First Ever Submarine
Summary
Host Dallas Campbell and historian Vera Keller explore the 17th-century "Jacobean space program" and the invention of the first submarine by Cornelius Drebbel. They discuss how early modern science blended magic, alchemy, and imagination, challenging the notion of a strict scientific revolution. The episode highlights Drebbel’s 1620 Thames demonstration for King James I and the subsequent, failed military use of his vessel in France.
Topics discussed
Intro ads and Jacobean era setting
Welcome to Patented and guest introduction
17th-century science fiction and travel texts
The concept of the 'Scientific Revolution'
Kepler's problematic astronaut criteria
Defining the 'Project' and early submarine tech
Cornelis Drebbel: The Dr. Project
Drebbel's alchemy and inventions
Projectors, patents, and military applications
The Thames demonstration and submarine design
Royal patronage and naval expansion plans
Reconstructing the submarine's appearance
Battle of the Isle of Ré and propulsion methods
Drebbel's legacy and outro ads
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