Jacques Cousteau

Famous for his award-winning underwater films, television shows,

and books that gave the world a view of life under the ocean, ecologist

Jacques Cousteau was also a talented inventor and dedicated

environmental activist.

Naval officer, explorer, ecologist, filmmaker, innovator, scientist, photographer, author,
researcher... you could go on for pages about all of the things Jacques Cousteau did
with his remarkable life!
Many people outside France don’t know that Costeau was a war hero; he led daring
commando operations inside occupied France during World War II. And many may not
know that he helped invent the modern aqualung - the SCUBA system that’s used around
the world.
Most people remember Jacques Cousteau for his amazing films, television shows, and
books about the ocean. On board his ship Calypso, Cousteau and his crew traveled the
world to film their documentaries about the life that teems beneath the surface of the
water.
In the 1950s and 60s, Cousteau’s films marked the first time the majority of people had
ever seen footage of undersea life in its natural state. And it was the first time that the
general public heard about the dangers of pollution, overfishing, habitat destruction, and
other threats to the natural world.
Jacques Cousteau is credited with being one of the first popular ecologists, inspiring a
whole generation of young people to be more aware of their environment.