← Real Cool History for Kids
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Foreign. This is Angela Odell, and you are listening to Real Cool History for Kids, a podcast show featuring history told from a distinctly biblical worldview perspective. Welcome to an adventure. Welcome to episode 170 of Real History for Kids. This episode is for Warren Shea, who wanted to hear about the sunken ships resting at the bottom of Lake Superior. Lake Superior is the largest freshwater lake in the world by surface area. And you guys, some places in that lake are 1,300ft deep. Isn't that crazy? On calm days, it can be peaceful and beautiful, like a giant mirror stretching all the way to the horizon. But when storms rise up, Lake Superior can become really scary and dangerous very, very quickly. Sailors who work on the Great Lakes have a saying, the lake is the boss. And when we look at history, we can kind of understand why. Before I tell you those stories, though, we need to understand something important about why Lake Superior is such a famous place for shipwrecks. Lake Superior is cold, and when I say cold, I mean really cold. In the summer, the deepest parts of that lake stay just above freezing. So if you fall into that lake, that is not a good thing to do because you could very easily die of hypothermia. That cold water slows down decay, and deep underwater, there is very little light and less oxygen, which is also. It slows down the way wood and metal break down over time. Unlike oceans, Lake Superior is a freshwater lake and doesn't have many organisms that eat wood. All of this means that when a ship sinks in Lake Superior, it can remain preserved for decades, even centuries. Well, kind of like an underwater time capsule. Today, we're going to explore the stories of two of these ships that vanished during fierce storms on Lake Superior. When I was getting ready to record this podcast, you guys, I looked at all of the different shipwrecks that happened in Lake Superior, and I had to choose two to tell you. So I chose the two that I thought you would find the most interesting. Their stories help us to understand not only the power of nature, but also the limits of what humans can know. The first story that I want to tell you is, is the story of the Henry B. Smith. And it took place in 1913. So more than 100 years ago in November. Okay, November is a very, very dangerous month for ships on Lake Superior because the storms can blow up very, very quickly. And the shipping season of 1913 was almost over. Winter was coming, and the captains of those ships knew that late season voyages could be very, very risky. But iron ore still needed to be delivered, and ships made one final push before the lakes started freezing. The Henry B. Smith was a large steel freighter that carried iron ore, an important material used to make steel. That steel would later become bridges and buildings and railroads, things that helped build the country. As the Henry B. Smith traveled on Lake Superior, a massive storm system began to form. Of course, There were no TVs back then, so they didn't know that it was coming. The storm would later be known as the Great lakes storm of 1913, and it brought together powerful winds, freezing temperatures, and heavy, heavy snow. Some people called it the White Hurricane Hurricane because of how fierce it was. Winds howled across the lake, waves grew taller and stronger, and visibility dropped so low that the sailors could barely see what was going on in front of them because of the whiteout conditions. The Henry B. Smith was last seen on Lake Superior during this storm, struggling against the rough water. Sometime around November 9th or 10th, 1913, the ship disappeared and all 25 crew members were lost. For decades, no one knew exactly what had happened. There were no final messages and no clear answers. The families of the sailors were left wondering, and historians could only piece together clues from weather reports and eyewitness accounts from other ships. Then something really cool and amazing happened. In 2013, exactly 100 years after the disappearance of the Henry B. Smith, shipwreck explorers located the ship resting deep on the bottom of Lake Superior. It lay more than 500ft below the surface, preserved by the lake's cold, dark waters. When the cameras went down, researchers could finally see the ship again. While not every question was answered, the discovery helped historians better understand the storm and the ship's final journey. The Henry B. Smith had been missing for a century, but Lake Superior had kept it safe, waiting to be found. Hey, guys, I'm going to take a quick break right here in the middle of our stories about the sunken ships on Lake Superior to give a shout out to especially special little boy Jake, who loves Real Cool History for Kids. Jake recently told me that he especially likes the episode about World War I and that real Cool History for Kids helps him to be brave and courageous, even when he feels afraid. I'm so happy you're loving the podcast show, Jake. God sees you. He knows you and he loves you. Always remember that. Also, I wanted to give a huge shout out thank you to all of the Real Cool History for Kids Patreon members. You all are doing so much to help keep Real Cool History for Kids free and on the air. Also, 2026 is going to be a huge, huge year of celebrating 250 years of liberty. Make sure you visit my website often to see all of the amazing things that are going to be happening. Now let's get back to our next story of a famous Lake Superior shipwreck. You may recognize the name of this one. The Edmund Fitzgerald was one of the most famous ships ever to sail the Great Lakes. When it was built, it was one of the largest and most powerful freighters on on the lake, stretching more than 700ft long. That is a very big ship. People would gather along the shoreline of the lake just to watch it pass. In early November of 1975, we are going to learn about another November storm. The Edmund Fitzgerald left port carrying iron ore pellets across Lake Superior. As it traveled, a powerful late autumn storm began to build. Winds strengthened, waves grew higher, and conditions became more and more dangerous every minute. On November 10, 1975, the Fitzgerald was battling the storm. Radio communication indicated that the ship was having trouble, but the crew continued working, doing everything they could to stay afloat. One of the very last known messages from the ship was calm and hopeful. The crew felt like they could get through the storm. Then the Edmund Fitzgerald disappeared. A few days later, search teams located the wreck resting on the bottom of Lake superior, split into two large sections more than 500ft below the surface, northwest of Whitefish Point, Michigan. All 29 crew members were lost. Investigators studied the wreck and the storm conditions carefully. Over the years, several possible explanations have been discussed, including damage from the waves and flooding and just the incredible force of the storm. But the exact sequence of events will never be known for sure, at least by humans. What is known is that Lake Superior, especially in November, can be extremely dangerous and that even the strongest ships can be overwhelmed by nature's power. The loss of the Edmund Fitzgerald led to important changes in Great Lakes shipping, including improvements in safety procedures and weather awareness. When we study the Henry B. Smith and the Edmund Fitzgerald, we learn something very important about history. Even with modern technology, sonar, underwater cameras, and careful research, there are still things we cannot know. We don't hear every word spoken on board, and we don't see every moment that led up to a ship's final seconds. You know, I often tell my students of history that when we learn history, it's a. A little like looking into a room. Through a keyhole in a door. We can see part of the story. But no matter how much we learn, we can never know the whole story. And that brings us to something even more important. The Bible tells us that while human knowledge is limited, God understands everything. His understanding has no limits. Psalm 147. 5 says, Great is our Lord, and mighty in power. His understanding has no limit. God sees every moment of history, past, present and future, all at once. Isn't that incredible? That's because God is not limited by time the way we are. He created time to help us organize our lives, but he exists outside of it. Isn't that just amazing? Hebrews 4:13 reminds us, nothing in all of creation is hidden from God's sight. Even when a ship vanishes in the night beneath dark waves, even when storms hide the details from human eyes, even when history feels unfinished, God sees it all. Isaiah 46:10 says this. It says that God makes known the end from the beginning, from ancient times. What is still to come? While we're walking through history one step at a time, God sees the entire story all at once. So when we study history, we do our best. We learn everything that we can, right? But we remember that while we may only see through a keyhole, that's our human understanding. God sees the whole room. Isn't that just amazing? I love it. I want you guys to think about this. This is our last episode of 2025. This is our goodbye for this year and see you in the new year. And there is nothing more important than remembering the greatness of God. I want you guys to remember this as you go into the new year. That God sees you. He sees you. He knows you. Just like every sailor on those ships that were lost in Lake Superior, God knew everything about them. He knew every cell of their body, every hair on their head, every day of their life. And he knows you. He knows everything about you. And I want you to remember that not only does he know you and see you, he loves you. He loves you enough to send his son to die for you. Isn't that just incredible? I am so thankful. I'm so, so thankful that I can look back over the last. Let's see. I started Real Cool History from Kids in July of 2019. Wow, you guys, that's a long time. That's six and a half years. Isn't that incredible? Six and a half years. I have been your friend, and you have been my friend. All the letters that you have sent me, the encouraging messages, the encouraging emails, the wonderful reviews, you guys, we are friends. And I'm so, so thankful for that. So as we end 2025 and we step into 2026, I want you to remember that God sees you. He knows you, and he loves you. And he has a great plan for your life. Isn't that amazing? I love it. And I am so thankful that I can be part of your life. I am so thankful that God has given me the privilege of encouraging you and teaching you history. So always remember that. Okay? I am excited. We're going into a new year, but we're gonna, we're gonna close it out with a bunch of happy birthdays to some of our friends. Okay? So here we go. We are going to say happy birthday. Happy birthday to Jacob Anderson, who turned 6 on December 26th. Happy birthday to Hudson Holt, who turned 3 on December 27th. Happy birthday to Isla Rhodes, who turned 13 on December 28th. Happy birthday to Burke Reading, who turns 3 today on December 29th. And happy birthday to Alaina Burke, who is turning 9 on December 31st. Happy birthday to all of you guys from the Real Cool History for Kids family. I hope you guys have enjoyed this adventure in history today. Remember to keep exploring, ok? Keep asking questions and always remember, history's full of all kinds of adventures and really, really cool stories. I meet you here soon for our next episode of Real History for Kids. And until then, and until then, with the help and grace of Jesus our savior, be the very best you ever. Happy New Year, you guys.