History & Cultures | Smithsonian Ocean

Canoe hulls on a sandy shore are painted with traditional Alaskan figures.

The Cook islands banknote

Sharks and Humans

Explore the love-hate relationship between humans and sharks.

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A square of interwoven sticks and cowrie shells

Article

Navigating the Waters with Micronesian Stick Charts

two images cropped together of women at desks facing each other

Timeline

An Irrepressible Wave

Divers at a shipwreck site

Article

Wood Under Sand: The Search for A Slave Shipwreck

A walrus sits on top of ice.

Article

The Cultural Icescapes of the Arctic

Scientists are finding ways to preserve and study sunken warships

Video

Battle of the Atlantic

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History & Cultures Articles

an old image of the sea coast

Video

Ocean Acidification in the Puget Sound

Dampier explored this area of Western Australia and named it Shark Bay because of the "abundance" of sharks in the waters. It is now a World Heritage site.

Article

Around the World Again...and Again

This portrait of William Dampier hangs in London’s National Gallery in recognition of his contribution to natural history.

Article

William Dampier - The Pirate Who Collected Plants

During what is known as the Golden Age of Piracy, pirates reaped great rewards—and, if they were caught, faced terrible punishments. Here are some of the most legendary pirates of that time.

Slideshow

Pirates of the Golden Age

a woman beating a drum

Video

Celebrating the Raven Spirit Canoe Launch

Walter Adey and the NMNH coral reef tank

Article

The Evolution of a Reef Aquarium

The "Lower Invertebrates" exhibit in Smithsonian Institution Building in 1901 included models of a giant squid and an octopus.

Article

Still Blue After a Century of Ocean Science and Exploration

As soon as Dampier set foot in Australia, he began making observations and collecting specimens of plants, which he carefully pressed between the pages of books to be studied by the “ingenious” and “curious” upon his return to England. As Dampier conducted his investigations, his artist made detailed sketches like these.

Slideshow

Discoveries in Australia and New Guinea

Screenshot from video of a diver swimming with an underwater camera.

Video

The Trouvadore: A Story of Deliverance

Fish swim around the wreck of the HMT Bedfordshire, an Arctic fishing trawler that was converted into an anti-submarine warship during World War II, and sunk off the coast of North Carolina.

Article

Underwater WWII Wrecks – Pollution or Cultural Heritage?

Eugenie Clark collecting specimens on a dive.

Article

Eugenie Clark - The Shark Lady

An arrow-worm from the genus Spadella. Alvariño discovered and classified the species Spadella gaetanoi in 1978.

Article

Ángeles Alvariño: Woman of Many Namesakes