John Philip Holland (1840-1914) was an Irish engineer who developed the first military submarine commissioned by the U.S. Navy and the first Royal Navy submarine, the Holland 1. As a child he was interested in flight and drew early designs for airplanes and submarines. Inspired by Jules Verne's 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, he was determined to design an underwater vessel that could travel as depicted in the novel. After initial work with Irish rebels, Holland designed, built, and tested his first military submarine in 1898, going on to sell his designs to the U.S. and British navies.

1. Science Corner!
Day 5

2. Scientist of the Day
John Philip Holland

3. John Philip Holland (29
February 1840 – 12 August
1914) was an Irish engineer
who developed the first
submarine to be formally
commissioned by the U.S.
Navy, and the first Royal
Navy submarine, the Holland
1.

4. He was one of four brothers who may
have been born in Liscannor, County
Clare, Ireland to an Irish speaking
mother, Máire Ní Scannláin, and John
Holland
As a child, he was very interested in flying
and while he was in school in Cork he drew
up designs for an aeroplane. A man of many
talents, he was also musically gifted.
While in Cork he had an excellent science
teacher in Brother Dominic Burke, a
Limerickvman. Brother Burke encouraged
him in his designs for a submarine (rather
than an airplane) and as early as 1859 he
completed his first drafts for a submarine
design, a design he never radically changed.

5. In 1870, Jules Verne
published his novel ’20,000
Leagues Under the Sea’.
Holland was inspired by this
book and was determined to
design an underwater machine
that could make this book’s
plot a reality.
After initially working with
the Irish rebel Fenians,
Holland designed and tested
his first submarine. By 1898,
he had perfected it and sold
his designs to the British and
American Navy.

8. Weather Facts
• The most rainfall ever recorded in one
year is 25.4 meters (1000 inches) in
Cherrapunji, India.
• Clouds can be categorized into a number
of different types; these include
cumulus, stratus and cirrus.
• The USA has more tornadoes than any
other country in the world, averaging
around 1200, mostly in an area of central
USA called Tornado Alley.
• You can use thunder to tell how far away
a storm is. Count the number of seconds
between when you see the lightning and
hear the thunder. Divide this 5 and that
will tell you how far away the storm is in
miles.
• The Atlantic hurricane season is from
June 1 to November 30. The Eastern
Pacific hurricane season is from May 15
to November 30.

10. Science Picture of the Day

11. So – just a bunch of wet leaves for the picture
today…
No! Take a look again! It’s a chameleon in camouflage
as a leaf!
Camouflage are the colours or patterns that help an
animal to ‘hide’ in their surroundings. Most animal
species in the world have developed camouflage that
helps them find food and avoid being attacked by a
predator e.g. the white fox in the North Pole.
Chameleons (like the one on the picture) are able to
change their skin to adapt to wherever they are e.g.
up a tree, in the middle of leaves etc.,