Did you know that Rubber Duckies have helped shape our understanding of the ocean?
In 1992, a shipment of bath toys was headed from China to the U.S. when the cargo ship dropped a container. More than 28,000 rubber ducks and other play animals were dumped into the North Pacific Ocean. Oceanographers tracked where the ducks wound up to better understand the water currents, with some landing ashore in Europe, Alaska and Hawaii.
The duck sightings didn’t ease up until the mid-2000s and were chronicled in the book “Moby-Duck” by Donovan Hohn. A classic NPR article on the subject can be found here!
