-
400
400 B.C.
Ancient Greeks suggest that a southern continent exists. -
500
1773 A.D.
British explorer James Cook is the first to cross the Antarctic Circle but he never sees the continent. -
1820
Russia’s Fabian Gottlieb von Bellingshausen, England’s Edward Branfield, and the U.S.’s Nathaniel Palmer all say they were first to see Antarctica -
1840
American Charles Wilkes proves Antarctica is a continent rather than a group of islands by sailing along more than 1,500 miles of coast. -
1911
Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen discovers the South Pole. -
1915
Explorer Ernest Shackleton’s ship, Endurance, sinks after becoming trapped in ice. The crew is rescued on August 30, 1916. -
1935
Caroline Mikkelsen, the wife of a Norwegian whaling captain, becomes the first women to go to Antarctica -
1957 - 1958
As part of the International Geophysical Year, scientists from 12 countries establish 50 research stations in Antarctica. -
1958
British explorer Vivian Fuchs leads the first expedition to cross Antarctica from coast to coast entirely by land. -
1959
Twelve countries sign the Antarctic Treaty, in Washington, D.C. It states that the land must be used for peaceful purposes. -
2002
A chunk of ice about the size of Rhode Island separates from the Larsen B Ice Shelf. -
2008
A 160-square-mile block of ice breaks off from the Wilkins Ice Shelf, in western Antarctica.