Timeline of United States discoveries 4–6, 1942 and the decisive turning point of the Pacific War when the United States Navy defeated an attack by the Empire of Japan. First known as "Middlebrooks Islands", Midway Atoll was discovered by U.S. Captain N.C. Brooks aboard his ship, "Gambia", on July 8, 1859. 1859 Petroleum jelly Petroleum jelly, petrolatum or soft paraffin is a semi-solid mixture of hydrocarbons originally promoted as a topical ointment for its healing properties. The raw material for petroleum jelly was discovered in 1859 by Robert Chesebrough, a chemist from New York. In 1870, this product was branded as Vaseline Petroleum Jelly. 1873
Spotted jelly Spotted jelly The spotted jelly ("Mastigias papua"), lagoon jelly, golden medusa, or Papuan jellyfish, is a species of jellyfish from the Indo-Pacific oceans. Like corals, sea anemones, and other sea jellies, it belongs to the phylum Cnidaria. "Mastigias papua" is one of the numerous marine animals living in symbiosis with zooxanthellae, a photosynthetic alga. They have a lifespan of approximately 4 months and are active primarily in mid-summer to early autumn. The spotted jelly is so named because of the little dots that garnish its jelly. It usually measures between in length and between in diameter but some individuals can