Tuesday 14 September 2010

QR – Cure – Quizzing Realms – 130

Look at this picture and then read the text, people.

auguste piccard

This is a Swiss physicist, balloonist, aeronaut and hydronaut. He is credited to have built one of the first manned crafts that reportedly rose as high as 23 kilometres above the earth, a record at that time, and helped gather data about cosmic rays and the earth’s atmosphere.

Within a few years, he had modified this craft enough to go deep sea diving, and would have tested it had not World War II interrupted. He completed the design in 1948, and used it in several unmanned dives. It was subsequently handed over to the French Navy, who redesigned it and used it in 1954 to send a man down to as deep as 4,176 metres.

But that is not the question. This is: What did this person individually inspire in the popular media? Hint: Look carefully at the picture, and it will dawn on you…

‘Individually’ is italicised here because he and his brother together inspired something else, also in the popular media.

Happy quizzing, and have a nice life, folks!

PS: Checked out the new articles at my other blog?

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Yes folks, Auguste Piccard did indeed inspire Herge to create Professor Cuthbert Calculus in Tintin comics! Meanwhile, Gene Rodenberry has said that he combined the names of Auguste Piccard and his brother to come up with Jean-Luc Picard in Star Trek: The Next Generation.

10 comments:

  1. he was the inspiration for prof. calculus in tintin.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Professor Cuthbert Calculus (Professeur Tryphon Tournesol, literally Professor Tryphonius Sunflower) of Tintin.

    Didn't know about it. Made a wild & googled.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Professor Calculus

    Pranjal Kishore

    ReplyDelete
  4. Professor Calculus (Tintin). got this question in an inter-school quiz, didn't know it then, and the only information given was his picture, name and profession...

    ReplyDelete
  5. Auguste Piccard was the inspiration for Prof. Calculus

    ReplyDelete
  6. professor calculus in 'tintin'....he n his brother inspired the name capt. jean-luc piccard in star trek

    ReplyDelete
  7. Prof. Calculus .. too obvious !

    Tirtha

    ReplyDelete

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