Jacques-Yves Cousteau (June 1910 - June 1997) was, and is still, well-known for his love of the ocean. As a young man, he served in the French navy, then went on to build a legendary career in oceanic work of all kinds.

In addition to co-inventing, along with Émile Gagnan, the Aqua-Lung (an device which allowed them to breathe & film underwater) Cousteau was an explorer, conservationist, scientist, photographer, film director, author and researcher. He served as the director of a museum, and even appeared on a reality TV show. The common thread joining all of these diverse occupations was the ocean.

Surprisingly, however, Cousteau did not always intend to make his living on (or under) the sea. When he joined the navy, he had no intention of going underwater as part of his service. In fact, Cousteau initially had dramatically different career plans.

He originally wanted to head in the opposite direction - reaching for the skies with a career as a naval aviator. However, an auto accident in 1936 changed that. Injured too severely to continue flight training, Cousteau needed physical therapy in order to rehab and strengthen his broken arms, so he began swimming in the ocean to do so. After Cousteau made his first underwater swim in goggles, he developed a deep love of the ocean, for which we should all be thankful.

Cousteau's legacy includes over 120 television documentaries, more than 50 books, and an environmental protection foundation with 300,000 members.

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