SHIPS

A pirate flag with the distinctive eyewear.

Why Did Pirates Wear Eye Patches?

Did pirates wear eye patches to see better in the dark? Find out the truth behind the iconic style choice.

SS ‘Eastland’ overturned in the Chicago River.

Watch The Oldest Footage of Chicago on Film

Yestervid compiles silent film footage of the Windy City dating back to 1896.

‘Capture of the Pirate, Blackbeard, 1718,’ a 1920 painting depicting the battle between Blackbeard and Lieutenant Robert Maynard in Ocracoke Bay.

12 of the Fiercest Real-Life Pirates in History

They pillaged, they invaded, and they obeyed only the sea laws they made up as they went along.

A 1790 painting of the mutiny on the 'Bounty' by Robert Dodd.

5 of History’s Most Horrible Mutinies

The mutiny on the 'Bounty' has inspired multiple movies, but the 'Hermione' revolt was way bloodier.

Rogue waves have the power to sink freighters.

10 Surprising Facts About Rogue Waves

These freak waves are rare and unpredictable—and are believed to have caused numerous shipwrecks.

7 Ships That Disappeared Without a Trace

The true fate of many of these ships will never be known, but speculation suggests that storms, piracy, mutiny, accidental bombing, and even the attack of a giant squid could be responsible for their vanishings.

Not 'The Defender,' but we needed to show you something.

A Century-Old Experimental Submarine, 'The Defender,' Is Found 'Hiding in Plain Sight' in Long Island Sound

The peculiar sub had wheels and other innovative features.

70 Huge Facts About the ‘Titanic’

The 'Titanic' sinking became the most infamous shipwreck in history—but what really happened on that unusually calm night in the North Atlantic?

The deck of the Ironton beneath Lake Huron.

Newly-Discovered Lake Huron Shipwreck Paints Grim Picture of Vessel’s Final Moments

After lying at the bottom of Lake Huron for more than a century, the wreck of the ‘Ironton’ has been discovered, confirming its tragic fate.

12 Memorable Facts About the S.S. ‘Edmund Fitzgerald’

More than 40 years after the most famous ship in Great Lakes history vanished during a storm, the cause is still a mystery.

The Wreck of the ‘Äpplet’—Sister Ship of Sweden’s Infamous ‘Vasa’—Has Been Found After More Than Three Centuries

‘Äpplet’ had a more successful naval career than its short-lived sibling, the ‘Vasa.’ Studying its wreck could help explain why.

See 'Titanic' in Mesmerizing 8K—the Highest Resolution Ever Captured of the Wreck

The new footage shows details of the 'Titanic' wreck that have never been captured on film before.

Why Do We Say People Pass ‘With Flying Colors’?

Like so many other phrases, the meaning of ‘pass with flying colors’ has nautical roots.

The S.S. 'Arctic' sinking was both a tragedy and a scandal.

6 Valuable Wrecks Still Waiting to Be Found

These mysterious undersea sites might contain millions (or billions) in lost treasure.

How Victorian Explorers and Pining Lovers Used Coded Newspaper Ads to Communicate

“S. lkqo. C. hgo & Tatty.” It’s gibberish to you, but not to Captain Richard Collinson.

A statue of Pocahontas stands near the Jamestown settlement site.

11 Amazing Facts About Jamestown, the First Permanent English Colony in North America

Over several decades beginning in 1607, Jamestown nearly collapsed multiple times as colonists succumbed to disease and famine.

A German submarine not unlike the one destroyed by a poop.

The Turd Reich: The Toilet Malfunction That Sank a German U-Boat

Your history teacher probably didn't tell you about the time the unfortunately named Captain Schlitt's bowel movement sank an entire German submarine.

The widely traveled 'Gemma Constantiniana'

The Strange and Bloody Journey of the 'Gemma Constantiniana'

The priceless 'Gemma Constantiniana'—an Imperial Roman cameo nearly 1 foot wide—survived the collapse of empires, crusades, and shipwrecks.

12 Facts About the R.M.S. 'Lusitania'

Once the fastest ocean liner in the world, a German torpedo sent the ship to the bottom of the sea.

The sinking of the 'Titanic' shook the world—and forced better maritime laws to be put into place.

4 Ways the ‘Titanic' Changed Maritime Safety

The sinking of the RMS 'Titanic' shook the world—and forced better safety regulations to be put into place.

Titanic sinking on the cover of Showman's Guide for the Rank Organisation film ' A Night to Remember ' with Kenneth More.

Women and Children First: How a Rarely-Used Maritime Practice Caused Confusion On Board the 'Titanic'

Over 100 years after 'Titanic' sank, the origins and true meaning of “women and children first” remain a source of confusion.

Violet Jessop volunteered as a nurse in World War I after surviving the Titanic sinking.

7 Facts About ‘Titanic’ Survivor Violet Jessop

Surviving the 'Titanic' was not Jessop’s first escape from a maritime disaster—nor would it be her last.

RMS 'Olympic,' one of the 'Titanic's' sister ships

The Surprising Fates of the 'Titanic's' Sister Ships

The stories of the 'Olympic' and 'Britannic' were overshadowed by their middle sister’s legend.

Mental Floss Presents: Titanic Timeline

We look back at the people, events, and twists of fate that set the Titanic’s incredible story in motion—and the legacy we still honor today.

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