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- This file is copyright of Jens Schriver (c)
- It originates from the Evil House of Cheat
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- Essay Name : 641.txt
- Uploader : Christopher Rhode
- Email Address :
- Language : English
- Subject : Biography
- Title : Jacques Cousteau
- Grade : 87% B
- School System : High School (9th Grade)
- Country : USA
- Author Comments : A good essay for a descent grade
- Teacher Comments : none
- Date : 23rd October (when handed in)
- Site found at : From a web site on the "Fringe of the Web" Web Ring
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- Jacques Cousteau
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- Many people know that the earth is covered with water. In fact, 3/4 of the earth is water.
- The major oceans (i.e. Atlantic, Indian, etc.) are salt water. We can't drink salt water.
- Sadly enough, we are destroying our oceans and various other parts of our precious earth.
- But there are people out there who commit their lives to preserving the earth. One man in specific
- has accomplished such a thing. He has worked to preserve the oceans and the rest of the marine
- world from our destruction. He has used modern technology and has written several books to try to
- make the people of earth better understand the gentle world beneath the water and to prevent it from
- being destroyed. This man I am talking about is none other than Jacques Cousteau. I have written this
- paper to describe his life and major things he has done.
-
- History/Background
-
- Jacques Cousteau was born on June 11th, 1910 in St.-AndrΘ-de-Cubzac, France. Jacques was
- always interested with water in his youth. When Cousteau was 10, he visited the U.S. where he spent
- several months in New York City which included time playing stickball with the neighborhood children.
- He left the U.S. with a sense of wonderment about the high technology of this country.
- In his early teen years, he began fulfilling his fascinations with his interests in machines and in film
- making. One of his early accomplishments were building a battery-operated car at 13. He also
- secretly saved his money and when he had enough, he bought a home movie camera. In his later teen
- years, Jacques became bored with school and began causing trouble. His parents found out why his
- grades were dropping and sent him off to a boarding school. This new environment gave him the
- discipline he needed to excel in this new school. Upon graduation, he applied for and was accepted
- into the Ecole Navale* at the age of 19.
-
- Following completion in the Academy, he entered the French Navy as a midshipman. He got
- involved in an accident in which doctors said that he would never be able to use his left arm again. The
- Navy sent him to a ship out in the Mediterranean Sea to get well. After swimming in the water every
- day, he proved the doctors wrong. After his recovery, Cousteau's shipmates gave a pair of watertight
- goggles so he could swim underwater. When Cousteau dived underwater, he was fascinated with the
- world beneath the sea.
- Cousteau became involved in underwater explorations of the ocean environment in 1936. In 1937,
- Cousteau married Simone Melchoir and together they had two sons, Jean-Michael and Phillipe. Two
- years later, Cousteau was called to fight in World War II. While in W.W.II, Cousteau and French
- engineer Emile Gagnan worked on and perfected the aqualung or SCUBA* They used the aqualung to
- recover enemy mines after W.W.II.
-
- Accomplishments
-
- Cousteau can be proud of his many accomplishments in his life. During his work in the Navy with
- the undersea research group, Cousteau and Emile Gagnan developed the aqualung in 1943 which
- enabled divers to go underwater for a long period of time. He also developed the Bathyscaphe, an
- immersible boat and begun as one of the pioneers of underwater photography.
- Cousteau's best work and accomplishments have come from his explorations of the undersea world
- on the Calypso. His work has spawned many books including The Silent World written with Frederick
- Dumas in 1953 which received critical acclaim. In addition to the several well known books he has
- written, he has produced several films including The Silent World in 1956 and World Without Sun in
- 1966. Both of these films have won Academy╥ Awards. In 1968, Cousteau began to produce his
- well known television series to introduce the public to undersea life and to raise their awareness of the
- need to protect ocean life.
- Some of Cousteau's many honors include the Medal of Freedom given to him by President Ronald
- Regan in 1985 and again in 1989. He was also honored by France with membership in the French
- Academy.
-
- Contributions
-
- Jacques has made numerous contributions to society. Use of the aqualung and Bathyscaphe has
- greatly enhanced the ability of researches all over the world. In fact, the popular sport of scuba diving
- would obviously not be possible without the development of the aqualung. Cousteau's books and films
- have delighted readers and viewers for many decades now and will continue to do so for many years
- into the future. Cousteau will probably best be remembered for his strong commitment to the marine
- environment and his use of his television series to promote better understanding of the undersea world.
- Cousteau's devotion to the protection of the ocean and its life forms inspired him to develop the
- Cousteau Society which currently has over 300,000 members worldwide. Because of the work
- Cousteau has done and his many followers, the oceans may be able to be saved from their sure
- destruction by the thoughtlessness of so many in this world.
-
- THE END
-
- **************Copyright Notice****************
-
- I here by give all rights of this essay over to Jens
- Schriver, owner of the Evil House Of Cheat.
-
-
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