In 1890, Captain Alfred Thayer Mahan, a lecturer in naval history and the president of the United States Naval War College, published The Influence of Sea Power upon History, 1660–1783, a revolutionary analysis of the importance of naval power as a factor in the rise of the British Empire.
Mahan became the college's president in 1886 and held that post until 1889. In 1890 Mahan published his college lectures as The Influence of Sea Power upon History, 1660–1783. ... Before his death in December 1914, Mahan foretold the defeat of the Central Powers and of the German navy in World War I.