Jon E. Lewis - The Mammoth Book of Polar Journeys

KEY DATES

THE ARCTIC

THE ANTARCTIC

45 million BC

Antarctica settles into present position and cools dramatically

30,000 BC

Evidence of Siberian hunters in Russian far north

20,000 BC

Last Ice Age at its height

5000 BC

First migration of Inuit to North America

982 AD

Erik the Red sails for Greenland

15768

Briton Martin Frobisher makes three attempts to locate Northwest Passage

1592

Englishman John Davis discovers Falkland Islands

15967

Third expedition of Dutchman Wilhelm Barents (Barentz) to Northeast Passage discovers Spitzbergen but is blocked by ice near Novaya Zemlya

1610

English sailor Henry Hudson enters Hudson Bay; in 1611 his crew mutiny, casting Hudson and his son adrift, and return home

1616

William Baffin discovers Baffin Bay during search for NW Passage

173341

Russian Great Northern Expedition, led by Dane Vitus Bering, explores Northeast Passage

17725

James Cooks round-the-world RN expedition crosses Antarctic Circle twice

1819

John Barrow (GB) enters Barrow Straits

1820

Russian navigator Fabian Bellinghausen becomes first person to sight Antarctica

1821

Sealers Nathaniel Palmer (US) and George Powell (GB) discover South Orkney Islands

1823

Englishman James Weddell sails to a record 74 South

1827

William Parry (GB) aboard Hecla reaches 8245' North, a northing record that will stand for half a century

1840

Lt Charles Wilkes of the US Exploring

Expedition sights Wilkes Land

1841

Sir James Clark Ross RN discovers Victoria Land and Ross Sea

1845

Sir John Franklins 137-strong expedition disappears after entering Northwest Passage

18503

Robert McClure (GB) becomes first person to complete Northwest Passage (by boat and sledge)

18713

Charles Hall reaches 8211' North aboard the Polaris

18789

Baron Nils Nordenskiold of Sweden successfully traverses NorthEast Passage; the Jeannette, under command of De Long USN begins search for the North Pole and founders off Siberia.

1888

Norwegian scientist Fridtjof Nansen makes first crossing of Greenland (on skis)

18936

Fridtjof Nansens purpose-built ship Fram is deliberately stuck in Arctic ice; when the drift fails to take the Fram near the North Pole, Nansen and Johansen set off with dogs and kayaks and reach within 360 km of the Pole.

1897

Salomon Andres balloon Eagle crashes 8293'N; Andre and his two companions survive only to die later on walk to Spitzbergen

1898

Robert Peary (US) makes his first bid for North Pole

De Gerlache and crew of Belgica first to over winter in Antarctica

1900

Italian sledge party led by Captain Umberto Cagni reach 8633' N, a record.

19014

Robert F. Scotts Discovery expedition to Antarctica

1904

Establishment of first whaling station at Grytviken on South Georgia

1905

Amundsen (Nor) sails through NW Passage

19079

Ernest Shackletons Nimrod expedition to Antarctica reaches to within 97 miles of the geographical Pole; three of the Nimrod expedition reach South Magnetic Pole