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A collage of postcards representing each NOAA predecessor and their foundation dates.

NOAA Heritage

NOAA Heritage
  • NOAA Heritage home
  • Engage with us
    • Gateway to NOAA
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  • Stories from our past
    • Feature stories
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  • NOAA timeline
    • 1970-1979
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Further research
NOAA Magazine (1977-1986, 2001-2007)
NOAA News (1976-1981)
NOAA Week (1971-1976)
NOAA Library
NOAA Voices: Oral history archives
More NOAA History
NOAA's history
National Weather Service history
NWS Local Office Histories
Fisheries historical highlights
History of Coast Survey
NOAA Corps history
National Marine Sanctuaries history
Contact
heritage.program@noaa.gov
For NOAA employees
NOAA Heritage internal site offsite link
Further research
NOAA Magazine (1977-1986, 2001-2007)
NOAA News (1976-1981)
NOAA Week (1971-1976)
NOAA Library
NOAA Voices: Oral history archives
More NOAA History
NOAA's history
National Weather Service history
NWS Local Office Histories
Fisheries historical highlights
History of Coast Survey
NOAA Corps history
National Marine Sanctuaries history
Contact
heritage.program@noaa.gov
For NOAA employees
NOAA Heritage internal site offsite link
NOAA: Centuries of Science Speaker Series, part of NOAA Heritage Week 2026

 

NOAA: Centuries of Science Speaker Series

If you missed our live presentations for NOAA Heritage Week 2026, they'll be available for on-demand viewing shortly!

Heritage stories
The USS Monitor, Part 1: History and Legacy
The bow of the iconic Civil War ironclad Monitor resting on the seafloor off North Carolina.
The Great Miami Hurricane of 1926: 100 Years of Hurricane Forecasting and Research
The origins of NOAA’s National Ocean Service | NOAA Ocean Podcast
The Great Miami Hurricane of 1926: A century of science advancing warnings from hours to days
View all
Read, picture, and listen to history
Deep Dives
Deep Dives

In-depth stories about NOAA's history and heritage.

A washed out photo of a woman working on NOAA's Brass Brains taped to a blue background of waves. The photo bears the words, "NOAAstalgia: Picturing Our Past."
NOAAstalgia

Sharing photos from NOAA and its predecessors' history.

Oral Histories
Oral Histories Project

Documenting history of NOAA through interviews with its leaders.

Historic gems from NOAA's "attic"
Friday Finds
Friday Find: These Engineering Development Units were used to design their cousins on orbit
Friday Find: Undercurrents of innovation
Friday Find: Tracing a cosmic tool through time and space
View all
History of NOAA Timeline
1970-1979
Secretary of Commerce Maurice H. Stans signs the department orders needed to put NOAA in operation on October 3, 1970. Dr. White is standing over Sec. Stans’ left shoulder.
1980-1989
U.S. Senators Warren Magnuson (D-WA) and Ted Stevens (R-AK) authored the original Magnuson Fishery Conservation and Management Act (MSA) in 1976.
1990-1999
Divers test a turtle excluder device.
2000-2009
Atlantic scallop.
2010-2020
A photo taken at the spill source during the Deepwater Horizon response.
A collaged black and white image of a woman holding a weather balloon.
About NOAA Heritage

The NOAA Heritage Program's mission is to preserve the agency's history, traditions, historic objects, and culture so it will be around for future generations. Where we came from defines who we are today and inspires our future. By telling our unique story, we seek to deepen our workforce’s and the public’s understanding of NOAA’s history and instill a sense of pride and value for our mission.

Further research
NOAA Magazine (1977-1986, 2001-2007)
NOAA News (1976-1981)
NOAA Week (1971-1976)
NOAA Library
NOAA Voices: Oral history archives
More NOAA History
NOAA's history
National Weather Service history
NWS Local Office Histories
Fisheries historical highlights
History of Coast Survey
NOAA Corps history
National Marine Sanctuaries history
Contact
heritage.program@noaa.gov
For NOAA employees
NOAA Heritage internal site offsite link

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Last updated September 30, 2026
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