Why The Science Of Tides Was Crucial For D-Day

Short Wave

NPR

Daily News, Nature, Life Sciences, Astronomy, Science, News

4.7 • 6K Ratings

🗓️ 5 June 2024

⏱️ 16 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

June 6, 1944 the Allied Forces stormed the beaches of Normandy and took the Nazis by surprise in the largest sea-to-land invasion in history. This would be remembered as D-Day and would ultimately lead to the end of World War II in Europe. However, this planned attack wouldn't have been possible without deep knowledge of ocean tides! We get into the whole story, including why tides sit at the intersection of astronomy and marine ecology — and why understanding tides are key to a greener future.

Want to hear us cover more science history? Email us at [email protected].

Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices

NPR Privacy Policy

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	This message comes from NPR sponsor Morgan Stanley with their podcast,
0:04.0	What Should I Do With My Money?
0:06.0	Smart people don't always feel smart about money.
0:08.0	Listen to What Should I Do With My Money to hear real people getting real help
0:12.0	from experienced financial advisors.
0:15.0	You're listening to Shortwave from NPR.
0:20.0	It was 1944. World War II had been going on for almost five years.
0:25.0	And the Allies were planning the largest Cedalan invasion in history.
0:32.0	First, they needed to assemble tens of thousands of troops off the coast of France, which
0:37.9	you might remember from that famous scene in saving private ride.
0:41.2	More than six, it's nice stick.
0:43.0	Move fast and clear those murder holes.
0:47.0	Then they needed to send in soldiers overnight, crossing the English channel to Normandy as swiftly and as silently as possible.
0:54.6	Keep those actions clear.
0:57.1	We'll see you on the beach.
1:00.0	But in order to make all of that happen,
1:02.5	they needed to make sure the tides were right.
1:05.2	So the first thing to think about is that the tide range
1:08.0	in Normandy is about 20 feet.
1:11.1	So that means from low tide to high tide, you know, that's 20 feet of water,
1:15.2	which is a lot.
1:16.3	In most places in the US, we have tide ranges around say 3 to 6 feet or something.
	...

Please login to see the full transcript.

Previous episode | Next episode

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from NPR, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of NPR and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.