Why is jacques cousteau famous

Cousteau made her into a research vessel, and she became his platform for underwater research and filmmaking all over the globe. For her maiden voyage, Cousteau took her to the Red Sea. Even today, despite some quite grueling scenes, this film is still great to watch, and amongst my all-time favorites! The fate of the Calypso however was less fortunate. She was rammed and sank in Singapur in , was patched up and brought to Marseille.

After a series of battles over ownership and restauration costs, she ended up neglected and in disrepair, until in January a good Samaritan was found to finance her restauration. It is the aim of this project to make the Calypso seaworthy again, although this grand old dame will probably no longer be used for expeditions, but function as ambassador for the protection of the environment and underwater world.

Restauration is scheduled to be complete by the end of Cousteau is said to be the father of the Aqualung, and while it was his idea to create an underwater breathing apparatus, it was actually developed by Emile Gagan and Georges Commeinhes.

Cousteau himself however was not short of ideas and with his team developed a wide range of other products that would revolutionize the way we dive today.

Amongst them was the very first underwater scooter for divers. She is still in existence today and thus the oldest scientific submersible. She has done more than dives to date. But the list does not end here! He also invented the lighting systems and underwater cameras and housing for his films. Cousteau organized a popular campaign against a French-government plan to dump nuclear waste into the Mediterranean Sea in —and took his fight straight to the president of the republic.

Cousteau "faced off with General de Gualle in France about the proposed dumping, and he continued to oppose nuclear power," Merriam said. In the end, the train carrying the waste turned back after women and children staged a sit-in on the tracks. Cousteau's films and books could make the ocean seem like a boundless and bountiful wonderland, bursting with life and blessedly isolated. But the captain himself knew better. By all accounts, Cousteau was not always an ardent environmentalist, nor was he always particularly sensitive to the creatures he was filming in the beginning.

Merriam points to a "horrific" scene in The Silent World in which the Calypso collides with a baby sperm whale. Believing the animal to be near death, the crew shoots the animal—then also shoots sharks that attack the now dead whale.

Merriam remembers when The Silent World was remastered about 20 years ago. But "Cousteau said, 'No, no we're not. It was true, and it shows how far we've come and how dreadful humans can be if we don't curtail ourselves,'" she recalled. If Cousteau were alive today, he would probably be saddened by how little has been done to address pollution, overfishing, and other threats to the world's oceans, said Bill Eichbaum, vice president of marine and Arctic policy at World Wildlife Fund WWF , an international conservation organization.

Read why Jacques Cousteau would be "heartbroken" at our seas today —commentary by his son Jean-Michel. But Cousteau wouldn't be discouraged, said Eichbaum, who worked with Cousteau briefly during the s. For her part, the Cousteau Society's Merriam said, "We miss the visionary, and we're glad he set us on the path that we're trying to keep on. All rights reserved. In , he published the book The Silent World, which was later made into an award-winning film.

This success allowed him to finance another expedition to the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean sponsored by the French government and the National Geographic Society. During the rest of the decade, Cousteau conducted several expeditions and brought more attention to the mysteries and attractions of the underwater world. It was during this time that Cousteau began to realize how human activity was destroying the oceans. With his increased celebrity and the support of many, Cousteau founded the Cousteau Society in , in an effort to raise awareness of the ecosystems of the underwater world.

The organization quickly grew and soon boasted , members worldwide. In the s, Cousteau continued to produce television specials, but these had a more environmental message and a plea for stronger protection of oceanic wildlife habitat.

In June , tragedy struck when Cousteau's son, Philippe, was killed in a plane crash. According to a article by The Associated Press , Philippe had been flying the plane during a test flight, and when he attempted to land, the plane clipped a sandbank and crashed into Portugal's Tagus River.

On January 8, , Calypso was accidentally rammed by barge and sank in Singapore Harbor. Cousteau tried to raise money to build a new vessel, but died unexpectedly in Paris on June 25, , at the age of His estate and the foundation fell into dispute among his survivors. Most of the legal disputes were settled by , when his son, Jean-Michel, disassociated himself from the Cousteau Society and formed his own organization the Oceans Futures Society.

We strive for accuracy and fairness. If you see something that doesn't look right, contact us! Born in France in , Cousteau excelled in many fields throughout his life. He primarily dedicated his life to researching and exploring the world's oceans.

While leading many undersea expeditions , he also devoted time to underwater photography and making documentary films and television series about marine life. As if that weren't enough, Cousteau also invented several devices to aid his undersea explorations.

Cousteau's love of the sea began as a child and continued as a member of the French Navy. During World War II, his underwater research led him to collaborate with French engineer Emile Gagnan to invent the Aqua-Lung, a breathing device that allowed scuba divers to stay underwater for extended periods of time.

In , Cousteau started the French Navy's undersea research group. Working with others, he helped to develop several other important devices, including a diving saucer and waterproof cameras. With these inventions, he was able to make his first two documentaries about underwater exploration: 18 Meters Deep and Shipwrecks.

Cousteau acquired a former British minesweeper in and converted it into an oceanographic research vessel he named Calypso. He began to use Calypso to make annual trips to explore the world's oceans.

He documented many of these trips on his famous television series The Undersea World of Jacques Cousteau. To help finance his voyages and bring media attention to the need for conservation efforts to protect the world's oceans and marine life, Cousteau wrote several books and produced a variety of documentary films and television series, including The Silent World.

Cousteau's fame allowed him to start the Cousteau Society in Through this organization, he was able to raise awareness of ocean ecosystems and the need to protect them. In , Calypso accidentally sank in Singapore Harbor after being hit by a barge. Cousteau tried to raise money to build a new ship, but he died unexpectedly in Paris in at the age of Are you ready to dive deeper into the world of Jacques Cousteau?

Be sure to explore the following activities with a friend or family member:. We LOVE that wish, tristin! Did you know that your Wonders can be nominated if you add them to the Wonder Bank? Hi, Anonymous! Thanks for sharing - there are a lot of cool facts about Jacques Cousteau for our Wonder Friends to learn more about!

Did you know about his many contributions to oceanography?