Our History
The International Commission for the History of Oceanograph is a part of the Division of the History of Science, which was founded in 1948 as a component of the International Union of the History and Philosophy of Science, itself founded under the great non-governmental international scientific body, the International Council of Scientific Unions. At the end of the Monaco congress, the creation of a Commission of Oceanography was discussed. It was proposed at the International Congress of the History of Science held in Paris in 1968 and adopted. The first president was the French historian of science and medicine Professor Jean Theodorides (following his service, he was named the first--and to this date, only--President Emeritus of ICHO, a title he held until his death in 1999). So not only is 1998 the year of the first Congress on the History of Oceanography held in Asia, it is also the thirtieth anniversary of the founding of the Commission of Oceanography. At the very least, we have celebrated by keeping busy and productive in the service of the history of the marine sciences.