Piccard - tradition familale : On invente et on explore depuis trois générations

1905

Jules Piccard, professor of chemistry at the University of Basel, installed the first telephone in Switzerland. His colleagues scoffed at him: «It’s a bit of fun, but it has no future!»

1931

First ascent into the stratosphere by Auguste Piccard (15,781 m.), who thus became the first man to see the curvature of the earth with his own eyes

1932

Second stratospheric ascent by Auguste Piccard (16,201 m.). His invention of the pressurized capsule would change the face of the world, opening the door to modern aviation

1948

Dive of the first Bathyscaph, with Auguste Piccard and Théodore Monod on board

1953

In their Bathyscaph Trieste, Auguste and Jacques reach an unimaginable depth for those times (-3,150 m.)

1960

Historic dive of Jacques Piccard and Don Walsh aboard the Trieste in the Marianas Trench, reaching the deepest known point in the ocean (-10,916 m.). This dive represented a major step forward for environmental protection, as it revealed evidence of life where no-one had expected to find any, and induced governments to abandon the idea of dumping toxic waste in ocean trenches

1964

Jacques Piccard constructed the first passenger-carrying submarine, to raise public awareness about lake pollution. He gave 33,000 passengers submerged rides in Lake Geneva during the Swiss National Exhibition

1968

Jacques Piccard, one of the pioneers of ecology in Europe, created the Foundation for the Study and Protection of Seas and Lakes (Fondation pour l’Etude et la Protection de la Mer et des Lacs)

1969

Together with five other scientists from the US Navy and NASA, Jacques Piccard carried out a month-long drifting dive on board the Mesoscaph Ben Franklin. He had built this to explore the Gulf Stream, the ocean current that is of such importance for climate equilibrium in the northern hemisphere

1979

Launch of the Mesoscaph F-A Forel, a pocket submarine built by Jacques Piccard for the ecological activities of his Foundation

1990

Launch of the PX-44, a tourist Mesoscaph built by Jacques Piccard to open up the underwater world to the general public

1999

Bertrand Piccard and Brian Jones successfully completed the 1st non-stop round-the-world balloon flight, the longest flight ever in the history of aviation, both for distance and duration

2010

The Solar Impulse project, initiated by Bertrand Piccard in 2002, demonstrated for the first time the possibility of flying a solar airplane through day and night. With André Borschberg his associate at the controls, this revolutionary prototype flew for 26 hours without a drop of fuel

2012

Bertrand Piccard made the first intercontinental flight in a solar airplane. The goal is to promote clean technologies that can conserve our planet’s natural resources

2013

Bertrand Piccard and André Borschberg plan to fly coast-to-coast in the USA, taking turns at the controls of Solar Impulse

2015

Solar Impulse is scheduled to fly round the world

In this family, they have been inventing and exploring for three generations, from the stratosphere to the ocean depths

Everyone knows about royal dynasties and financial sagas, but never before in history has a single family had such an impact on the world of exploration as Auguste, Jacques and Bertrand Piccard. In this family, they have been inventing and exploring for three generations. The conquest of the stratosphere and the ocean depths, the first round-the-world balloon flight, the airplane that flies without fuel - Jules Verne’s universe is alive and well.

Might there be an exploration gene ? It’s more a matter of curiosity-based education, a drive to understand how the world works, respect for Nature, and confidence in technological solutions for improving human beings’ quality of life. That’s how Auguste, Jacques and Bertrand, each in his own way, succeeded in devising revolutionary machines that accomplished things that no-one thought possible. According to the writer Jacques Lacarrière : « Those three are the embodiment of humankind’s maddest dreams – becoming a fish or a bird ». But the maddest thing of all is that they succeeded in transforming their dreams into reality.

Apart from the astronauts who went to the Moon, there are no explorers who so perfectly embody scientific and human adventures of the 20th century, such as the visionary Jules Verne might have imagined them, as the Piccards.

Association Jules Verne Aventures

Exploration is sport for scientists

Auguste Piccard

There are hardly any families in the history of exploration with a wider, more ambitious or creative vision

Neil Armstrong

For over a century, this amazing Swiss family has been striving to push back the boundaries of what is known and possible by using a subtle combination of scientific rigor, taste for innovation and thirst for exploration. The Piccards have become characters worthy of Jules Verne. These three men, one after the other, foresaw the great challenges of their time. To tell their story is to get to the heart of a family driven by a deep concern for humanity, who very early became aware of the need to preserve the planet. Editions Gallimard