History, Those Before Us

1823
James Weddell (1787 - 1834, died in poverty at age 47).  Sailed on three expeditions to the Antarctic at ages 33, 34 and 35. On the 3rd expedition (in 1823), he discovered the Weddell Sea, near the South Pole, and the Weddell Seal.

1841
James Ross (1800-1862) Led an Antarctic expedition (1839-43), commanding the "Erebus" while his friend Francis Crozier commanded the "Terror." Ross charted much of the coastline and discovered the Ross Sea, and the Victoria Barrier, which was later renamed the Ross Ice Shelf.

Earnest Henry Shackleton (1872 - 1922) British, born in Ireland. Led three British expeditions to the Antarctic: 1901-1904, 1907-1909 and 1914-1917.  In 1921, he returned to the Antarctic with the Shackleton-Rowett Expedition, but died of a heart attack (at age 50) while his ship was moored in South Georgia. At his wife's request he was buried there.  Away from his expeditions, Shackleton's life was generally restless and unfulfilled. His quests for quick wealth failed and he died heavily in debt. At his death, the press praised him; but he was largely forgotten, while the heroic reputation of his rival Scott was sustained for many decades.

1911
Roald Amundsen (1872 - June 18, 1928), a Norwegian, was first to reach the South Pole on 14 December 1911.  At age 56, he died flying a rescue mission in the Arctic.

1912
Robert Scott (1868 - March 29, 1912), a Brit, was second to reach the South Pole.  He led two expeditions to Antarctica:  Discovery Expedition (1901-1904) and Terra Nova Expedition (1910-1913).  On the Terra Nova, Scott led a party of five which reached the South Pole on 17 January 1912, only to find that they had been preceded by Roald Amundsen's Norwegian expedition - just a few weeks earlier. Then, at a distance of 150 miles from their base camp and 11 miles from the next depot, Scott (age 44) and his companions died from a combination of exhaustion, starvation and extreme cold.

Apsley George Benet Cherry-Garrard (1886 – 1959), English explorer and also a member of the Tera Nova Expedition (1910-1913).  Known for his historical account of this expedition called The Worst Journey in the World. Died in London at age 73.

Source:  http://kids.britannica.com/comptons/art-184103/Beginning-in-the-early-20th-century-several-explorers-set-out 
& http://www.explorapoles.org/news/detail/in_the_footsteps_of_scott_and_amundsen

1928-1947
Richard Evelyn Byrd (1888-1957) was a pioneering aviator, and US Naval Officer. Byrd led four Antarctic land expeditions, and was later involved in two more.  At age 69, he died in his sleep at his home in the Beacon Hill neighborhood of Boston.

1958

• Edmund Hillary (1919-2008) From Zealand.  Was third to reach the South Pole.  Died of heart failure at the age of 88.
• Vivian Fuchs (1908-1999) English and fourth to reach the South Pole two and half weeks after Edmund Hillary! Fuchs died at age 91.

1986

Robert Swan (1956 -) First person to walk to both poles. He was 29 years old.  He is leading my March 2016 expedition.

Wikipedia provides a detailed list of Antarctic expeditions (from the 1500s to present, including Henry Worsley's 2016 trek (and death from a bacterial infection).
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Link to next blog post:  The Ship