Picard
The Swiss Bertrand Piccard was the first man to orbit the earth in
a balloon (in 1999). His grandfather, Auguste Piccard, set the
altitude record for a balloon, and the grandfather's son, Jacques
Piccard, Bertrand's father, set the depth record for an ocean
submersible. An ascending balloon and a descending submersible are
plainly very similar vehicles.
* * *
Picardy is a region (formerly a province) in northwestern France.
The name first appeared around the 13th century.
In The Three Musketeers,
D'Artagnan's valet, Planchet, hails from there.
* * *
Star Trek's Enterprise captain is named Jean-Luc Picard. Ironically,
he is portrayed by Patrick Stewart, a Briton.
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