Michel Gabriel Paccard was an italian doctor. He studied medicine in Turin. Due to his passion for botany and minerals, he met Horace-Bénédict de Saussure, who initiated the race to be the first to ascend Mont Blanc. Michel had a first, unsuccesful, attempt in 1783 with Marc Theodore Bourrit. In 1784, he made several attempts with Pierre Balmat. Finally, he made the first ascent of Mont Blanc with Jacques Balmat on August 8, 1786. There is a statue of him in Chamonix. Wikipedia
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