UC oceanographers were the unsung heroes behind D-Day’s success
June 8, 2026 •
U.S. Army troops wade ashore on “Omaha” Beach during the “D-Day” landings, on June 6, 1944.
(Credit: Chief Photographer’s Mate (CPHOM) Robert F. Sargent, U.S. Coast Guard/Public domain)
June 6 marked D-Day, the 1944 Allied invasion of Normandy that stunned the Germans and changed the fate of World War II.
What most people don’t know is that D-Day was supposed to happen on June 5. But a storm emerged that day in the notoriously volatile English Channel that would have made any amphibious landing a disaster.
The success of the entire operation hinged on the ability to predict the weather — using UC research.
Read the whole story from the UC Newsroom
New Fig. 1 video
UC’s award-winning Fig. 1 video series has just released its newest episode: “What Brendan Fraser’s Newest Move, ‘Pressure,’ Leaves Out.” Watch it below!
For more videos about science, culture and new discoveries out of the University of California, check out the Fig. 1 channel on YouTube.
Tags: America 250, D-Day, Fig. 1, history, research
