Hollywood and the Sea:
Maritime History & Culture in Film
Register Here for the Zoom Seminar
Saturday, 5 November 2022
Welcome & Lecture at 11:00 AM ET, Q&A to Follow
Seminars are free to attend, although we hope you will . . .
King Charles II grants charter to Hudson’s Bay Company
May 2, 1670 – King Charles II of England grants a permanent . . .
French and British battle in the Indian Ocean
The worldwide implications of the American War for Independence are made clear on February 17, 1782 as the American-allied French navy begins a 14-month-long series of five . . .
Roald Amundsen becomes first explorer to reach the South Pole
On December 14, 1911, Norwegian Roald Amundsen becomes the first explorer to reach the South Pole, beating his British rival, Robert Falcon Scott.
Amundsen, born in Borge, . . .
Magellan Reaches the Pacific Ocean
After sailing through the dangerous straits below South America that now bear his name, Portuguese navigator Ferdinand Magellan enters the Pacific Ocean with three ships, . . .
The Great Australian “Shanty Off!”
The Great Shanty Off! Calling all Sea-Shanty groups!
We are seeking expressions of interest from shanty groups (big or small) located on the Eastern Seaboard of Australia . . .
War of 1812 Begins on 18 June
The day after the Senate followed the House of Representatives in voting to declare war against Great Britain, President James Madison signs the declaration into law—and . . .
USS Monitor Sinks (1862)
On December 30, 1862, the U.S.S. Monitor sinks in a storm off Cape Hatteras, North . . .
United States Congress authorizes privateers to attack British vessels (1776)
Because it lacked sufficient funds to build a strong navy, the Continental Congress gives privateers permission to attack any and all British ships on April 3, 1776.
In a . . .
Battle of Lake Erie (Sept. 10, 1813)
In the first unqualified defeat of a British naval squadron in history, U.S. Captain Oliver Hazard Perry leads a fleet of nine American ships to victory over a squadron of six British warships at the . . .
Death of Sir Francis Drake (1596)
He died on 28 Jan, 1596 (aged about 56) of dysentery, a common disease in the tropics at the time, while anchored off the coast of Portobelo, Panama,
Before dying, he asked . . .
Francis Drake circumnavigates the globe (1580)
English seaman Francis Drake returns to Plymouth, England, in the Golden Hind, becoming the first British navigator to sail the earth.
On December 13, . . .
Cargo ship suddenly sinks in Lake Superior (1975)
On November 10, 1975, the SS Edmund Fitzgerald sinks in Lake Superior, killing all 29 crew members on board. It was the worst single accident in Lake Superior’s history.
The . . .
Battle of Cape St. Vincent (1797)
The Battle of Cape St. Vincent (14 February 1797) was one of the opening battles of the Anglo-Spanish War (1796–1808), as part of the French Revolutionary Wars, where a British fleet under Admiral . . .
John Quincy Adams begins arguments in Amistad case
On February 24, 1841, former President John Quincy Adams begins to argue the Amistad case in front of the U.S. Supreme Court.
A practicing lawyer and member of the House of Representatives, John Quincy . . .
John Paul Jones dies
Naval hero John Paul Jones dies in Paris
On July 18, 1792, the Revolutionary War naval hero John Paul Jones dies in his Paris apartment, where he was still awaiting a commission as the United States consul to Algiers. Commander Jones, remembered as one of the most daring and successful naval commanders of the American Revolution, was born in Scotland, on July 6, 1747. He became an apprentice to a merchant at 13 and soon went to sea, traveling first to the West Indies and then to North America as a young man.
In Virginia at the onset of the American Revolution, Jones sided with the Patriots and received a commission as a first lieutenant in the Continental Navy on December 7, 1775. After departing from Brest, Jones successfully executed raids on two forts in England’s Whitehaven Harbor, despite a disgruntled crew more interested in gain than honor. Jones then continued to his home territory of Kirkcudbright Bay, Scotland, where he intended to abduct the earl of Selkirk and then exchange him for American sailors held captive by Britain. Although he did not find the earl at home, Jones’ crew was able to steal all his silver, including his wife’s teapot, still containing her breakfast tea. From Scotland, Jones sailed across the Irish Sea to Carrickfergus, where his Ranger captured the HMS Drake after delivering fatal wounds to the British ship’s captain and lieutenant.
Mayflower docks at Plymouth Harbor (1620)
On December 18, 1620, the British ship Mayflower docked at modern-day Plymouth, Massachusetts, and its passengers prepared to begin their new settlement, Plymouth Colony.
The . . .
Battle of Lake Erie (10 Sept 1813)
In the first unqualified defeat of a British naval squadron in history, U.S. Captain Oliver Hazard Perry leads a fleet of nine American ships to victory over a squadron . . .