Primeval storms batter emerging landmasses until heaps of shingle and gravel lay at the feet of wave-washed cliffs. Ribbons of beach begin to appear.

The Roman elite invent the "otium," a sort of working weekend by the sea. At luxurious beach retreats, they read, write and engage in philosophical conversations.

Dr. Robert Wittie pioneers the therapeutic bath on the beach of Scarborough, England, attracting thousands of "patients."

The Romantics hit the beach. English writers such as Shelley, Wordsworth, Keats and Byron discover psychological and spiritual meanings there.

Beach tourist postcards help the allies plan the D-Day Normandy invasion, providing information on topography, geography and architecture.

Californians flock to the beach, where they make the sport of surfing a world unto itself, with its own mythology, music, icons and lingo.

Japan builds the world's first beach in a building. The Phoenix Seagaia contains an ocean with waves big enough for surfing and a "sand" beach under a retractable roof.