What was jacques cousteau

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? Hi, jeffrey! We're so glad that you liked learning more about Jacques Cousteau!

And, we hope that you add your question to the Wonder Bank! We are undergoing some spring clearing site maintenance and need to temporarily disable the commenting feature. Thanks for your patience. Drag a word to its definition. You have answered 0 of 3 questions correctly and your score is:. After the war, Cousteau worked with the French navy to clear underwater mines.

Between missions, he continued his underwater explorations performing various tests and filming the underwater excursions. In , Cousteau, along with Philippe Tailliez and expert divers and academic scientists, undertook an underwater expedition in the Mediterranean Sea to find the Roman shipwreck Mahdia. This was the first underwater archaeology operation using self-contained diving apparatus and marked the beginning of underwater archeology.

In , Cousteau leased a one-time British minesweeper and converted it into an oceanographic research vessel he named Calypso. After struggling for financing to conduct his voyages, Cousteau soon realized he needed to attract media attention to make people aware of what he was doing and why it was so important.

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. He realised that the standard diving gear had limitations as the diver remained tied to the ship, thus restricting his movements.

They developed a device with two tanks of compressed air, a mouthpiece, a hose and an automatic regulator that provided air on demand. In , the prototype was patented as the aqua-lung. Impressed by the work, the French naval authorities commissioned Cousteau to assist in clearing mines from French harbours and helped him to continue his research. It was the first underwater archaeology operation. The publication of his book titled The Silent World immensely added to his rising eminence.

He and his team developed a diving saucer, DS-2, that was a navigable, small submarine which helped in the studies of deep-sea life. In , he was appointed director of the Oceanographic Institute and Museum of Monaco. His other important inventions include the Sea Spider, a multi-armed diagnostic device that analysed the biochemical composition of the ocean surface, high-tech wind sails, known as Turbosails.

He set up a non-profit environmental group, the Cousteau Society, which has over , members. The Silent World, a book based on his daily logs, was published in 22 languages and sold more than five million copies all over the world.

His written works included eight volumes of the Undersea Discovery series and 21 volumes of the Ocean World encyclopedia series. The global reach of his influence was evident when, in , the Captain received an official invitation to participate in the UN Conference on Development and the Environment held in Rio de Janeiro.

Captain Cousteau died on June 25, , at the age of The man is gone but his message has never been more alive. The Cousteau Society and Equipe Cousteau keep it ever in the forefront of public awareness. Diving saucers, undersea houses and ongoing improvements to the Aqua-LungTM showed the Cousteau touch.

Through more than television films and 50 books, Captain Cousteau opened up the oceans to millions of households.

The Cousteau Society, taxpayer identification number , is a membership-supported non-profit environmental education organization recognized as tax exempt under section c 3.

All rights reserved. Mission About Join News kids legacy expeditions technology vessels. About The Cousteau Society. Saving and protecting marine life for present and future generations since More about our mission.