At all times there were daredevils who went on a journey to find out which countries are beyond the horizon .. However, they were often blocked by water obstacles: rivers, lakes, seas, already in ancient times people learned to overcome them. Long before the invention of the wheel, man began to build rafts and boats. Thousands of years have passed. In place of primitive rafts and boats came quite different means of transportation. Now in the sea there are huge ships built with the latest technology .. It is impossible to imagine how much labor and talent many generations of people have invested to make ships more perfect. This book from the series "What Is" describes the history of shipbuilding - from its very beginning to the present day. You will learn how much it was fascinating and why in certain historical eras in this area appeared a variety of technical innovations. So, have a nice swim! "What Is What" - a series of thematic encyclopedias, published from 1994 to 2001 by the publishing house "Word" and aimed at school-age children . Initially, it was translated materials of a similar German series "Was ist was", but later, as part of the series, the publishing house began to produce works by domestic authors. The abundance of illustrations, fascination, diversity and accessibility of the presentation of the material predetermined the great popularity of the series. "What is What" easy reading - serious knowledge!Other books in the series "What is What":Byzantine Wolves of Heaven. Flags Calendar. Caves of the Cat. Time. Dolls. Butterflies Sculpture. Our Body . Ancient Greeks Ancient myths Myths of Slavs Sun Apes Ancient China . Painting Orbital Stations . Underwater exploration of the Earth Planet Ancient Greece. Trees. Forest. Poisonous plants . Money from Russia . Multimedia and virtual worlds Natural Disasters Mountains Pyramids Museums Travelers . Crusaders Weather. Bees, Bumblebees, Wasps Moors Elephants Fish Birds Ships Gladiators Samurai. Pirates. Water. Bridges . Geographic Maps of the Witch Star. Internet Seven Wonders of the World Predators Nuclear Power Arctic and Antarctic. Indians Horses Dinosaurs Ancient Russia . Moscow Rus Revival . Mysterious Treasure Phenomena . Tropical Forest