1899

American engineer who designed a deep-sea submersible vessel called the bathysphere—a spherical metal ball constructed of steel, with two viewing windows and capable of withstanding the pressures of deep-sea diving. Along with William Beebe, a zoologist, Barton pioneered the use of a tethered, manned submersible craft with the bathysphere. They reached a record setting depth of 1,427 feet (435 m) in 1930 and a depth of 3,028 feet (923 m) in 1934. National Geographic magazine carried a personally narrated account of the exploration, which gave scientists the first glimpse of the deep sea. Barton received his engineering degree from Columbia University.