Jacques-Yves Cousteau

Jacques-Yves Cousteau (June 11, 1910–June 25, 1997) was a French naval officer, explorer, ecologist, and researcher who studied the sea and all forms of life in water. Cousteau was born in Saint Andr? de Cubzac, France and died in Paris. Cousteau is generally known in France as le commandant Cousteau (Commander Cousteau).

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In 1930 he was admitted to the ?cole Navale (Naval Academy) in Brest and became a gunnery officer of the French Navy, which gave him the opportunity to make his first underwater experiments. He was training to become a pilot, but a serious car accident ended his aviation career. In 1936 he tested a model of underwater eyeglasses, perhaps the ancestors of modern diving masks.

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Married in 1937 to Simone Melchior, he took part in World War II, and during the conflict he found the time to be co-inventor, with Emile Gagnan, of the first type of SCUBA diving equipment, the Aqua-Lung in 1943. Among the things that prompted him to develop efficient air-breathing diving free-swimming diving gear, were two oxygen toxicity accidents that he had earlier with rebreathers.

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After WWII, while still a naval officer, he developed techniques for the minesweeping of France's harbors and explored shipwrecks.

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Named the president of the French Oceanographic Campaigns, in 1950 shortly after his 40th birthday, Loel_Guinness bought Calypso when it was doing service as a Maltese ferry, and leased it to Cousteau for a symbolic one franc a year, with which he visited the most interesting waters of the planet, including some rivers. During these trips he produced many books and films. Cousteau won three Oscars for The Silent World, The Golden Fish and World Without Sun, as well as many other top awards including the Palme d'Or in 1956 at the Cannes Film Festival. His work did a great deal to popularize knowledge of underwater biology.

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In 1963 with Jean de Wouters, Cousteau developed the underwater camera named "Calypso-Phot" which was later licensed to Nikon and became the "Calypso-Nikkor" and then the "Nikonos".

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Together with Jean Mollard, he created the SP-350, a two-man submarine that could reach a depth of 350 m below the ocean's surface. The successful experiment was soon repeated in 1965 with two submarines that reached 500 m.

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Cousteau was made director of Oceanographic Museum Monaco, created the Underseas Research Group in Toulon, was the leader of the Conshelf Saturation Dive Program (long-term immersion experiments, the first manned undersea colonies) and was one of the few foreigners that has been admitted to the American Academy of Sciences.

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Cousteau's popularity was increasing. In October 1960, a large amount of radioactive waste was going to be discarded in the sea by EURATOM. Cousteau organized a publicity campaign which gained wide popular support. The train carrying the waste was stopped by women and children sitting on the railway, and was sent back to its origin. The risk was avoided.

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In Monaco, the following November, an official visit by the French president Charles de Gaulle turned into a debate on the events of October 1960 and on nuclear experiments in general.

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The French ambassador already had suggested that Prince Rainier avoid the subject, but the president (allegedly) asked Cousteau in a friendly manner to be kind toward nuclear researchers, and Cousteau (allegedly) replied: "No sir, it is your researchers that ought to be kind toward us." During this discussion Cousteau found out that the reason for French experiments and research was American refusal to share its atomic secrets with its allies.

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In 1974 he created the Cousteau Society for the protection of ocean life, which now has more than 300,000 members.

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In 1977, together with Peter Scott, he received the UN international environment prize.

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In 1985 he received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from Ronald Reagan.

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In 1992 he was invited to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, for the United Nations' international conference on environment and development, then he became a regular consultant for the UN and the World Bank.

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June 11: June 11 is the 162nd day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (163rd in leap years), with 203 days remaining....

1910: 1910 was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar)....

June 25: June 25 is the 176th day of the year (177th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 189 days remaining....

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