They called it “The Battle Of Hampton Roads”. Even though it didn’t actually happen on a road.

Cornelius Jacobszoon Drebbel. Sure, the average person like you or I might think “Wow! What a great name for a cat!” but actually Cornelius Jacobszoon Drebbel was a honest-to-goodness human being, and the very first to make a working and reproducible submarine.

Of course the idea, well, that goes back a little further. Alexander the Great is said to have noticed how swimmers might change a sea battle, and supposedly created his very own diving bell to be used as an offensive weapon. Plus, you know, Da Vinci made blueprints for EVERYTHING so it’s no surprise he had a submarine idea. But it wasn’t until Cornelius Jacobszoon that somebody proved to rich investors that a submarine really could work, and after that, it was only a matter of engineering.

Today, we have submarines so complex we’re not even allowed to know what they do or where they are. They’re somewhere down there, zipping around, annoying the eels and taking data. But they all date back to that Dutch guy with an awesome name and a dream. So thanks, Cornelius Jacobszoon Drebbel. Without your hard work, Nicholas Meyer never could have written The Wrath of Khan.

Wear this shirt: to a sandwich shop. Unless you live in the “grinder” belt.

Don’t wear this shirt: as a teaching tool. Hammerhead sharks don’t actually shoot lightning rays, sorry.

This shirt tells the world: “Give me my ping.”

We call this color: Black Stormy

Back to top