August 3 - First Watercraft to Reach North Pole

    Posted on August 3, 2022     

This is an update of my post published on August 3, 2011:

The USS Nautilus was the world's first operational nuclear-powered submarine. Because of her nuclear propulsion, she was able to remain submerged much longer than diesel-electric submarines, and so she was able to break many records and establish many firsts. One of her most famous exploits was achieved on this day in 1958, as the submarine reached the geographical North Pole.

The submarine began this West Coast voyage, called Operation Sunshine, in April of that year, and she tried to enter the Arctic Ocean in mid-June. However, there was deep draft ice that made it too dangerous. The Nautilus went all the way to Pearl Harbor in Hawaii to wait for better ice conditions. In late July, it was deemed safe to try again, so the Nautilus traveled north again and submerged in the Barrow Sea Valley on August 1. The submarine reached the North Pole on August 3 and continued on another 96 hours (4 days) until she could surface northeast of Greenland.

This is the USS Providence celebrating
the 50th anniversary of the Nautilus's
polar crossing--in the Arctic Ocean, of
course!

What is the geographical North Pole?

It is the point in the northern half of Earth where the planet's axis of rotation meets its surface.

On a globe, it is the spot where the upper portion of the metal rod around which the globe spins emerges from the Earth's sphere and attaches to the globe's stand.

The South Pole, of course, is the point in the southern half of Earth where the axis of rotation meets the surface. And on a globe it is the spot where the lower portion of the rod emerges.

Did you know...?

• The North Pole is defined as the northernmost point on Earth. It lies exactly opposite the South Pole, which is the southernmost point on Earth.

• The North Pole lies in the middle of the Arctic Ocean, although that ocean is sometimes covered in ice, and the South Pole is in the middle of the ice-covered land mass that is Antarctica.

• Earth has a slight wobble in its spin. For this reason, the North Pole isn't in one fixed location—but instead it ranges around a few meters.

• 
  The Magnetic North Pole is the point on Earth's Northern Hemisphere at which Earth's magnetic field points downwards. It is not the same spot as the Geographic North Pole, and it slowly changes over time. The Magnetic North Pole was in Canada in 2001, and it has been moving toward Russia more than 30 miles (more than 55 kilometers) per year! (Learn more here.)

• There are even more “if's, and's, and but's” to discuss about the North and South Poles. Check out Geomagnetic Reversal and Axial Precession! 

Also on this date:

Independence Day in Niger 

Watermelon Day

Anniversary of a Messianic figure rejecting the role

National Flag Day in Venezuela

Esther Day

Martyrs' Day in Guinea-Bissau

Anniversary of the first recorded European sighting of the La Brea Tarpits 

Anniversary of the discovery of a nearly complete Neanderthal skeleton

Plan ahead:

Check out my Pinterest boards for:

• August holidays
• August birthdays
• Historical anniversaries in August

And here are my Pinterest boards for:

• September holidays
• September birthdays
• Historical anniversaries in September

April 11 – Submarine Day

Posted on April 11, 2015

Way back in 1900, the U.S. government bought its first submarine, the USS Holland. It was on April 11, 1900, so today is Submarine Day.

According to Wikipedia, the United States submarine community celebrates the day. I'm thinking that the U.S. submarine community mostly consists of the Navy guys who serve on subs, right? Of course there are some tourist submarine rides (and not just at Disneyland). But I find myself wondering how many people own their own private submarines...maybe even luxury submarines. And as I wondered that, I also started wondering how dangerous running your own submarine would be!

Interior of a luxury submarine.

What I found out from my research is that your own personal sub costs upwards of $2 million, if it's commercially built. The manufacturers put the new owners through a three-week training course so that they learn how to let just enough water into the ballast tanks, and dive and drive and all that stuff. 

I also found out that some people build their own subs! Seriously, for “only” about $50 thousand, hobbyists cobble together submersibles in their backyards and garages. They have to get Coast Guard approval before diving at sea (although they can explore lakes without approval – but they are still urged to contact the FBI before doing even that!). This sort of submarine is more dangerous; people have died when their homemade vessels cracked from the water pressure in the deep. (There has never been a recorded death in a commercially-made private or

tourist submarine from the sub cracking at depth. Of course there have been deaths associated with submarines being attacked during a war!)

While I was finding out about private people owning submarines, I ALSO started wondering about those “Navy guys” serving on subs. My nephew is one of them, and I remembered that there are no women on his crew. It turns out that, because of the cramped quarters and lack of privacy, there are no women currently assigned to any U.S. Navy submarine crews. But of course there are some women who have been on subs for short periods of time. They include civilians who were experts at testing specialized equipment, family members, and female midshipmen getting training.

And while I was researching all of that, I discovered that submarines are painted black because studies have shown that black helps subs hide better than any other color. 

At any rate, you are likely NOT an owner of a private sub, likely NOT serving on a nuclear submarine, likely NOT living near any tourist subs. 

Still, happy Submarine Day! And what could be happier than watching Yellow Submarine?

Also on this date:

Sonia Kovalevsky Mathematics High School Day 

International Table Top Day

Barbershop Quartet Day 

Louie, Louie Day 

Slow Art Day 

National Pet Day 

Juan Santamaria Day in Costa Rica

Scientist and inventor Percy Julian's birthday

Plan ahead:

Check out my Pinterest boards for:

• April holidays   
• April birthdays 
• Historical anniversaries in April

And here are my Pinterest boards for:

• May holidays 
• May birthdays 
• Historical anniversaries in May

January 6, 2012 - Communications Inventions Day

First patent for a typewriter (on this date in 1714)

An Englishman named Henry Mill submitted a vague description of "an artificial machine or method for the impressing or transcribing of letters singly or progressively one after another." But there is no evidence that he had a working model of a typewriter, nor that he further developed his idea.

First public demonstration of the telegraph (on this date in 1838)

American painter Samuel Morse was heartbroken when his wife got ill and died while he was far away painting someone's portrait. He realized that he could at least have seen her and said goodbye if only there were a rapid form of long-distance communication – and he stopped painting in order to invent a device to do just that.

First telephone call from a submerged submarine (on this date in 1898)

When I think “submarine,” I think “ocean,” but this first phone call from a sub came from a guy named “Lake” (Simon Lake, to be exact) from the bottom of a river!

Learn....

• Ramp up your typing skills with a free online typing course such as this one or this other one. 
• Have you ever wanted to learn Morse Code? There's a website for that! 
• Do you know how submarines submerge or rise? Find out in this very short video. 

Also on this date:

Three Kings Day / Epiphany / Twelfth Night

Anniversary of opening of first Montessori school

September 30, 2011 - World's First Nuclear Submarine

-- 1954

It could dive longer, faster, and deeper than any submarine before it.

The USS Nautilus, commissioned on this day in 1954, wasn't limited in range and speed by the diesel engines of previous submarines. Also, with a nuclear reactor, there was no need to surface to recharge batteries.

Because of the new-found larger range, the Nautilus was the first submarine to travel under the Arctic ice and cross the North Pole. As a matter of fact, in her first years of operation, the Nautilus broke many records. There were also a few shortcomings in design that engineers eagerly learned from; the later generations of nuclear submarines were improved versions.

She was retired in 1980 and now serves as a museum of submarine history in Groton, Connecti-cut.

Watch a video to learn about nuclear power. This one is for older students, 

and younger kids might prefer this one. 

Find out more about nuclear submarines at How Stuff Works.

I found this short video odd because there is no narrator—just a musical sound track—and because, once in a while, someone is on-camera, talking—but we don't hear what he is saying! Still, the video does give you a great idea of the tight quarters and some of the “bustle” of living on a nuclear submarine! 

August 3, 2011 - First Watercraft to Reach North Pole

– 1958

The USS Nautilus was the world's first operational nuclear-powered submarine. Because of her nuclear propulsion, she was able to remain submerged much longer than diesel-electric submarines, and so she was able to break many records and establish many firsts. One of her most famous exploits was achieved on this day in 1958, as the submarine reached the geographical North Pole.

The submarine began this West Coast voyage, called Operation Sunshine, in April of that year, and she tried to enter the Arctic Ocean in mid-June. However, there was deep draft ice that made it too dangerous. The Nautilus went all the way to Pearl Harbor in Hawaii to wait for better ice conditions. In late July, it was deemed safe to try again, so the Nautilus traveled north again and submerged in the Barrow Sea Valley on August 1. The submarine reached the North Pole on August 3 and continued on another 96 hours (4 days) until she could surface northeast of Greenland.

This is the USS Providence celebrating the 50th anniversary
of the Nautilus's polar crossing--in the Arctic Ocean, of course!

What is the geographical North Pole?

It is the point in the northern half of Earth where the planet's axis of rotation meets its surface.

On a globe, it is the spot where the upper portion of the metal rod around which the globe spins emerges from the Earth's sphere and attaches to the globe's stand.

The South Pole, of course, is the point in the southern half of Earth where the axis of rotation meets the surface. And on a globe it is the spot where the lower portion of the rod emerges.

Did you know...?

• The North Pole is defined as the northernmost point on Earth. It lies exactly opposite the South Pole, which is the southernmost point on Earth.

• The North Pole lies in the middle of the Arctic Ocean, although that ocean is sometimes covered in ice, and the South Pole is in the middle of the ice-covered land mass that is Antarctica.

• Earth has a slight wobble in its spin. For this reason, the North Pole isn't in one fixed location—but instead it ranges around a few meters.

• 
  The Magnetic North Pole is the point on Earth's Northern Hemisphere at which Earth's magnetic field points downwards. It is not the same spot as the Geographic North Pole, and it slowly changes over time. The Magnetic North Pole was in Canada in 2001, and it has been moving toward Russia more than 30 miles (more than 55 kilometers) per year! (Learn more here and here.) 

• There are even more “if's, and's, and but's” to discuss about the North and South Poles. Check out Geomagnetic Reversal and Axial Precession!