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Good morning! It's Sunday, Oct. 11, and welcome to our Sunday Edition. 2026 has brought a string of notable shipwreck finds, including those during last month's nor'easter, leading us to explore these disasters that can help us learn about the past. Next, see an overview of last week's Nobel Prize winners (News in Context), a breakdown of Martin Scorsese films (Etc.), and much more.
📖 Our Sunday edition digs deep into the context and rabbit holes behind the news. We'll be back with our regular Daily Digest tomorrow through Saturday.
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Lost at Sea
UNESCO estimates that over 3 million undiscovered shipwrecks are spread around the world's oceans. From the small fraction of shipwrecks we have found, under 10% have been explored. While an estimated $60B in treasures is supposedly awaiting us at the bottom of the sea, cost- and labor-intensive efforts stand in the way of extensive exploration.
> Exploring shipwrecks is difficult because diving and conducting surveys are expensive and labor-intensive. (More)
> Explore a database of more than 220,000 shipwrecks, the largest compilation to date. (More)
Colder, darker, low-oxygen waters can preserve materials for centuries, allowing wrecks to serve as time capsules and offer a look into the engineering, economies, and personalities of the period in which they crashed. Famous losses include the Titanic in 1912, the Mary Rose in 1545, and Endurance in 1915—with each ship's artifacts leaving behind lessons about the technology and ambition of their eras.
> One in five 16th-century Spanish ships sank while crossing the Pacific, and the reasons that happened remain a mystery. (More, w/audio)
> The Dokos shipwreck, the oldest discovered to date, is more than 4,000 years old. (More, w/video)
> The 1975 sinking of the Edmund Fitzgerald remains in popular memory, in part thanks to a folk song written about the tragedy. (More)
Advances in technology, including sonar, satellite imaging, autonomous underwater vehicles, and more, have helped increase the frequency of new shipwreck discoveries. Once a shipwreck is discovered, debates arise about who gets to claim a wreck's contents, how to respect those who passed, and how to consider the environment surrounding the vessel.
> Since the 2010s, shipwrecks have increasingly been discovered thanks to digitized records and advances in underwater remote-sensing technology. (More)
> Explore fascinating artifacts found in different shipwrecks, including centuries-old alcohol, love letters, and a Titanic musician's violin. (More, w/photos)
Discover more:
> Read an eyewitness account of the sinking of the Titanic. (More)
> Explore an interactive map of WWII shipwrecks. (More)
> In the 1980s, a shipping container carrying plastic Garfield telephones fell into the sea off France's coast, inspiring a tradition of locals hunting for parts. (More, w/video)
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News in Context
1440 brings you the knowledge and context behind the week's stories:
The Nobel Prizes (see video overview) in medicine, physics, chemistry, literature, and peace were announced last week. (More)
> Through 2023, more than 95% of science and economics Nobel Prizes were awarded to one academic family.
> Five people have won two Nobel Prizes, including the first female winner.
A Cold War-era satellite exploded about 775 kilometers (480 miles) above Earth's surface last month, polluting low Earth orbit with an expanding debris field. (More)
> Visualize the known satellites and space debris currently in low Earth orbit.
> See how space debris could impede future space travel.
Death row inmate Christa Pike is alive and speaking after two failed execution attempts on Sept. 30, lawyers say. (More)
> Global executions hit a 44-year high in 2025.
> Explore how your state handles the death penalty, from execution methods to how often it's used.
Max Verstappen won the Formula 1 Bahrain Grand Prix that took place in Malaysia due to the conflict in the Middle East. (More, w/video)
> Hear drivers talk about what it feels like to crash an F1 car.
> F1 cars have evolved through the decades, increasing in speed by over 40 mph since the 1950s.
Coke's Forever Bottle
Most design protections eventually expire. But Coca-Cola’s famous bottle has managed to stick around for more than a century. 1440’s August Moon uncovers the strange story behind its iconic shape and the legal trick that can protect it forever. Watch here or click below:
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If your portfolio tops $5 million, download it today to define your legacy, inventory your assets and navigate tax strategies.
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Etcetera
See an architect's list of the best bridges in the world.
Explore the state of housing affordability in your ZIP code with this tool.
The creative ways humans woke up before alarm clocks.
Watch Martin Scorsese break down his most famous films.
The Atlantic Ocean was named after Atlas, the Greek mythological character who holds up the sky.
President George Washington's adventurous eating habits included having tongue toast for breakfast.
🫶 Humankind: Inspired by their families' experiences with cancer, two teens create a card game to help kids understand and process the disease.
Why empty offices often can't be turned into apartment buildings.
Listen to an avowed rationalist discuss his frightening near-death experience.
Tour the Minnesota gas station designed by Frank Lloyd Wright that's still operating today.
Almost one in five US households was among the millionaire class as of 2023.
Watch the television special that popularized Jane Goodall and documented her expedition to study chimpanzees.
Historybook: Earthquake in Aleppo, Syria, kills roughly 230,000 people (1138); Eleanor Roosevelt born (1884); "Saturday Night Live" premieres (1975); Kathryn D. Sullivan becomes first American woman to perform a spacewalk (1984); ... and Alexei Leonov, first person to perform a spacewalk, dies (2019).
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— Eleanor Roosevelt
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