Summary
Inventor David Bushnell builds the Turtle, a hand-cranked one-man submarine, and attempts the first-ever underwater attack on a British warship in New York Harbor. Henri is amazed that the Revolution is also a contest of new ideas — and that clever invention can challenge the world's strongest navy.
Viewer safety
No violent content; historical debate and political tension.
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Teaching resources
Discussion questions
Discussion
The Turtle didn't sink any ships, but it was the first submarine ever used in war — proof that the Americans were willing to try bold new technology against a far more powerful enemy.
- What problem was the Turtle trying to solve for the Americans?
- The mission failed, but the idea mattered. Why can a failed invention still be important?
- How is the Turtle like — and unlike — submarines or drones used today?
- Why might a weaker side in a conflict be especially motivated to try new inventions?
Quick work-a-long
Vocabulary: submarine, invention, technology, harbor, innovation.
Try it: Draw your own design for a secret machine that could help a small force outsmart a bigger one. Label two parts and write one sentence about the problem it solves.