Jacques Cousteau was born in France in 1910. He loved the ocean.
He wanted to be able to stay underwater for a long time. He didn’t want to wear a heavy diving suit. Cousteau asked Émile Gagnan for help. Gagnan was an engineer. Together, in 1943, they invented the aqualung. It lets divers carry compressed-air tanks with them so they can breathe underwater.
Cousteau started exploring the ocean. He got a ship. He named it Calypso. He hired other divers. They traveled all over the world. They made many films for television. Cousteau was still deeply involved in his work when he died in 1997.
