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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Featured Content

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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At Smithsonian Ocean, we have lesson plans, activities, and resources to help you engage your students in the wonders of our oceans.

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History & Cultures Articles

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?

A screenshot of the launch of the Raven Spirit canoe.

Video

The Official Canoe Launch

Although in reality an ichthyosaur and plesiosaur would have likely never battled, this widely shared lithograph by artist, geologist and paleontologist Henry De la Beche even inspired author Jules Verne to pen a similar scene in his book, Journey to the C

Article

Unearthing History: Mary Anning's Hunt for Prehistoric Ocean Giants

A sea monster attacks a wooden ship

Article

The Enchanting Sea Monsters on Medieval Maps

Walter Adey and the NMNH coral reef tank

Article

The Evolution of a Reef Aquarium

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

Video

The Trouvadore: A Story of Deliverance

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

Article

Ángeles Alvariño: Woman of Many Namesakes

two images cropped together of women at desks facing each other

Timeline

An Irrepressible Wave

a woman beating a drum

Video

Celebrating the Raven Spirit Canoe Launch

A Chevrolet Mako Corvette

Article

These Sleek, Sexy Cars Were All Inspired by Fish

a group of men in kayaks

Slideshow

A Kayak's Origin Story

A screenshot from the video of a carver using traditional tools to shape a canoe.

Video

Carver Douglas Chilton at Work