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The Story of the First Submarine: A Maritime Innovation
A plain-language overview of submarine history, from early diving boats and hand-cranked craft to diesel-electric and nuclear-powered vessels.
Transport and Exploration
Submarines
The history of underwater craft from early experiments to naval boats.
The Story of the First Submarine: A Secret Weapon
How navies came to treat submarines as weapons, from early attack attempts to the U-boat campaigns of two world wars and the Cold War.
The Story of the First Submarine: The American Turtle
The Turtle was a one-person, hand-powered craft built by David Bushnell and used in a 1776 attempt to attack a British warship in New York Harbor.
The Story of the First Submarine: The Holland 1
John P. Holland's boats, from his small 1878 prototype to the Holland VI bought by the US Navy in 1900, and how they influenced other navies.
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Railways Steam locomotives, rail networks and high-speed trains. Bicycles The bicycle and the parts that made it practical. Vehicles and Navigation Cars, aircraft, radar and satellite navigation. Electric Vehicles Electric cars, bicycles and chairs from early experiments to modern production. Satellites and GPS Sputnik, weather satellites and the satellite positioning system we use every day. Early Aviation The Wright brothers and the key parts that made powered flight practical. Space Stations and Suits The first orbital stations and the suits that kept people alive in space. Sailing Ships and Harbors Hulls, sails, rigging and port technology.