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This timeline is an incomplete list ofsignificant events of human migration and exploration by sea. This timeline does not include migration and exploration over land, including migration across land that has subsequently submerged beneath the sea, such as the initial settlement ofGreat Britain andIreland.
| Year | Event |
|---|---|
| ~128,000 BCE | Archaic humans fromNorth Africa migrate to theMediterranean island ofCrete.[1][2][3][4] |
| ~53,000 BCE | Modern humans fromSoutheast Asia migrate toSahul (modernAustralia,New Guinea, andTasmania).[5][6][7][8][9]: 1074 [10] |
| ~36,000 BCE | People fromEast Asia inhabit theJapanese islands ofHonshu andKyushu.[11][12][13][14][15][16] |
| ~33,000 BCE | People fromSoutheast Asia migrate to theMaluku Islands, theTalaud Islands, andPalawan.[6] |
| ~30,000 BCE | People fromeastern Siberia may have migrated into theAmericas.[17] |
| ~20,500 BCE | People fromeastern Siberia begin migrating toBeringia betweenAsia and theAmericas by land and sea.[18][19] |
| ~18,000 BCE | People inhabit theMediterranean island ofSardinia. |
| ~14,000 BCE | Small groups of seafaringBeringians begin migrating along thePacific Coast of theAmericas.[19][18] |
| ~13,000 BCE | People fromHonshu inhabit theJapanese island ofHokkaido. |
| ~9000 BCE | People fromSardinia inhabit theMediterranean island ofCorsica. |
| ~8800 BCE | People inhabit theMediterranean island ofCyprus. |
| ~8000 BCE | People fromSouth America inhabitIsla Grande de Tierra del Fuego. |
| ~6500 BCE | People inhabit theMediterranean island ofCrete. |
| ~6000 BCE | People inhabit theMediterranean island ofSicily. |
| ~5900 BCE | People fromSicily inhabit theMediterranean island ofMalta. |
| ~4500 BCE | People fromSouth America inhabit theCaribbean islands ofPuerto Rico,Hispaniola,Cuba, andJamaica. |
| ~4500 BCE | Early Paleo-Inuit migrate from northeasternSiberia across frozen seas to the island ofGreenland. |
| ~4500 BCE | Pre-Austronesian people (Dapenkeng culture) from southeasternChina migrate to the island ofTaiwan. They will mix withearlier inhabitants who had arrived from China when a land bridge existed. They later become theAustronesian peoples. |
| ~3,000-2,200 BCE | SeafaringAustronesian peoples fromTaiwan migrate to theBatanes Archipelago and northernLuzon.[20] They later inhabit the rest of thePhilippines andIsland Southeast Asia, mixing with earlier inhabitants. This is the beginning of theAustronesian expansion, which at its furthest extent reachedMicronesia,Polynesia,Island Melanesia, andMadagascar.[21][22] |
| ~2300 BCE | Shallow-water coastal trade ships from theIndus Valley begin sailing toMesopotamia.[23] |
| ~2000-500 BCE | Jade maritime trading network is established between theAustronesian settlements inTaiwan and the northernPhilippines. This later expanded to a much larger region encompassing theSouth China Sea during theIron Age (500 BC to 500 AD), encompassing theSa Huỳnh culture ofVietnam and other areas inSarawak, easternCambodia, and central and southernThailand.[24][25][26][27] |
| ~1,500 BCE | SeafaringAustronesian peoples migrate to theMariana Islands, most likely having departed from theBismarck Archipelago. It is the first long-distance ocean-crossing in human history and the first migration intoRemote Oceania.[28] |
| ~1,500 BCE | SeafaringAustronesian peoples establish theAustronesian maritime trade network, the first true maritime trade network in theIndian Ocean. It established trade routes withSouthern India andSri Lanka,East Asia, theArabian Peninsula, andEastern Africa. It later became part of theSpice Trade and theMaritime Silk Road.[29][30][31][32] |
| 1500-300 BCE | Phoenicians sailed, traded, and settled around most of theMediterranean Sea three millennia ago. Phoenicians sailed through thePillars of Hercules (Strait of Gibraltar) and explored theAtlantic Coast ofIberia andNorth Africa. |
| ~1,300 BCE | SeafaringAustronesian peoples from thePhilippines andMaluku migrate to theSchouten Islands,Bismarck Archipelago, theSolomon Islands, and the northern coastline ofNew Guinea. They establish theLapita culture and mix with the earlierPapuan settlers who arrived by land bridges and short inter-island hops.[20] |
| ~1,200 BCE | SeafaringAustronesian peoples from theLapita culture ofIsland Melanesia migrate toVanuatu,New Caledonia, andFiji.[20] |
| ~1,000 BCE | SeafaringAustronesian peoples from thePhilippines andMaluku migrate toPalau andYap in western Micronesia.[20] |
| ~900-800 BCE | SeafaringAustronesian peoples from theLapita culture ofIsland Melanesia settleSamoa,Tonga, and nearby islands; later becoming thePolynesians.[20] |
| ~600 BCE | Egyptian Pharaoh Necho II commissioned aPhoenician ship that sailed from theRed Sea, aroundAfrica, to the mouth of theNile River in three years, in a questionable legend reported byGreek historian Herodotus.[33] |
| ~500 BCE | CarthaginianHanno the Navigator explores theAtlantic Coast ofAfrica. |
| ~500 BCE | Paleo-Inuit migrate across frozen seas to theNorth AmericanArctic. |
| ~325 BCE | GreekgeographerPytheas of Massalia fromProvence explores theBritish Isles and theNorth Sea. |
| ~200 BCE | SeafaringAustronesian peoples from theLapita culture ofIsland Melanesia migrate to eastern Micronesia (Caroline Islands,Chuuk,Pohnpei,Marshall Islands, etc.), meeting up with earlier migrations in western Micronesia.[20] |
| ~200 | Chinese envoys sail through theStrait of Malacca toKanchipuram inIndia. |
| ~420 | SeafaringAustronesian peoples from theSunda Islands ofSoutheast Asia colonize theAfrican islands ofMadagascar and theComoros, crossing the entirety of theIndian Ocean.[34] |
| 674 | Chinese explorerDaxi Hongtong reachesAden inYemen. |
| ~700 | Polynesians (Austronesians) colonize theCook Islands,Society Islands, and theMarquesas of thePacific Ocean.[20] |
| ~750 | Monks from the islands ofDál Riata settle on theNorth Atlantic island ofIceland. |
| ~750 | Austronesian ships fromSunda Islands ofSoutheast Asia round theCape of Good Hope and reachGhana inAfrica.[35] |
| 793 | NorseVikings raid theLindisfarne Priory, off the coast of the island ofGreat Britain. |
| 870 | NorwegianNáttfari settles on theNorth Atlantic island ofIceland. |
| ~900 | Polynesians (Austronesians) colonize theHawaiian Islands.[20] |
| 978 | IcelanderSnæbjörn galti Hólmsteinsson sails to the island ofGreenland and unsuccessfully attempts to settle the island. |
| 982 | Exiled fromIceland for three years,NorwegianErik Thorvaldsson (Erik the Red) explores the island ofGreenland. Erik leads the Icelandic settlement of Greenland in 985. |
| ~1001 | Iceland-bornGreenlanderLeif Erikson, son of Erik Thorvaldsson, establishes a settlement atL'Anse aux Meadows on the island ofNewfoundland and explores nearby lands in continentalNorth America. |
| ~1010 | Norsemen abandon the island ofNewfoundland andNorth America. |
| ~1000-1200 | Polynesians (Austronesians) settleRapa Nui (Easter Island).[20] |
| ~1100-1280 | Earliest evidence ofAustronesian contact (possibly by theMakassar orSama-Bajau) withIndigenous Australians in northernAustralia. It preceded the latertrepanging network in the 1700s.[36] |
| ~1250 | TheThule people of theArctic Coast ofAlaska inhabit theArctic islands ofNorth America andGreenland. |
| 1258 | Japanese sailors land on theHawaiian island ofO'ahu. |
| 1270 | Japanese sailors carrying sugar cane land on theHawaiian island ofMaui. |
| ~1320 | Polynesians (Austronesians) colonizeAotearoa (New Zealand), also establishing colonies in theKermadec Islands,Norfolk Island, andRekohu (Chatham Islands).[20] |
| ~1350 | TheInuit of theAlaskanArctic inhabit theArctic islands ofNorth America andGreenland. |
| 1403 | TheYongle Emperor (Zhu Di) ordersGrand Director Ma He to construct aForeign Expeditionary Armada to explore lands of theWestern Ocean (Indian Ocean) and exertChinese hegemony. The emperor honors Ma He with the nameZheng He. |
| 1405 | Zheng He departs fromNanjing with 27,800 men on 255 ships for avoyage of two years. The fleet visitsChampa,Java,Malacca,Aru,Semudera,Lambri,Sri Lanka,Quilon, andCalicut. |
| 1407 | Zheng He departs fromNanjing with 247 ships for asecond voyage of two years. |
| 1409 | Zheng He departs fromNanjing with 27,000 men for athird voyage of two years. |
| 1413 | Zheng He departs fromNanjing for afourth voyage of two years. The fleet ventures as far west as the island ofHormuz in thePersian Gulf. |
| 1417 | Zheng He departs fromNanjing for afifth voyage of two years. The fleet ventures as far west asHormuz,Yemen,Somalia, andKenya. |
| 1421 | Zheng He departs fromNanjing for asixth voyage of 18 months. |
| 1431 | At the direction of the newXuande Emperor (Zhu Zhanji),Zheng He departs fromNanjing for aseventh voyage of two years. |
| 1434 | Portuguese captainGil Eanes sailing forPrince Henry the Navigator (Infante Don Henrique of Portugal) roundsCape Bojador inWestern Sahara. This voyage marks the start of the Portuguese exploration and exploitation of Africa. |
| 1436 | The newZhengtong Emperor (Zhu Qizhen) bans the construction of sea-going imperial vessels. |
| ~1450 | Norsemen abandonGreenland. |
| 1460 | GenoanAntónio de Noli andPortugueseDiogo Gomes, navigators sailing forPrince Henry the Navigator, discover the islands ofCabo Verde. |
| 1473 | Portuguese navigatorLopes Gonçalves becomes the first European to sail across theEquator and reachesCape Saint Catherine in Gabon. |
| 1482 | King John II of Portugal orders navigatorDiogo Cão to explore theAtlantic Coast ofAfrica. Cão sails up theCongo River to Shark Point and then sails south to Cape Santa Maria inAngola. |
| 1485 | King John II of Portugal orders navigatorDiogo Cão to return toAfrica. Cão sails up theCongo River toMatadi and then sails south toCape Cross inNamibia. |
| 1488 | King John II of Portugal orders navigatorBartolomeu Dias to search for a possible route toIndia. Dias rounds theCape of Good Hope inSouth Africa. |
| 1492 | GenoanChristopher Columbus (Cristoffa Corombo) leads an expedition of three ships forQueen Isabella I of Castile, seeking a short westward sea route toChina. Columbus sails west across theAtlantic Ocean and lands on theCaribbean island ofSan Salvador on 12 October 1492. Columbus explores the Caribbean in the belief that China lies a short distance west. Columbus establishes a fort atLa Navidad on the island ofHispaniola, the firstEuropean settlement in theAmericas. Columbus will make three more voyages to the Caribbean in an effort to reachChina. |
| 1493 | Queen Isabella I of Castile directsChristopher Columbus to lead asecond expedition of 17 ships and 1200 men to colonize theCaribbean. Columbus findsLa Navidad destroyed and establishes a new settlement atLa Isabela farther east onHispaniola. The colonists will enslave nativeArawak people. |
| 1497 | King Henry VII of England commissionsVenetian navigatorJohn Cabot (Giovanni Caboto) to search for a route toChina. Cabot lands on the island ofNewfoundland, the firstEuropean to explore the island since the departure of theVikings four centuries earlier. |
| 1497 | King John II of Portugal orders navigatorVasco da Gama to lead an expedition of four ships and 170 men to seek a sea route toIndia. Da Gama rounds theCape of Good Hope and sails across theIndian Ocean, landing atKappadu inIndia on 20 May 1498. |
| 1498 | On histhird voyage to theCaribbean,Christopher Columbus lands on theParia Peninsula ofVenezuela, thus becoming the firstEuropean to reachSouth America, which he thinks may be theGarden of Eden. |
| 1499 | Florentine navigatorAmerigo Vespucci sailing for theCatholic Monarchs of Spain reaches the mouth of theAmazon River. |
| 1500 | King Manuel I of Portugal dispatches Major-CaptainPedro Álvares Cabral to lead an expedition of 13 ships and 1500 men toIndia. Cabral sails toCabo Verde and then south toBrazil, which he claims for his king. Cabral sails south along the coast of Brazil and then east around theCape of Good Hope and across theIndian Ocean toCalicut inIndia. |
| 1501 | King Manuel I of Portugal dispatchesSpanish captainAlonso de Ojeda andFlorentine navigatorAmerigo Vespucci to explore the extent of newly claimedBrazil. Ojeda follows the Brazilian coast south toGuanabara Bay. The voyage convinces Vespucci that the land could not be theEast Indies but rather a new continent. In 1507 German cartographerMartin Waldseemüller will name the new continentAmerica in Vespucci's honor. |
| 1502 | On hisfourth voyage to theCaribbean,Christopher Columbus lands atPuerto Castilla inHonduras, thus becoming the firstEuropean to reachCentral America. |
| 1501 | King Manuel I of Portugal dispatches cousinsAfonso and Francisco de Albuquerque to lead an expedition of six ships toIndia. They battle theZamorin of Calicut and ally with theKing of Cochin who grants them the right to buildfort Immanuel in 1503, the firstEuropean settlement inIndia. |
| 1505 | Portuguese-bornSpanish explorerDiego Columbus, the elder son ofChristopher Columbus, bringsAfricanslaves to theCaribbean island ofHispaniola. This marks the beginning of theAtlantic slave trade. |
| 1508 | Ferdinand II of Aragon, Regent of Castile commissionsJuan Ponce de León to settle the island ofSan Juan Bautista (Puerto Rico). Ponce de León foundsCaparra, the firstEuropean settlement on the island. |
| 1508 | King Henry VII of England commissionsSebastian Cabot (Sebastiano Caboto), the son ofJohn Cabot, to search for theNorthwest Passage toChina. Cabot explores theAtlantic Coast ofNorth America fromUngava Bay toChesapeake Bay. |
| 1509 | King Manuel I of Portugal dispatchesPortuguesefidalgoDiogo Lopes de Sequeira to the wealthySultanate of Malacca on theMalay Peninsula. Portuguese generalAfonso de Albuquerque will seize Malacca in 1511. |
| 1510 | Spanish conquistadorVasco Núñez de Balboa establishesSanta María la Antigua del Darién inColombia, the firstEuropean settlement in the continentalAmericas. |
| 1511 | Diego Columbus directsSpanish conquistadorDiego Velázquez de Cuéllar to settle the island ofCuba. Cuéllar establishesBaracoa, the firstEuropean settlement on the island. |
| 1513 | Juan Ponce de León, theSpanish governor ofSan Juan Bautista (Puerto Rico), exploresFlorida which he assumes is another island. He becomes the firstEuropean to explore continentalNorth America since the departure of theVikings four centuries earlier. |
| 1513 | Portuguese explorerJorge Álvares becomes the firstEuropean to reachChina by sea. |
| 1513 | Vasco Núñez de Balboa, theSpanish governor ofVeragua (Panama), crosses theIsthmus of Panama to the shore of a sea he names theSouth Sea (Pacific Ocean). Balboa claims all lands draining into the sea forSpain. |
| 1515 | SpanishFranciscan friars establish a mission atCumaná, the firstEuropean settlement inVenezuela. |
| 1516 | Portuguese-bornSpanish explorerJuan Díaz de Solís reachesRío de la Plata betweenUruguay andArgentina. |
| 1518 | Spanish conquistadorJuan de Grijalva explores the east coast ofYucatan andMexico. |
| 1519 | SpanishCaptain-GeneralHernán Cortés establishes the firstEuropean settlement inMexico atVilla Rica de la Vera Cruz on 18 May 1519. Cortés then marches to theAztec capital ofTenochtitlan. |
| 1519 | On 15 August 1519,Spanish governorPedro Arias Dávila establishesPanamá (Panama City) inPanama, the firstEuropean settlement inCentral America. |
| 1520 | King Charles I of Spain directsPortuguese navigatorFerdinand Magellan (Fernão de Magalhães) to lead an expedition of five ships and 270 men to seek a westward sea route to theEast Indies. Magellan discovers theStrait of Magellan and encounters a sea he names thePeaceful Sea (Pacific Ocean). Magellan becomes the first explorer to cross the Pacific Ocean, which proves far vaster than he imagined and requires an arduous four-month voyage. |
| 1521 | Ferdinand Magellan reachesGuam and thePhilippines. He is killed on the island ofMactan in thePhilippines, but the expedition's two remaining ships attempt to return to Spain. |
| 1522 | On 6 September 1522, thecarrackVictoria arrives inSanlúcar de Barrameda,Spain with the 18 survivors of theMagellan Expedition, havingcircumnavigated the Earth. |
| 1526 | Portuguese traders bringAfricanslaves toBrazil. This marks the beginning of thePortuguese slave trade. |
| 1526 | SpanishconquistadorLucas Vázquez de Ayllón sails with six ships fromSanto Domingo onHispaniola to establish a colony north of theBahama Islands. Ayllón selects the mouth of theSapelo River inGeorgia and establishes the colony ofSan Miguel de Gualdape on 29 September 1526. The colony fails in a few months and the survivors return to Hispaniola. |
| 1527 | VenetianCaptain-GeneralSebastian Cabot sailing for theSpanishCouncil of the Indies builds theSancti Spiritu fort on theCarcarañá River, the firstEuropean settlement inArgentina. |
| 1532 | PortuguesefidalgoMartim Afonso de Sousa establishesPorto dos Escravos in Brazil, the first Portuguese settlement in theAmericas. |
| 1533 | SpanishMarquesadoDon Hernán Cortés ordersDiego de Becerra to sail fromColima inMexico in search of the mythicalStrait of Anián and theIslands of California. Mutineers murder Becerra and land at theBay of La Paz inBaja California Sur. |
| 1539 | SpanishMarquesadoDon Hernán Cortés ordersFrancisco de Ulloa to lead an expedition of three ships to search for the mythicalStrait of Anián. Ulloa sails fromAcapulco north along thePacific Coast of Mexico. Ulloa circumnavigates and names theSea of Cortez (Gulf of California) and sails around theBaja California Peninsula toIsla de Cedros, proving that the Sea of Cortez is a gulf, not a strait, and that Baja California is apeninsula. (Spanish nautical secrecy allows the notion of anIsland of Cali Fornia to persist for more than two centuries.) |
| 1542 | Antonio de Mendoza, the firstViceroy of New Spain, directsJuan Rodríguez Cabrillo andRuy López de Villalobos to lead explorations of thePacific Ocean fromBarra de Navidad inJalisco. On 27 June 1542, Cabrillo sails northwest with three ships to explore the Pacific Coast ofMexico andthe Californias. Cabrillo reaches theRussian River before turning back. Cabrillo dies in theChannel Islands on the return voyage. On 1 November 1542, López de Villalobos sails west with sixgalleons and 400 men across thePacific Ocean to theEast Indies. The expedition explores thePhilippine Islands and the easternIslands of Indonesia, but is captured byPortuguese authorities in 1544. López de Villalobos dies on 4 April 1544, in a Portuguese prison cell on theIsland of Amboyna. The Portuguese send the 117 survivors of the expedition toLisbon. |
| 1559 | SpanishconquistadorTristán de Luna y Arellano sails with 11 ships fromSan Juan de Ulua inVeracruz to establishes the colony ofSanta Maria de Ochuse atPensacola Bay inFlorida. The colony was largely destroyed by a hurricane after only six weeks, although the survivors are not rescued until 1561. |
| 1560 | King Philip II of Spain ordersCaptain-GeneralPedro Menéndez de Avilés, to lead the firstArmada de la Carrera (Treasure Fleet) fromMexico and theCaribbean back toSpain. |
| 1562 | Englishslave traderJohn Hawkins bringsAfricanslaves toHispaniola. This marks the beginning of theEnglishslave trade. |
| 1564 | French explorerRené Goulaine de Laudonnière leads an expedition of three ships to found the colony ofFort de la Caroline on theMay River inFlorida. |
| 1564 | SpanishconquistadorMiguel López de Legazpi leads an expedition of five ships and 500 soldiers fromBarra de Navidad inJalisco to thePhilippines. López de Legazpi lands in theMariana Islands and proceeds to thePhilippines. In 1565, López de Legazpi founds the colony ofVilla del Santisimo Nombre de Jesús on theIsland of Cebu, the first Spanish settlement in theEast Indies. |
| 1565 | King Philip II of Spain ordersCaptain-GeneralPedro Menéndez de Avilés, to drive theFrench out ofFlorida. Aviles sails for Florida and on 8 September 1564 establishes the settlement ofSan Agustín (St. Augustine) on theMatanzas River. The city persists today. Avilés then attacksFort de la Caroline and murders most of its inhabitants. |
| 1605 | French explorerPierre Dugua, Sieur de Mons establishes a colony onSaint Croix Island inMaine. The following year, the colony moves toPort-Royal inNova Scotia to become the firstEuropean settlement inCanada since the departure of theVikings five centuries earlier. |
| 1606 | Dutch captainWillem Janszoon sails around theCape of Good Hope to theIndonesian island ofJava. He then sails toNew Guinea andAustralia, becoming the firstEuropean to explore those lands. |
| 1607 | In 1606,King James I of England charters theVirginia Company of London to establish colonies inNorth America. The following year the company establishesJamestown inVirginia. |
| 1616 | Dutch explorerWillem Cornelisz Schouten sails aroundCape Horn and west across thePacific Ocean, visiting numerous islands before reaching theIndonesian island ofJava. |
| 1619 | In late August 1619, theDutch privateer shipThe White Lion arrives atPoint Comfort, Virginia with 20slaves fromNdongo in present-dayAngola. The Africans are sold toGovernorGeorge Yeardley and the Cape Merchant of theColony of Virginia.The White Lion and theTreasurer had captured the Africans from thePortuguese slave shipSão João Bautista bound forVeracruz.The White Lion and theTreasurer were commissioned byEnglishPuritan noblemanRobert Rich, 2nd Earl of Warwick. This marks the beginning of theAmericanslave trade. |
| 1624 | France brings Africanslaves to settleGuiana inSouth America. This marks the beginning of theFrenchslave trade. |
| 1642 | Dutch explorerAbel Tasman exploresTasmania,New Zealand, and theFiji Islands. |
| 1648 | Russian explorerSemyon Ivanovich Dezhnev roundsCape Dezhnev in theBering Strait. |
| 1671 | TheDanish West India Company enters theAtlantic slave trade. |
| 1675 | English merchantAnthony de la Roché is blown off course and seeks refuge in a bay of theSouth Atlantic island ofSouth Georgia. |
| 1690 | English captainJohn Strong lands in theFalkland Islands of theAtlantic Ocean. |
| 1722 | Dutch explorerJacob Roggeveen lands on thePacific island ofRapa Nui (Easter Island). |
| 1732 | RussiangeodesistMikhail Spiridonovich Gvozdev sails fromPetropavlovsk onKamchatka toCape Dezhnev, the easternmost point of continentalEurasia, thence east across theBering Strait toCape Prince of Wales, the westernmost point of the continentalAmericas. Gvozdev proceeds to chart the northwest coast ofAlaska. |
| 1767 | British explorerSamuel Wallis lands onTahiti in theSociety Islands of thePacific Ocean. |
| 1770 | British explorerJames Cook explores andcircumnavigates thePacificislands of New Zealand. Cook lands atBotany Bay inAustralia and explores thePacific Coast of the continent. |
| 1775 | British explorerJames Cook explores theSouth Atlantic island ofSouth Georgia and claims it for theUnited Kingdom. |
| 1778 | British explorerJames Cook explores theHawaiian Islands and theNorthwestern Coast ofNorth America fromAlta California to theChukchi Sea. |
| 1820 | Russian,British, andAmerican ships first sightAntarctica. |
| 1869 | TheSuez Canal between theMediterranean Sea and theRed Sea opens. |
| 1880 | Finnish-bornSwedish explorerAdolf Erik Nordenskiöld sails through theNortheast Passage and completes the first circumnavigation ofEurasia by way of theSuez Canal on theSS Vega. |
| 1906 | Norwegian explorerRoald Amundsen becomes the first to sail through theNorthwest Passage on theGjøa. |
| 1914 | ThePanama Canal between theCaribbean Sea and thePacific Ocean opens. |
| 1956 | TheUnited States Navy opensNaval Air Facility McMurdo onMcMurdo Sound inAntarctica. |
| 1957 | American explorerFinn Ronne, under theUnited States Navy Reserve, discoversBerkner Island off the coast ofAntarctica. |
| 1958 | TheAmericannuclear submarineUSS Nautilus becomes the first ship to reach theNorth Pole and the first ship to cross theArctic Ocean. |
| 1960 | SwissoceanographerJacques Piccard andAmerican oceanographerDon Walsh descend to the bottom of theChallenger Deep (-10,911 meters) in theMariana Trench of thePacific Ocean in thebathyscapheTrieste on 23 January 1960. |
References are included in the linked articles.
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