06/27/2023
Happy Birthday, Jacques Cousteau 🐬
Jacques Cousteau, French naval officer, oceanographer, filmmaker, inventor and author, was born June 11, 1910. He's credited with co-inventing the first SCUBA apparatus, which played a pivotal role in the production of some the world's first underwater documentaries.
His intended career as a naval pilot was cut short by a car wreck in which he broke both of his arms. He turned his energies and passion toward his love for the ocean and hIs work, including his books and documentary films, made him an iconic figure, dressed in his recognizable red cap.
He formed the Cousteau Society for the Protection of Ocean Life with his sons in 1973. In 1979, he tragically lost his son, Philippe, in a flying boat crash in Portugal.
His adventures and voyages aboard RV Calypso were featured on American television for a decade in the Undersea World of Jacques Cousteau.
Jacques-Yves Cousteau died of a heart attack on June 25, 1997, in Paris. He was 87.
