National Geographic Museum Blog

The South Pole as it looks today via aerial images.

As Scott prepared his boat and crew for the race, he did so in a hurried fashion. He bought tools, products and gear over the counter and did little to update his ship. His one major “innovation” was the decision to bring horses along on the trip. Dogs had proved a failure in the past especially when he had been forced to feed the weakest dogs to the strongest.

While Shackleton’s experience had shown that ponies were ill-suited for many reasons– primarily that none of their food grew in the South Pole, Scott was undeterred. He simply copied Shackleton’s methods without looking into whether or not those methods could be or were effective.

Amundsen deduced from Shackleton’s experience at the pole and indeed, his own that the fight for the South Pole would depend largely on skis. Yet, it was money that remained his large and growing problem. To obtain the money, he mortgaged his house, and put a lean on his expedition funds. With enough financing shored up, he focused on his true love technology and improvements in gear and tools. He created a new ski that was longer, shaped and made from hickory with a strong wax coating. He created new boots and bindings that were neither too stiff nor too cold (boots).

And he turned his ever present attention to scurvy and pemmican concentrated into fat and protein in order to create hard working, strong and healthy explorers.  He even created new containers to store the food aboard the ships with special lids made from the newest aluminum. With such attention to technological details, he was the opposite to Scott and Scott’s determination to improvise where necessary.

Join us as the National Geographic Museum presents Challenge Antarctica, a hands-on workshop. Participants will travel back in time to consider the challenges that British explorer Robert F. Scott and Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen faced in the race to be the first human to reach the South Pole.
 Ages 8 – 14 are suitable for this experience! For more details, click the link:

http://events.nationalgeographic.com/events/special-events/2011/07/31/challenge-antarctica-2/

Shackleton had made the South Pole a universal and easily understood destination in the mind of the British public. However, more than anyone he galvanized Scott to pursue another venture to the frigid south. In fact, Scott and others believed that Shackleton was poaching on land that was rightfully his to claim.

At the same time the Germans and Japanese were preparing to expeditions to Antarctica in a quest to conquer the pole for themselves. In secret so was Amundsen. Thus a true race was born and Scott was convinced and convincing others that an Englishman should get the Pole first.

Amundsen was dogged in his desire to get Fram and head out on another adventure. As such he petition the Norwegian governing body for the boat. In the end, by 87 vots to 34 he was given the Fram and the money needed for an expedition. While it wasn’t as much as he hoped for, he had to go nonetheless.

He converted the Fram from steam to diesel, re-rigged her as a top schooner and gave her the fourth reversible engine to go in service from the Diesels Motorer Co. The achievements in boating technology were marked but as of yet unproven. While he was going again to explore the world’s frozen lands he was doing it with still new scientific ideas.

When Amundsen returned from the Northwest Passage he was honored with a European tour wherein he was showered with all manor of geographic medals and awards. Yet, he was battling legal battles for funds owed in North America. His return was both triumphant and bothersome as the amount to be paid was strangling his future.

In the end his debts were paid by the Norwegian government and he was granted a  grant and the opportunity to lecture in America. The American trip was intended to be a new means of enterprise by which he could raise the funds for another journey. The lecture tour though profitable was not the financial sensation they hoped and Amundsen returned home with no money for another exploration.

“It is nearly impossible to exhibit a detailed chronology of exploration in the Antarctic region simply due to the fact that there have been over 300 expeditions to the Antarctic mainland, not to mention the subantarctic islands,” write the creators behind today’s posted timeline. The terrain has been a source of fascination for explorers over and over again.

1519: In September, Ferdinand Magellan sails from Spain in search of a westerly route to the Indies. Sailing down the coast of South America he discovered the narrow straight passing through to the Pacific Ocean which today bears his name. To the south lies Tierra del Fuego which the early geographers assumed to be the edge of the southern continent.

1911: On December 14, Norwegian Roald Amundsen and four team members reach the South Pole. Amundsen discovered a new route which took only 57 days. Letters are left for Scott, a Norwegian flag planted and then they return to the Bay of Whales.

1929: In October, The British, Australian and New Zealand Antarctic Research Expedition establishes itself under Douglas Mawson over two summer seasons discovering MacRobertson Land and charting much of the adjacent coastline.

Want a comprehensive look at Antarctica’s history in exploration? Check out this timeline! http://www.south-pole.com/p0000052.htm

Want to see what it must have been like to be Roald Amundsen? Check out this dramatic reenactment of his diary of the trails he faced during his epic journey to the South Pole!

http://youtu.be/p3QHIBDOcwU