Category: pioneerDocs

Raphaëla le Gouvello

Raphaëla le Gouvello

Raphaëla le Gouvello (born May 4, 1960 in Paris[1]) is a French windsurfer who has crossed the Atlantic, Pacific (Peru-Tahiti), and Indian Oceans, among others, on ocean-going surfboards measuring 7.50 to 7.80 meters long and approximately 75 cm wide. She has documented her experiences on the crossings in three books to date. Ports of departure and arrival of windsurfer Rafaëla le Gouvello, in her trans-atlantic (2000), trans-Mediterranean (2002), trans-pacific (2003), trans-Indian Ocean Read more [...]
Martin Nweeia

Martin Nweeia

Jane O’Brien, an anchor of BBC World News, joins Martin Nweeia, D.D.S., ’77, right, and Nweeia’s wife, Pamela Peeters, at the Smithsonian. Photo by Ryan Lavery Dr. Martin Nweeia is the world's leading expert on the narwhal's tusk and tooth system. He is a National Foundation Scientist and has led over 20 High Arctic expeditions and carried 15 expedition flags to study the elusive narwhal. He holds doctorates in dentistry and surgery and is a member of the dental faculties of Harvard University Read more [...]
Hannes Lindemann

Hannes Lindemann

Hans-Günther[1] "Hannes" Lindemann (* 28 December 1922 – † 17 April 2015[2]) was a German physician, sailing pioneer, canoeist and author who became known for his Atlantic crossings in very small boats. Interview with WDR5 on his 90th birthday in 2012 and report. From 1955 onwards, he conducted several self-experiments to test the ability of a shipwrecked sailor to survive on the high seas under extreme psychological and physical stress. In 1955, he sailed the Atlantic in a dugout Read more [...]
William R. Bertelsen

William R. Bertelsen

William R. Bertelsen (May 20, 1920 – July 16, 2009) was an American inventor and pioneer in the field of hovercrafts. Bertelsen is best known as the inventor of the Aeromobil, the first hovercraft to transport a person over land and water.[1] In 2002, Bertelsen was named the "Father of the Hovercraft" by the World Hovercraft Federation.[1] William R. Bertelsen married Alberta Menzel on September 21, 1946, in Homewood, Illinois. He graduated from Rock Island High School in 1938 and studied Read more [...]
Bertrand Piccard

Bertrand Piccard

Bertrand Piccard FRSGS (born 1 March 1958) is a Swiss explorer, psychiatrist and environmentalist.[1] Along with Brian Jones, he was the first to complete a non-stop balloon flight around the globe, in a balloon named Breitling Orbiter 3. He was the initiator, chairman, and pilot, with André Borschberg, of Solar Impulse, the first successful round-the-world solar-powered flight. In 2012 Piccard was designated as a Champion of the Earth Read more [...]