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The First
Captain James Cook crosses the Antarctic circle and circumnavigates Antarctica, though he doesn't sight land, he settles on sightings of rock seen in icebergs, which showed that a southern continent exists. -
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Dates
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James Cook
Captain James Cook, sails past South Georgia and discovers the South Sandwich Islands. -
Roald Amundsen
On December 14, Norwegian Roald Amundsen and four team members reach the South Pole. Amundsen discovered a new route which took only 57 days. Letters are left for Scott, a Norwegian flag planted and then they return to the Bay of Whales. Roald Amundsen was the first man to lead a successful expedition to the South Pole. -
Robert Falcon Scott
Scott travelled to Antarctica hoping to be the first to reach the South Pole.When they finally reached the South Pole on the 18th of January but they found out that they had been beaten by explorer Roald Amundsen. Disappointed they turned back. -
Ernest Shackleton
1915: In October, Ernest Shackleton has a plan to cross the continent but is forced to abandon this idea as his ship, the ENDURANCE, is crushed in the ice of the Weddell Sea after drifting for nine months. The 28 men must camp on the floating ice for five more months before an opening in the ice allows them to take to the boats for Elephant Island in the South Shetlands. Meanwhile, members of Shackleton's Ross shore party lay depots for the ill-fated group, depots expected to be used by Shacklet -
The journey
In April, Shackleton and five of his men leave Elephant Island in the lifeboat.
In 15 days they arrive at South Georgia. Unfortunately, they made land on the wrong side of the island and Shackleton, Tom Crean and Frank Worsley had to cross the island through difficult terrain to. On his fourth try, Shackleton reaches Elephant Island and rescues the 22 survivors from the ENDURANCE. They survived by turning the remaining life boats upside down and setting up living quarters beneath. -
First flight
Australian Sir George Wilkins and American Carl Benjamin Eielson are the first to fly over Antarctica around the peninsula region.
