first successful American submarine was invented a decade after the end of the Civil War. Inventor John Holland set about creating a suitable submarine for the United States to use. His first prototype was deemed slow and inefficient. But instead of giving up, he took this as a personal challenge to improve upon his design. The U.S., upon realizing the huge upside potential for submarines, held a design contest. Holland won and began designing submarines for the United States.

     Soon, better engines were needed to power these bulky machines. Gasoline engines were used for a short time, but they were slow, dangerous, bulky, and horribly inefficient. Gasoline was a flammable and unstable liquid, making it very difficult for crews to use safely. Many years later nuclear-powered submarines would be invented, along with much safer alternatives.

     Fun Facts:

• The first nuclear-powered submarine is called the USS Nautilus.
• Submarines navigate underwater using sonar. 
• The first submarines were only designed to hold one or two people. Modern ones can hold 100 people with room to spare.

     "The Turtle", the first submarine:

     

     Sources: https://www.history.navy.mil/content/history/museums/nmusn/education/distance-learning/history-of-submarines/submarine-development--a-short-history.html

     https://awefilledhomemaker.com/fun-facts-submarines/