# Undersea explorer Jacques Piccard dead at 86

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/undersea-explorer-jacques-piccard-dead-at-86/470736>\
**Category:** Cafe Society\
**Created:** [November 2, 2008, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/undersea-explorer-jacques-piccard-dead-at-86/470736 "2008-11-02T16:55:03Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Shoeless](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shoeless/32/7099_2.png) [@Shoeless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shoeless)\
**Post date:** [November 2, 2008, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/undersea-explorer-jacques-piccard-dead-at-86/470736/1 "2008-11-02T16:55:03Z")

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[Link](http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081101/ap_on_re_eu/eu_switzerland_obit_piccard;_ylt=Ap8KgLdQdaigye12eYYsKxcPLBIF)

The name might not be familiar, but most dopers are probably aware of his most famous feat.

He’s the one who spent twenty minutes at the bottom of the Marianas Trench, once, back in the '60’s.

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**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\
**Post date:** [November 2, 2008, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/undersea-explorer-jacques-piccard-dead-at-86/470736/2 "2008-11-02T18:01:09Z")

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Found floating upside-down in the bowl, was he?

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**Author:** ![Ukulele\_Ike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/df788c/32.png) [@Ukulele\_Ike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ukulele_Ike)\
**Post date:** [November 2, 2008, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/undersea-explorer-jacques-piccard-dead-at-86/470736/3 "2008-11-02T22:36:44Z")

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Hey, according to Wikipedia, his dad – stratospheric balloon scientist and wearer of [groovy hats](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:AugustePiccardandPaulKipfer.jpg) [Auguste Piccard](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Auguste_Piccard) – was herge’s inspiration for [Professor Cuthbert Calculus](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Professor_Cuthbert_Calculus).

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**Author:** ![Icerigger](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/icerigger/32/432_2.png) [@Icerigger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Icerigger)\
**Post date:** [November 2, 2008, 11:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/undersea-explorer-jacques-piccard-dead-at-86/470736/4 "2008-11-02T23:17:38Z")

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Captain Jean Luc Picard from Star Trek TNG was named after him.

RIP

For those who peril on the sea.

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**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\
**Post date:** [November 3, 2008, 4:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/undersea-explorer-jacques-piccard-dead-at-86/470736/5 "2008-11-03T04:01:10Z")

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AOL should be spanked. I don’t care what a man does in his lifetime, but the subheading of a story announcing his death should never be “He plunged deeper than any other man.” Never.