(B2 + check words in orange in vocabulary guide at the bottom of the article)
By GARRY LITTMAN, senior trainer at The Language House
Europe has given us a few famous fictional detectives such as Sherlock Holmes, Hercule Poirot, Miss Marple, and of course, the boy-journalist-detective Tintin.
Tintin is the hero of international adventures written and illustrated by Hergé. One of Tintin’s sidekicks is Professor Calculus. In the French editions, he’s known as Professeur Tournesol. He is a brilliant, but absent-minded, half-deaf physicist, inventor and Tintin's ally.
His character was inspired by a real-life Swiss scientist, the extraordinary Auguste Antoine Piccard physicist, inventor, aeronaut and deep sea explorer. He was born in Basel in 1884 along with his twin, Jean-Felix, also a scientist-extraordinaire.
His final record was 23,000 metres above sea level where he measured cosmic radiation which he then shared with one of his friends and colleagues, Albert Einstein
Hergé revealed in an interview – that Professor Calculus was a small-scale version of Piccard, as the real Swiss chap was quite a tall man, and it was a tall order to keep him inside a cartoon frame.
The Swiss physics professor taught in Brussels, when Hergé spotted his unmistakable figure in the street. Herge said later in an interview:
“He had an interminable neck that sprouted from a collar that was much too large. I made Calculus a mini-Piccard, otherwise I would have had to enlarge the frames of the cartoon strip."
In The Castafiore Emerald, Bianca Castafiore mentions that Calculus is "famous for his balloon ascensions", an ironic reference to Piccard.
The fictional professor Calculus invents amazing contraptions for his friend Tintin, for example, a submarine shaped like a shark, a Moon rocket, and an ultrasound weapon.
But the accomplishments of our real life, Professor Piccard are just as astonishing.
Piccard was first fascinated by the upper atmosphere. He developed the first pressurised aluminium compartment and, in the 1930s, made 27 balloon flights - making and breaking his own world records. His final record was 23,000 metres above sea level, where he measured cosmic radiation which he then shared with one of his friends and colleague, Albert Einstein.
He then used the same science to invent the first deep sea diving submarine - and promptly set world diving records.
His son Jacques continued his father’s deeds and in 1960 – for the first time ever - descended 10,916 metres to the floor of the Mariana Trench in the North Pacific.
Star Trek new generation fans will know the Captain of the USS Enterprise is none other than Captain Jean-Luc Picard. His mission: To boldly go where no man has gone before.
Coincidence? Mr Spock would say there is no such thing.
Clearly, the Piccard family has adventure and science in their genes. Solar Impulse - the Swiss long-range experimental solar-powered aircraft, circumnavigated the earth piloted by one Bertrand Piccard – grandson of Auguste Antoine Piccard. Along with Brian Jones, Bertrand Piccard was the first to complete a non-stop balloon flight around the globe, in a balloon named Breitling Orbiter 3.
Check the vocabulary:
a sidekick: a person who helps another more important or more intelligent person. Batman and his young sidekick Robin. Inspector Morse and his trusted sidekick Sergeant Lewis. The show is about a detective and his trusty sidekick.
absent-minded: Someone who forgets things, perhaps because you are not thinking about what is around you, but about something else. Synonym forgetful . I'm very absent-minded and often forget to take my keys with me. She's nothing like the popular stereotype of the absent-minded professor.
a tall order: (expression) If something is a tall order, it is very difficult or challenging to do. It’s a tall order, but I need the report – all 500 pages - on my desk by the end of the day.
interminable: Endless, without end, something that goes on and on, usually used in relation to time: An interminable speech/wait/discussion. The drive seemed interminable.
accomplishment: an impressive thing that is done or achieved after a lot of work. Synonym achievement. It was one of the President's greatest accomplishments. The series of paintings is quite an accomplishment. If this works, it will be a major accomplishment. It would be quite an accomplishment if we could get this finished in time.
the Mariana Trench: The Mariana Trench is the deepest oceanic trench on Earth and home to the two lowest points on the planet. The crescent-shaped trench is in the Western Pacific, just east of the Mariana Islands near Guam.
boldly: in a brave, confident way; without being afraid to say what you feel or to take risks. Synonym: bravely and confidently. He stepped boldly forward to speak.
Mr Spock: A cult character for the original series, Star Trek. Mr Spock (played by Leonard Nimoy) is a half-human, half-Vulcan whose actions are ruled by logic almost entirely without emotion.