Switzerland Expo 64 “Mesoscaphe”, 1964 (b/w photo)

The Swiss oceanographer and deep sea research pioneer Jacques Piccard, left, participates in the first dive of the submarine PX-8 “August Piccard” alias “Mesoscaphe”, albeit only as a spectator, pictured on April 7, 1964 in Vidy in the canton of Vaud, Switzerland. Piccard's submarine was one of the main attractions at the Expo 64, the Swiss National Exhibition in 1964. The “Mesoscaphe” carried more than 30'000 visitors through the depths of Lake Geneva. During the submarine's construction process, Piccard, whithout a formal engineering education, was displaced as a leader of the project. Piccard's crew reacted with a solidarity strike in his favour.