Research Station Paradise Bay. Photo credit: Shutterstock. Antarctica may well continue to remain a mystery to us, yet everything we know so far about this utterly captivating place, we owe to but a handful of adventurous, brave, and testosterone-driven men.
So who were these Explorers of Antarctica who set sails for the end of the world and froze where no man had ever frozen before? Some of the most influential pioneers of all time hailed from almost every corner of the globe. A few came in search of fame, financial glory, and perhaps a knighthood, whilst others were genuinely curious about what lay beyond.
Most are famous, revered, and celebrated internationally, whilst others are barely known outside of their own home-countries. Yet while egos clashed, life-long friendships were formed, and a wealth of enthralling history was carved onto the Antarctic ice, these explorers irrevocably changed the course of human history.
Sir James Clark Ross. Photo Credit: John R. At the helm of the HMS Erebus and Terror , James Clark Ross became the first man to recognise Antarctica as the continent it is rather than the collection of islands it was long assumed to be.
In terms of knowledge and coastline charting, he is regarded as the forefather of Antarctic exploration and his achievements were impressively abundant.
Before heading to Antarctica, Ross first explored the Arctic when he was just 18 years old joining his uncle, Sir John Ross, on a Northwest Passage in His exploits on both ends of our planet eventually earned him a British knighthood in The answer is yes if you travel with experienced polar adventurers.
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This article offers helpful tips and information to prepare you for the voyage of a lifetime. Quark Expeditions is uncompromisingly polar, specializing in expeditions to Antarctica and the Arctic. The spirit of exploration runs deep in our polar pedigree and we are passionate about creating transformational experiences for fellow adventurers visiting these regions.
Subscribe today for all the latest news on the polar regions including stories, insipiration and exclusive deals. July 25, Sir Ernest Shackleton One of the enduring stories of victory snatched from the jaws of defeat is the tale of Sir Ernest Shackleton and his crew of 27, which set off in with the hope of becoming the first explorers to traverse the Antarctic continent.
Robert Falcon Scott As the leader of two major expeditions to Antarctica , Robert Falcon Scott is credited with discovering that Antarctica is a continent. Fridtjof Nansen A Norwegian explorer, Fridtjof Nansen had some rather unconventional ideas about polar exploration: he felt that a specially designed ship frozen in pack ice would eventually end up at the North Pole, and in he set out to prove it.
Erik the Red Erik the Red was a wild Icelandic youth and, ironically, it was those troubles that led him to become an explorer. Sir Edmund Hillary Sir Edmund Hillary became interested in climbing when he was still in secondary school.
Richard Weber Since , Arctic explorer Richard Weber has been to the North Pole 7 times; in , he was a member of the first 2-man team to reach the North Pole unsupported.
The Weber family at Arctic Watch. Richard Weber pictured second from the right. Bonus: YOU! January Antarctica is first sighted. The first person to actually see the Antarctic mainland has been debated: in the last week of January, Thaddeus von Bellingshausen reported seeing 'an ice shore of extreme height' during a Russian expedition to the Antarctic.
Around the same time, Royal Navy officer Edward Bransfield reported seeing 'high mountains, covered with snow' during a British mapping expedition. Captain Cook's expedition 50 years previously never sighted land. The Weddell Sea is named after him, as is the Weddell seal — the most southerly breeding land mammal in the world.
During his expedition, he sights new areas of the continent including Enderby Land and Graham Land. Among the crew on the ship is Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen, later to become the first person to reach the South Pole.
Borchgrevink's expedition is the first to spend a winter on the Antarctic mainland, and the first to use dogs and sledges on the continent. On 3 March, all four men finally arrive back at the Nimrod , after having initially been given up for dead by the men stationed on the ship.
Amundsen had originally planned to make a bid for the North Pole, but changed his objective after two American explorers each claimed to have reached the goal. He only revealed his South Pole ambitions to his crew after he had set sail.
Seventeen of the original 52 dogs would make it to the Pole, and 12 made it back. The initial plan included the use of ponies, dogs and tractors to carry supplies, with only the final push to the Pole using manpower alone. However, setbacks and equipment failure meant that Scott would have to man-haul far further and on fewer provisions than he had originally planned. The whole team arrive safely back at base camp on 26 January, having travelled more than 1, miles in 99 days. The South Pole had already been conquered, so Shackleton set his sights on being the first man to cross the continent from shore to shore.
Alas, his ship, the HMS Endurance, got stuck in ice in the unforgiving Weddell Sea and the crew had to wait out the winter on Elephant Island for the ice to thaw. Yet, the crush of the ice had done irreparable damage and when the ice melted in the spring, the ship sank into the water. After nearly a year stranded in the Big White, Shackleton and a small crew sailed one of the surviving longboats across the Southern Ocean to reach South Georgia , nearly miles away.
This was a spectacular feat of survival, as the voyage took weeks, through some of the roughest seas in the world, as well as a hurricane. The rescue mission was a success and the entire marooned crew was brought home safely, against all odds. Shackleton died of a heart attack aboard his ship in , which was moored at South Georgia. This Antarctic island is now his final resting place and you can visit his grave here. One of the most famous polar explorers in history, Norwegian Amundsen was the first to reach both the North and South Pole in his lifetime.
Amundsen and his crew planted their flag at the South Pole on 14 th December and left a note for polar rival, Scott:. As you probably are the first to reach this area after us, I will ask you to kindly forward this letter to King Haakon VII. If you can use any of the articles left in the tent, please do not hesitate to do so. The sledge left outside may be of use to you. With kind regards, I wish you a safe return. On the return journey, the crew hit a blinding blizzard, resulting in scurvy, dehydration and hypothermia.
As the brave men accepted their fate, they wrote letters to loved ones and a monument to the lost mission now stands on Antarctica's Observation Point, inscribed with the quote: "To strive, to seek, to fine, and not to yield. Often overshadowed by Scott and Amundsen, Japanese explorer Shirase was also in the race to reach the South Pole, as part of a seven-man team.
His expedition was the first to make landfall on the Edward VII peninsula and they explored the Queen Alexandra Range before severe weather conditions forced them to retreat.
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