John Day
Last but not least is John Day, an English carpenter who has the honor of being the first-ever submarine casualty ever recorded. In 1774, Day created a wooden “diving chamber” (nicknamed “the Maria”) that was meant to remain underwater at a depth of about 130 feet for a full 12 hours before he’d need to come up for air. Instead, on June 22nd of that year, after he’d locked the Maria and loaded it up with weights for its first-ever descent, the ship did… what you’d expect a ship loaded with weights to do: it sunk to the bottom, with Day trapped inside. He died.
