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Polar History

A black-and-white photo, colorized, of a serious-looking person in a thick, fur-lined hooded coat—possibly part of an Antarctic Logistics and Expeditions team—with striking blue eyes staring directly ahead against a dark Antarctica backdrop.Polar ExplorersPolar HistoryRoald Amundsen
August 28, 2010

Roald Amundsen

ROALD ENGELBREGT GRAVNING AMUNDSEN (1872–1928) Roald Amundsen left his mark on the Heroic Era as one of the most successful polar explorers ever born. He led the 1910–12 Antarctic expedition which was the first to reach the South Pole, on 14 December 1911. He was the first to traverse the…
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A sepia-toned portrait of a man in a formal military uniform with epaulettes, medals, and a high collar. He has short hair and a serious expression, facing slightly to the right—evoking early Antarctic explorers bound for the South Pole.Polar ExplorersPolar HistoryCaptain Robert Falcon Scott
August 28, 2010

Captain Robert Falcon Scott

CAPTAIN ROBERT FALCON SCOTT, CVO, RN (1868 –1912) Robert F. Scott was a British Royal Navy officer and explorer who led two expeditions to the Antarctic regions: the Discovery Expedition (1901–1904) and the ill-fated Terra Nova Expedition (1910–1913). On the first Antarctic expedition, Scott set a new southern record by…
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A sepia-toned portrait of a serious-looking man in a suit and tie with slicked-back hair; signed Ernest H. Shackleton Oct 1909 in black ink, evoking his legendary South Pole expeditions to Antarctica.Polar ExplorersPolar HistorySir Ernest Henry Shackleton
August 28, 2010

Sir Ernest Henry Shackleton

Ernest Shackleton was one of the most celebrated explorers of the Heroic Age. He led the 1907-09 Nimrod Antarctic expedition, which pioneered a route to the South Pole and reached latitude 88° 23'. His return to Antarctica in 1914 was intended to achieve the first trans-Antarctic crossing, but instead resulted…
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Snow-covered mountains with steep, jagged peaks rise against a clear blue sky in Antarctica. The slopes are streaked with rocky outcrops and patches of ice, and a glacier descends between the peaks into the valley below.
50 Years of Antarctic Mountaineering Antarctic HistoryClimb AntarcticaMount SidleyMount VinsonTravel Safety & Guiding

50 Years of Antarctic Mountaineering

The 2016 Antarctic season marks 50 years since the first ascent of the continent’s four highest peaks by the American Antarctic Mountaineering Expedition (AAME). Mount Vinson, Antarctica’s highest peak at 16,050 ft (4892 m), was first summited on December 18, 1966 by AAME expedition members, Pete Schoening, Bill Long, John…
December 2, 2016
Black-and-white photo of various food rations on paper, including a stack of rectangular blocks, a round can, sugar cubes, and tea leaves—supplies reminiscent of what explorers once relied on during early South Pole expeditions in Antarctica.
Tea or Cocoa? Fueling the Debate Antarctic HistoryGeneral InterestSki South Pole – Axel HeibergSki South Pole – Hercules InletSki South Pole – Messner Start

Tea or Cocoa? Fueling the Debate

With its hot, filling, rejuvenating qualities, cocoa has been an essential staple on all the major expeditions to the North and South Poles. Men would drink cup after cup of it as a bulwark against the morale and strength-sapping task of trudging across an icy, austere landscape. But explorers have…
March 19, 2015
Maria Klenova Antarctic HistoryPolar Explorers

Maria Klenova

Maria Vasilyevna Klenova (1898 – 1976) Maria Klenova was a Russian and Soviet marine geologist and one of the founders of Russian marine science. Klenova spent nearly 30 years researching the polar regions. She was the first woman scientist to do research in Antarctica and was a contributor to the…
August 28, 2010