"My mind sees that I am nothing, my heart sees that I am everything, between these two poles my life unfolds."

Wednesday, December 14, 2011

This Day In History - Race to Reach the South Pole

One hundred years ago the Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen 
beat Robert F. Scott in a race to the South Pole.



"The North Pole is reached!" was the news that flashed all over the world...it was September 1909 when the news reached Amundsen. The original plan of the FRAM'S third voyage--the exploration of the North Polar basin--was quickly called off. In order to save the expedition, Amundsen immediately turned his attention to the South...


... And so, "at 3:00 pm, on Friday, December 14, 1911, there was a simultaneous cry of "Halt!" as the sledge meters registered their arrival at the South Pole. They had achieved their goal. Symbolic of their struggle in unity, each of the men, with their weathered and frostbitten hands, grasped the Norwegian flag and planted it firmly at the geographical South Pole. Amundsen named the plain King Haakon VII's Plateau. There were festivities in the tent that evening with each man sharing a little seal meat." Full story here.


I can't begin to envision the hardships explorers faced on these expeditions. 
Most people find travelling in this day and age exhausting; and that's in an air-conditioned/heated 
environment, with all the amenities of home at our fingertips or a quick pit-stop away.
These next two short videos give us a brief look at the conditions they endured.



Brrrrrr!

6 comments:

  1. Amazing. And scary! Brrrr is right. I'm freezing just looking at the photos and watching the videos. I'd rather be trying to reach some tropical place :)

    I love the way the birds are just sitting around in the cold and snow. Pretty awesome.

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  2. Very interesting! I'm happy that there are some folk that set forth on such adventures.

    I could never imagine doing anything like that myself as I like to stay warm and dry.

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  3. Martha, Lol, those crazy birds obviously don't feel the cold!

    Debra, They were mighty men of strong stock - no Thinsulate in their socks, lol!

    Lorene, Me too, but that being said, I think it would be fascinating to spend a few weeks in a research lab down there - I'm expect they have all the comforts of home by now.

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  4. I love an adventurer... but that is way out of my league.

    On a side note thanks for "Big Bang Theory" video. I watched a full episode last Sunday and I am already hooked. I queued up the first four seasons to watch :).

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  5. WebDebris, Lol - Can't say I'm surprised you're liking Big Bang... I was surprised you weren't already hooked!

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Thanks for stopping by - and leaving your comments! I love reading them :)