One of a remarkable family of record-setting explorer/scientists, Jacques Piccard (born 1922) is one of the fathers of marine exploration and a pioneer of ocean engineering.

Explorer Jacques Piccard comes from a family known for their daring achievements and has added to the family name through his own record-setting feats. In 1960, Piccard and a co-pilot took a vessel developed by Piccard's father to the deepest spot on earth, the Marianas Trench in the western Pacific, in a record seven-mile descent that has never been duplicated. He then went on to develop other submarines for research, salvage, and recreation. The Piccard family has the unique distinction of having made both the highest flight and the deepest dive of all time.

Jacques Ernest Jean Piccard was born July 28, 1922, in Brussels, Belgium. His career as an ocean engineer and explorer began with the aeronautical exploits of his father, Auguste, a physicist...