Ep. 93: Jacques Cousteau – Top 5 Documentaries

July 10, 2023 Peter Jans

Intro

Hello and Welcome to this episode of the podcast, "The Mnemonic Tree", where we add a single mnemonic leaf to our Tree of Knowledge.

Today's episode, is on a blast from the past and it is on, the most successful oceanographer and filmmaker to date. Jacques Cousteau is synonymous with everything underwater, helping pioneer underwater cinematography.

With over 120 documentaries, Cousteau has contributed more than anyone dead or alive, in highlighting the oceans beauty and encouraging its conservation. He was also quite versatile having invented the Agua-Lung, Diving Saucer, Shark Cages, Calypso Photo Camera and Underwater Habitats.

Today’s mnemonic is on Jacques Cousteau’s top 5 documentaries.

So, with that being said, we will begin with a summary from Wikipedia.

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Wikipedia Summary

Jacques-Yves Cousteau, AC (/kuːˈstoʊ/, also UK: /ˈkuːstoʊ/, French: [ʒak iv kusto]; 11 June 1910 – 25 June 1997)[1] was a French naval officer, oceanographer, filmmaker and author. He co-invented the first successful Aqua-Lung, open-circuit SCUBA (self-contained underwater breathing apparatus). The apparatus assisted him in producing some of the first underwater documentaries.

Cousteau wrote many books describing his undersea explorations. In his first book, The Silent World: A Story of Undersea Discovery and Adventure, Cousteau surmised the existence of the echolocation abilities of porpoises. The book was adapted into an underwater documentary called The Silent World. Co-directed by Cousteau and Louis Malle, it was one of the first films to use underwater cinematography to document the ocean depths in color. The film won the 1956 Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival and remained the only documentary to do so until 2004, when Fahrenheit 9/11 received the award. It was also awarded the Academy Award for Best Documentary in 1957.

From 1966 to 1976, he hosted The Undersea World of Jacques Cousteau, a documentary television series, presented on American commercial television stations. A second documentary series, The Cousteau Odyssey, ran from 1977 to 1982 on public television stations.

Cousteau was born on 11 June 1910, in Saint-André-de-Cubzac, Gironde, France, to Daniel and Élisabeth Cousteau. He had one brother, Pierre-Antoine. Cousteau completed his preparatory studies at the Collège Stanislas in Paris. In 1930, he entered the École navale and graduated as a gunnery officer. However, an automobile accident, which broke both his arms, cut short his career in naval aviation. The accident forced Cousteau to change his plans to become a naval pilot, so he then indulged his passion for the ocean.[2]

Extracted from: [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacques_Cousteau]

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Mnemonic

Jacques Cousteau – Top 5 Documentaries Mnemonic – Under Water CaVeS

(Picture Jacques Cousteau saving the Thai boys soccer team from under water caves with a specially designed submarine)

1. The Undersea World of Jacques Cousteau

2. World Without Sun

3. Cries From The Deep

4. Voyage To The Edge Of The World

5. The Silent World

Five Fun Facts

1. Jacques Cousteau wrote 50 books and made over 120 documentaries.

2. Cousteau’s original desire was to be a naval aviator but this dream came crashing down with a serious car accident that he was lucky to survive and also avoid amputation. This led him to swimming in the Mediterranean on a daily basis as part of rehabilitation and this is where his fascination started.

3. Along with Cousteau’s main invention of the Aqualung, he also invented a mini-submarine, the first submersible scooters, along with waterproof cameras and lighting systems.

4. Militarily Cousteau served in many ways. He worked for the French intelligence, the French Resistance and after the war helped the French Navy by clearing shipping lanes from underwater mines.

5. Cousteau had one man that he was eternally grateful for and critical to his success. Thomas Loel Guinness was a British millionaire and philanthropist who shared Cousteau’s dreams and purchased a 40-year-old former car ferry and leased this to Cousteau for the bargain basement price of just one franc per year.

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Three Question Quiz

Q.1. What was the name of Jacques Cousteau famous boat which he took ownership of in 1950?

Q.2. How many oscars did Jacques Cousteau win?

Q.3. Cousteau had an affair with a woman 30 years younger than him and had two children together. Is that true or false?

Bonus Q. The sister ship of the Titanic was sunk by a mine in 1916. It lay at the bottom of the Aegean Sea for nearly sixty years until the wreck was discovered in 1975 by Jacques Cousteau. What was the name of the ship?

Bonus Q. Why do divers fall off the boat backwards?

Mnemonic Recap