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Born
Fridtjof Nansen is born in Store-Frøen, to Baldur Fridtjof Nansen & Adelaide Johanne Thekla Isidore wedel-Jarlsberg -
Enrolls & is accepted to the University of Christiania
He chose to study zoology over physics & math, believing (correctly) that it would give him more outdoor work -
A voyage
In 1882, on the advice of Robert collett, Nansen joined the four-and-a-half-month expedition of the sealer Viking. During the voyage, he first saw Greenlands' mighty ice cap. -
He his now a curator
In 1882 he was appointed curator of zoology at the Bergen museum. He wrote papers on zoological and histological subjects, illustrated by excellent drawings. For one of his papers, “The Structure and Combination of Histological Elements of the Central Nervous System” (1887), the University of Kristiania conferred upon him the degree of doctor of philosophy. -
A Plan is Announced
He announced his plan to cross Greenland by, instead of starting from the inhabited west coast, he would start from the east coast and, by cutting off his means of retreat, would force himself to go forward. -
He Gets a Doctorate of Philosophy
For one of his papers, “The Structure and Combination of Histological Elements of the Central Nervous System” (1887), the University of Kristiania conferred upon him the degree of doctor of philosophy. -
He leaves for Greenland
The expedition of six from Norway started the crossing on August 15, 1888. -
Highest Point
They reached the highest point of their journey, 2,719 metres -
End of trip
They struck the west coast at Ameralik fjord on September 26. They were forced to winter at the settlement of Godthåb (Nuuk), where Nansen took the opportunity to study the Eskimos and gather material for his book Eskimoliv (1891; Eskimo Life) -
West Coast & Winter
They struck the west coast at Ameralik fjord on September 26. They were forced to winter at the settlement of Godthåb (Nuuk), where Nansen took the opportunity to study the Eskimos and gather material for his book Eskimoliv (1891; Eskimo Life) -
Home
The party returned home in triumph in May 1889 -
A new plan
In 1890 Nansen presented before the Norwegian Geographical Society a plan for an even more hazardous expedition. Having collected evidence showing that the ice of the polar sea drifted from Siberia toward Spitsbergen, he proposed to build a ship of such a shape that it would be lifted but not crushed when caught by the ice. -
A new plan (cont.)
He proposed to let this ship freeze in off eastern Siberia in order to be carried from there across the Arctic Ocean to Spitsbergen by the currents. Though his plan was severely criticized by contemporary Arctic explorers, the Norwegian Parliament granted two-thirds of the estimated expenses, and the rest was raised by subscriptions from King Oscar II and private individuals. His ship, Fram (i.e., “Forward”; now preserved outside Oslo), was built according to his ideas. -
The Fram Is UNLEASHED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
With a complement of 13 men, the Fram sailed from Kristiania on June 24, 1893. -
And It Was Enclosed In The Ice
On September 22 it was enclosed by the ice at 78°50′ N, 133°37′ E; it froze in, and the long drift began. It bore the pressure of the ice perfectly. -
And Twas Left Alone
On March 14, 1895, Nansen, being satisfied that the Fram would continue to drift safely, left it in 84°4′ N, 102°27′ E, and started northward with dogsleds and kayaks, accompanied by F.H. Johansen. -
Highest Point 2.0
On April 8 they turned back from 86°14′ N, the highest latitude then yet reached by man, and headed toward Franz Josef Land. -
Frederick Jackson Island
As they approached the northern islands, progress was hampered by open water and, because of the advanced season, they wintered on Frederick Jackson Island (named by Nansen after the British Arctic explorer), where they stayed from August 26, 1895, to May 19, 1896 They built a hut of stone and covered it with a roof of walrus hides and lived during the winter mainly on polar bear and walrus meat, using the blubber as fuel. -
ZOOLOGY
On his return from the Fram expedition in 1896, a professorship in zoology was established for Nansen at the University of Kristiania -
They Leave Fredrick Jackson Island
It was May 19 1896 -
And then they meet the guy
On their way to Spitsbergen they encountered Frederick Jackson and his party of the Jackson-Harmsworth expedition, on June 17 -
Goin' back to Norway
They returned to Norway in his ship Windward, reaching Vardø on August 13. The Fram also reached Norway safely, having drifted north to 85°57′. -
A Book is released
His two-volume account of the expedition, Fram over Polhavet (Farthest North), appeared in 1897 -
Another Voyage
In 1900 he joined the Michael Sars on a cruise in the Norwegian Sea -
He did stuff about POLITICS (The most dangerous of topics)
In 1905 he took a lively part in the discussion about the dissolution of the union between Norway and Sweden. His attitude may be summarized by his words: “Any union in which the one people is restrained in exercising its freedom is and will remain a danger.” -
London ministration
On the establishment of the Norwegian monarchy, Nansen was appointed its first minister in London (1906–08). -
Oceanography Professor
His interests shifted from zoology to physical oceanography, and in 1908 his status was changed to professor of oceanography. -
And another
In 1910 he made a cruise in the Fridtjof through the northeastern North Atlantic -
He wrote another book
Nansen also dealt with other subjects: for instance, his Nord i tåkeheimen, 2 vol. (1911; In Northern Mists) gave a critical review of the exploration of the northern regions from early times up to the beginning of the 16th century. -
And another
in 1912 he visited the Spitsbergen waters on board his own yacht Veslemoy -
And another
In 1913 Nansen traveled through the Barents Sea and the Kara Sea to the mouth of the Yenisey River and back through Siberia. -
And another
In 1914 he joined B. Helland-Hansen on an oceanographic cruise to the Azores in the Armauer Hansen. -
Side note - Because I had to squeeze it in.
He published the results of his cruises in numerous papers, partly in cooperation with Helland-Hansen. His lasting contributions to oceanography comprise improvement and design of instruments, explanation of the wind-driven currents of the seas, discussions of the waters of the Arctic, and explanation of the manner in which deep- and bottom-water is formed. -
Commission To Da US of A
In 1917, during World War I, he was appointed head of a Norwegian commission to the United States and negotiated a satisfactory agreement with the U.S. government about the import of essential supplies to Norway. -
League Of Nations
At the first assembly of the League of Nations in 1920, the Norwegian delegation was headed by Nansen, who was to remain one of the outstanding members of the assembly until his death. -
Prisoners Of War Tasks
In April 1920 the council of the League of Nations gave Nansen his first great task, appointing him high commissioner responsible for the repatriation from Russia of about 500,000 prisoners of war from the former German and Austro-Hungarian armies. -
Russia Had Famine
n August 1921 Nansen was asked by the International Committee of the Red Cross to direct an effort to bring relief to famine-stricken Russia. He accepted, and on August 15 a conference in Geneva, at which 13 governments and 48 Red Cross organizations were represented, appointed him high commissioner of this new venture. -
Fundraising For Russia
On August 27 he concluded an agreement with the Soviet government authorizing him to open in Moscow an office of the “International Russian Relief Executive.” Nansen’s request to the League for financial assistance was turned down, but by appealing to private organizations and by addressing large public meetings he succeeded in raising the necessary funds. -
Nobel Peace Prize
In 1922 Nansen was awarded the Nobel Prize for Peace; he used the prize money for the furtherance of international relief work. -
Negotiations Ensued
The Soviet government would not recognize the League of Nations but negotiated with Nansen personally, and in September 1922 he reported to the third assembly of the League that his task was completed and that 427,886 prisoners of war had been repatriated. -
The "Nansen Passport"
On July 5, 1922, on Nansen’s initiative, an international agreement was signed in Geneva introducing the identification card for displaced persons known as the “Nansen passport.” -
Death
On May 13th, 1930, he died quietly, at his beloved home, Polhøgda, near Oslo, of cardiac arrest -
Legacy
In March of 2018, Mason Waters created a timetoast timeline, getting most, if not all, of his information and wording from Brittanica dot com, thus ensuring that a few more people knew about him.