October 19th 1911. Scott bides his time at Cape Evans, his South Pole departure set for November 1. Amundsen is ready to set-off as soon as the ‘storms and gales’ abate. The race to the Pole is about to begin…
A century later the triumph and tragedy of Amundsen and Scott still fascinate and inspire us. Armchair adventurers and polar explorers alike will enjoy these online photo galleries, journal excerpts, chronologies and exhibits that bring these two great explorers to life and provide an intimate view of their expeditions.
Historic Polar Image Galleries
British Antarctic Expedition 1910-13 (photos by Herbert Ponting)
www.freezeframe.ac.uk/category/photos-british-antarctic-expedition-1910-13-ponting-collection
Third Fram Expedition slideshow (Amundsen’s South Pole Expedition)
www.flickr.com/photos/frammuseet/sets/72157625513387423/
Profiles and Journals
Roald Amundsen
- Amundsen profile www.south-pole.com/p0000101.htm
- Fram Museum www.frammuseum.no/
Profiles, exhibitions, Amudsen ‘blog’ - Cold Recall – Reflections of a Polar Explorer (10MB PDF) www.frammuseum.no/Fram-Museum.aspx
Amundsen exhibition from Fram Museum - The South Pole Vol 1 and 2 Download from www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/4229
Roald Amundsen’s book about his South Pole expedition. (Check copyright laws in your country)
Robert Falcon Scott
- Scott profile www.south-pole.com/p0000089.htm
- Scott’s journal as a daily blog www.spri.cam.ac.uk/museum/diaries/scottslastexpedition/about/
Live Exhibitions and Events
- Race to the End of the Earth www.amnh.org/about-the-museum/press-center/race-to-the-end-of-the-earth
American Museum of Natural History exhibit - Scott’s Last Expedition http://www.scottslastexpedition.org/expedition/
Antarctic Heritage Trust (New Zealand), Natural History Museum, London and Canterbury Museum (New Zealand) exhibit. Includes virtual tour, teacher resources and interactive game - Scott Centenary Events www.scott100.org
Information on events taking place internationally to commemorate the centenary of the British Antarctic (Terra Nova) Expedition, 1910-13 - Heart of the Great Alone www.royalcollection.org.uk/collection/themes/exhibitions/the-heart-of-the-great-alone-scott-shackleton-and-antarctic-1
Exhibition of photographs by Herbert Ponting and Frank Hurley at the Queen’s Gallery, Buckingham Palace (includes online photo galleries with commentaries)
Chronologies and Comparisons
- Different Approaches to Antarctic Exploration www.bbc.co.uk/history/british/britain_wwone/south_approaches_01.shtml
Article by Sian Flynn, curator of ‘South: the race to the Pole’ exhibition - Antarctic Exploration Animation www.educapoles.org/multimedia/animation_detail/antarctic_exploration/
Animation of Antarctic exploration, from James Cook to modern-day expeditions - Wikipedia Comparison of Scott and Amundsen Expeditions https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparison_of_the_Amundsen_and_Scott_Expeditions