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FunTranscript
00:00 (upbeat music)
00:02 - In the beginning, the world was all wet.
00:26 Today, it is still four fifths wet.
00:30 Man, the nomad, in the course of his migrations
00:36 often encountered bodies of water too wide
00:40 or too deep to be crossed.
00:43 Always the thinker, man soon evolved
00:49 the most primitive form of aquatic transportation, a log.
00:54 (upbeat music)
00:56 Supported by the log or seated upon it,
01:01 the next question was one of propulsion.
01:03 First, the foot, then the hand, and then,
01:08 aha, the first marine invention, the paddle.
01:13 (upbeat music)
01:16 From the paddle, the logical development was the oar,
01:21 which employed the simple mechanics of the lever
01:24 and fulcrum, producing maximum power
01:27 with a minimum of effort.
01:29 Because of the limitless, uncharted expanse of water,
01:37 the ancient mariner oftentimes found himself
01:40 far, far out at sea with only the stars to guide him.
01:45 - Star light, star bright,
01:49 I sure wish I knew where I was tonight.
01:52 (upbeat music)
01:56 - Swiftly and surely, the stars steered him on
02:01 (thunder rumbling)
02:02 to his destination.
02:03 In the 13th century, even as today,
02:10 great thinkers worried about what shape the world was in.
02:15 Some great minds firmly believed
02:17 that if you sailed west far enough,
02:19 you would sail off the edge of the world.
02:27 From the earliest days, sailors were played upon by pirates.
02:44 In those romantic days,
02:46 ships often changed captains very suddenly.
02:49 This colorful ceremony was called
02:52 rocking the plank or feeding the sharks.
02:55 (bells ringing)
02:58 - Eight bells, come and get it.
03:01 (thunder rumbling)
03:09 - When old father Neptune went on the rampage,
03:12 (bells ringing)
03:15 for safety's sake, sailors would latch themselves
03:26 to the mast.
03:27 Thus, the sailor was able to stick to his post
03:33 through hail and high water.
03:35 The flag is the sign language of the sea.
03:41 Sailors could communicate with each other
03:44 by semaphoring and wig wagging.
03:47 A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J, K, L, M,
03:52 and O, P, Q, R, (mumbling)
03:57 Oops!
03:58 He wigged what he should have wagged.
04:09 The happy, carefree sailor expressed himself
04:12 with a horn pipe, traditional dance of the sea.
04:15 Hauling in rope, hoisting sail,
04:19 rowing,
04:23 lookout.
04:27 Lookout!
04:32 (screaming)
04:38 Ah, the clipper ship.
04:41 The queen of the seven seas,
04:44 the heyday of sail,
04:47 iron man.
04:48 Wooden ships.
04:52 Through centuries of practice,
04:56 the sailor has developed a perfect set of sea legs.
05:06 A sailor is easily recognized by his wand.
05:09 Oh, knots.
05:12 Who should know how to tie knots better than the sailor?
05:16 He invented them.
05:17 The square knot, the sheep shank,
05:20 the granny knot,
05:23 a very interesting knot, bears great strength.
05:28 The slip knot.
05:32 Now, the barrel knot, most slip-proof of all.
05:36 (clattering)
05:38 Take it away!
05:39 This explains why sailors are often called old tars.
05:47 And now, through trial and error,
05:53 the sailor has at last mastered the sea.
05:56 A far cry indeed from his early ancestors
05:59 to the modern scientific mariner of today.
06:02 (upbeat music)
06:05 All hands, man battle stations,
06:12 stand by to attack.
06:14 Hey, stand by to attack!
06:16 Ready?
06:21 Aim.
06:26 Fire!
06:29 (explosion booms)
06:32 (upbeat music)
06:36 (explosion booms)
06:38 (upbeat music)
06:41 (explosion booms)
06:44 (upbeat music)
06:48 (explosion booms)
06:58 (upbeat music)
07:01 (upbeat music)
07:03 (upbeat music)
07:06 [BLANK_AUDIO]