History of Oceanography

The history of oceanography has changed over time because there has been great marine inventions throughout the timeline of mankind.  There has also been advances in cartography, along with there being great voyages and discoveries over the years.  One event that I think changed the study of the ocean was in 1769, when Benjamin Franklin published one of the earliest maps of the Gulf Stream.  This wasn't just simply about him mapping the Gulf Sea, although that is a great feat since it was one of the first of it's like ever seen before, but it also began the beginning of voyaging in the ocean for science.  A huge step forward for oceanography and the way that it is studied.