Innovators: Jeanne Villepreux-Power

Episode Summary

Jean Villepreux-Power was a self-taught French marine biologist and inventor who pioneered the aquarium in the early 19th century. Born during the French Revolution, Villepreux-Power moved to Paris as a young woman to become a dressmaker. She gained fame for designing the wedding dress of Princess Caroline. After marrying an English merchant, she moved to Sicily where her interest in marine biology blossomed. Villepreux-Power invented three types of aquariums to allow her to study marine organisms up close. Using her aquariums, she made important discoveries about the argonaut, a mollusk that produces its own shell. She published a book about her findings in 1839 and was known as the Mother of Aquaria. Sadly, much of her work was lost in a shipwreck in 1843. Though Villepreux-Power continued writing and speaking publicly about her research, her pioneering work was forgotten after her death. But in 1997, she and her innovations were rediscovered. That year, a crater on Venus was named after her in recognition of her contributions to marine biology.

Episode Show Notes

Jeanne Villepreux-Power (1794-1871) was a self taught marine biologist, conservationist, and one of the most esteemed naturalists of her time.

Episode Transcript

SPEAKER_04: Reboot your credit card with Apple Card. It gives you unlimited daily cash back that can earn 4.15% annual percentage yield when you open a savings account. A high yield, low effort way to grow your money with no fees. Apply for Apple Card now in the Wallet app on iPhone to start earning and growing your daily cash with savings today. Apple Card subject to credit approval. Savings is available to Apple Card owners subject to eligibility. Savings accounts by Goldman Sachs Bank USA. Member FDIC, terms apply. SPEAKER_05: Sick of paying $100 for groceries and getting nothing but eggs, orange juice, and a paper bag? Then download the Drop app. Drop lets you earn points with your everyday shopping and redeem them for gift cards. Want a free dinner with those groceries? Drop it. How about daily lattes? Drop it. So download Drop today and get $5 just for signing up. Use invite code GETDROP777. SPEAKER_02: This year, Hyundai features their all electric Hyundai IONIQ lineup as a proud sponsor of the I Heart Radio Music Festival in Las Vegas with two high tech models. The IONIQ 5 can take you an EPA estimated 303 miles on a single charge and has available two way charging for electronic equipment inside and outside the car. The IONIQ 6 boasts a mind blowing range of up to 360 miles and can deliver up to an 80% charge in just 18 minutes with its 800 volt DC ultra fast charger. Check out Hyundai at the I Heart Radio Music Festival in Las Vegas as their all star IONIQ lineup hits the stage like you've never seen before. Hyundai, it's your journey. SPEAKER_03: This month of Womanica is brought to you by LinkedIn. LinkedIn is a hub for conversation about what it means to be professional today and what the future of work might look like. LinkedIn members are discussing the changing landscape of when, how, and where we work and what it looks like when we need to take time away to focus on family or mental health. These days, more of us are feeling comfortable showing up to work as our full selves and encouraging others to do the same. Our needs should not stunt career development and growth. Instead, the workplace will improve as employees show up authentically on their own terms. Post your truth, show the world the authentic professional you and join the conversations redefining professional on LinkedIn. LinkedIn, welcome professionals. Hey listeners, it's Jenny with another podcast I think you'll love, Ted Talks Daily. Every weekday, you'll hear new ideas on every topic imaginable from artificial intelligence to how the war in Ukraine can change everything. One episode in particular that I thought you'd really like is the recent talk from creator, comedian and actress Lilly Singh. Lilly gets into how women and girls are conditioned to believe success is a seat at the table when really we should build a better table. She's hilarious and not only shares intimate experiences from her career, but also offers ways we can build a more inclusive society where girls are encouraged and empowered to do great things. Stick around to hear part of her talk or head over to Ted Talks Daily from the Ted audio collective, wherever you listen. SPEAKER_09: Hello, from Wonder Media Network, I'm Brittany Martinez one of the producers on the show and this is Wamanica. Born in France during the French Revolution, this inventor captured the energy of revolution in her aquatic inventions and discoveries. She was a self-taught marine biologist, conservationist and one of the most esteemed naturalist of her time. Ever been amazed by seeing aquatic life up close at the aquarium? If so, then you owe a big thank you to Jean Villepouel Bela the mother of Aquaria. Jean Villepouel Bela was born in Juyac, a village tucked deep in the French countryside to a shoemaker and a seamstress. As the oldest child, Jean was the only one of her siblings who received a formal education. Though she can only read and write. She did however, learn the family business of dressmaking. When Jean was 18 years old, she walked 250 miles to Paris to become a dressmaker. She was accompanied by her cousin who was taking a herd of cows to a slaughterhouse in Paris. Along the way however, Jean's cousin assaulted her. She took refuge in a police station in Orleans, delaying her arrival. When she finally got to Paris, the job she had been promised had already been taken. Jean managed to find another position, this time as an assistant to a seamstress, making dresses for wealthy society women. In 1816, she found fame when she designed the wedding gown for Princess Caroline, the future Duchess of Berry. That experience brought her in contact with an English merchant, James Power. In 1818, the two married and moved to Messina, Sicily, where they lived for about 25 years. It was after moving to Sicily that Jean became interested in natural history. She began traveling around Sicily recording and describing its flora and fauna, collecting specimens of minerals, fossils, and butterflies. But it was aquatic life that really sparked Jean's passion. In order to study underwater creatures more closely, she invented three different types of aquariums. The first was similar to a modern day aquarium. The second, a glass structure placed within a cage to be used in shallow water. The third was a cage-like aquarium capable of being lowered to various depths. Jean's aquarium changed the game when it came to both research and conservation efforts. They allowed scientists a glimpse into a world that had previously been out of reach. Using her own aquarium inventions, Jean began intensely studying the Arganata Argo, a species that looks like a cross between an octopus and a hermit crab. In 1839, she published her first book, Physical Observations and Experiments on Several Marine and Terrestrial Animals, which recorded her work with arganata and other animals. Jean wrote about her discovery, that the shell of arganata were produced by the animal itself and not acquired, which was the prevailing opinion at the time. She raised young arganauts and experimented with the animal's regeneration of their broken shells from shell pieces. Her publication about the arganata was greeted with much excitement, since Jean was already something of a celebrity within the scientific world. She was even dubbed the Mother of Aquaria. In 1843, Jean and her husband decided to leave Sicily. On the journey back to London, most of her marine collections, written records, and other scientific materials were, ironically, lost in a shipwreck. Jean was heartbroken and stopped her experiments, though she continued to write and speak publicly. Jean split her time between London and Paris until Paris fell under siege during the Franco-Prussian War. Jean escaped and found a retreat in her native village, Zouiaq, where she died in 1871. Sadly, Jean's work was forgotten for more than a century after her death, but in 1997, she and her work were rediscovered. That same year, Jean's name was given to a major crater on Venus, discovered by the Magellan probe. For more information and pictures of some of the work we're talking about, find us on Facebook and Instagram, at Wamanica Podcast. Special thanks to Jenny and Liz Kaplan for letting me sit in today. All month, we've honored innovators. Tune in tomorrow for the beginning of a new theme. Bye. SPEAKER_08: You see, my goal was always a seat at the table. It's what women are conditioned to believe success is. And when the chair doesn't fit, when it doesn't reach the table, when it's wobbly, when it's full of splinters, we don't have the luxury of fixing it or finding another one. But we try anyways. We take on that responsibility and we shoulder that burden. Now, I've been fortunate enough to sit at a few seats at a few different tables, and what I've learned is, when you get the seat, trying to fix the seat won't fix the problem. Why? Because the table was never built for us in the first place. The solution? Build better tables. So, allow me to be your very own IKEA manual. I would like to present to you a set of guidelines I very eloquently call how to build a table that doesn't suck. I've been told I'm very literal. Now, right off the bat, let me tell you, this assembly is going to take more than one person or group of people. It's going to take everyone. Are you ready? Should we dive in? Let's do it. Up first, don't weaponize gratitude. Now, don't get me wrong, gratitude is a great word. It's nice, it's fluffy, a solid 11 points in Scrabble. OK? However, let's be clear. Although gratitude feels warm and fuzzy, it's not a form of currency. Women are assigned 10 percent more work and spend more time on unrewarded, unrecognized and non-promotable tasks. Basically, what this means is all the things men don't want to do are being handed to women. And a lot of those things largely include things that advance inclusivity, equity and diversity in the workplace. So hear me when I say, a woman should be grateful to sit at a table. She should be paid to sit at a table. Especially ones she largely helped build. And that's why I'm here. Especially ones she largely helped build. And a woman's seat shouldn't be threatened if she doesn't seem grateful enough. In other words, corporations, this step involves a woman doing a job and being paid in money, opportunity and promotion, not just gratitude. And women, now go ahead, live it up, live your life. And women, a moment of real talk, trust me, I've been there and I know it is so tough, but we have to understand and remember that being grateful and being treated fairly are not mutually exclusive. I can be grateful, but still know exactly what I deserve. And that's the way to do it. SPEAKER_01: Do you hear it? The clock is ticking. SPEAKER_06: It's time for the new season of 60 Minutes. The CBS News Sunday Night Tradition is back for its 56th season with all new big name interviews, hard-hitting investigations and epic adventures. No place, no one, no story is off limits. And you'll always learn something new. It's time for 60 Minutes. New episode airs Sunday, September 24th on CBS and streaming on Paramount+. SPEAKER_07: A busy airport may not be the best way to ease into vacation mode, but when you're an American Express Platinum card member, the vacation starts in the Centurion Lounge. SPEAKER_04: Hi, welcome to the Centurion Lounge. Mmm, what smells so good? SPEAKER_07: Must be one of the chef's local specialties. And as you sit back and relax, you think to yourself, what'll be on the menu for your Miami layover? See how to elevate your travel experiences at americanexpress.com slash with Amex. Don't live life without it. Terms apply.