ABOUT THE POURQUOI PAS

Jean-Baptiste Auguste Étienne Charcot was a French explorer. In 1908, he set off to explore the Antartic aboard a ship built specificaly for him : The Pourquoi Pas (in English: Why Not). After this successful expedition, the ship became the French Navy's very first school ship, and became a staple of Artic voyages.

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Though Charcot and the Pourquoi Pas were both lost in a 1936 wreck, the spirit that animated both man and object is alive and well throughout the world. Why not? Why not split an atom? Why not trade a navy for some soda? Why not launch a car through space? Why not launch a website showcasing in-depth analyses no one asked for? Why not?

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I also like to remind people that Commandant Charcot married Victor Hugo's grand-daughter. Not that it has anything to do with the matter at hand, but it's pretty cool. I guess he too must have often asked himself "Pourquoi Pas?"