Significant events in the history of Antarctica

By Charrison1703
  • 1519

    1519

    1519
    Ferdinand Magellan sails from Spain in search of a westerly route to the indies, during this exposition he crashed at the edge of Antarctica.

  • 1773

    1773
    Captain James Cook and his crew become the first men to cross the Antarctic circle.

  • 1820

    1820
    Russian, Fabian Gottlieb von Bellingshausen becomes the first person to see the antarctic continent.

  • 1841

    1841
    Sir James Clark Ross went on a search for the south magnetic pole. He discovers Victoria land and enters a sea which is famously known as the ross sea. He discovers ross island, Mt. Erebus and the ross ice shelf

  • 1902

    1902
    Captain Robert Falcon Scott, Edward Wilson and Ernest Shackleton strive out for the south pole. They head south across ross ice shelf and later on find themselves suffering from snow blindness and scurvy.

  • 1909

    1909
    Edgeworth David, Douglas Mawson and Alistair McKay reach the south magnetic pole.

  • 1912

    1912
    Robert Falcon Scott, Edward Wilson, Edgar Evans and Lawrence Oats reach the south pole. Unfortunately it has already been discovered, they knew this because of the flag that had been left there to mark the spot. All members of this expedition perish, Scott, Wilson and Evens die in their tent after using up all food and fuel.

  • 1915

    1915
    Ernest Shackleton has to plan to cross the continent but is forced to abandon this plan when his ship is crushed in the ice of the Weddell sea after drifting for nine months. Three members die but the rest were rescued in 1917