January 21: Launch of the USS Nautilus (1954)

Prayer Idea

Pray for the families of deployed military personnel.

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History Note

On January 21, 1954, the world’s first nuclear-powered submarine was launched in a ceremony with First Lady Mamie Eisenhower.

First Lady Mamie Eisenhower christens the Nautilus at Naval Base Point Loma in California. Photo courtesy the U.S. Naval History and Heritage Command.

The Soviet Union launched the spacecraft Sputnik in 1957, which was the first manmade object to orbit the earth. To show American technological progress, President Eisenhower ordered the Nautilus to become the first ship to navigate under the North Pole.

Ice blocked the first two attempts, but in 1958 the crew of the Nautilus successfully completed the mission. The submarine cruised from the Bering Sea off the coast of Alaska to the Greenland Sea near Iceland and Greenland. The ship measured the depth of the ocean under the North Pole to be 13,410 feet.

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Learn More

Learn more about the Nautilus in this video.

Find more resources about the USS Nautilus and other submarines at Homeschool History.