About 2,400 years ago Aristotle mentions the use of diving bells, apparatuses that convey divers to the bottom of the sea -- or at least below the surface of the water -- and allows them to breathe -- at least until the air runs out. Learn about the physics of this clever and ancient invention and how it's been used to sabotage enemy boats and build the Brooklyn Bridge.
# Stuff You Should Know - Diving Bells
Josh and Chuck dive deep into the fascinating history of diving bells, those ingenious underwater contraptions that paved the way for modern scuba diving. They trace the technology from ancient Greece when Aristotle first described them, through the innovations of brilliant minds like Edmund Halley and John Smeaton who figured out how to pressurize them, exploring how these bells allowed humans to stay underwater longer and go deeper than ever before. Along the way, they discuss the gruesome side effects of early diving like the bends, the engineering challenges of building them, and even a remarkable modern survival story from 2013 when a Nigerian tugboat cook survived 60 hours trapped in an air pocket a hundred feet underwater.
Movies Discussed
💬 Comments
Log in to leave a comment.