Chronology of the Heroic Age

BRIEF CHRONOLOGY OF THE HEROIC AGE 1900 – 1916

JUNE 1899
LIEUTENANT ROBERT FALCON SCOTT MEETS SIR CLEMENTS MARKHAM PRESIDENT OF THE ROYAL GEOGRAPHICAL SOCIETY & LEARNS OF PLANS FOR A NATIONAL ANTARCTIC EXPEDITION. TWO DAYS LATER HE APPLIES TO LEAD THE EXPEDITION AND IS ACCEPTED.

FEBRUARY 1902
SWEDISH GEOLOGIST OTTO NORDENSKJÖLD AND 5 COMPANIONS ARE PUT ASHORE BY THE ANTARCTIC ON SNOW HILL ISLAND. THEY SPEND TWO WINTERS ON THIS ISLAND AND MAKE THE FIRST MAJOR SLEDGE JOURNEY IN ANTARCTICA OF 640 KMS OR 400 MILES. THEIR SHIP IS CRUSHED IN THE ICE AND THE CREW SEPARATED INTO TWO GROUPS. THEY MANAGE TO SURVIVE THE WINTER AND MAKE THEIR WAY TO SNOW HILL ISLAND. THE WHOLE PARTY IS RESCUED IN 1903 BY THE ARGENTINEAN RELIEF SHIP, THE URUGUAY.

NOVEMBER 1902
IN THE FIRST SERIOUS ATTEMPT ON THE SOUTH POLE, ROBERT SCOTT, EDWARD WILSON AND ERNEST SHACKLETON LEAVE MC MURDO SOUND AND HEAD SOUTH ACROSS THE ROSS ICE SHELF. TWO MONTHS LATER, STILL ON THE ICE SHELF AT 82°SOUTH, SUFFERING BADLY FROM SNOW-BLINDNESS, SCURVY, RHEUMATISM AND HUNGER, THEY ARE FORCED TO RETURN HOME. ALTHOUGH FAILING TO REACH THE POLE, SCOTT’S FIRST EXPEDITION HAS COVERED 5000 KMS OR 3100 MILES WITH SLEDGE TEAMS, HAVING CONDUCTED A THOROUGH SCIENTIFIC PROGRAM.

0CTOBER 1903
HAVING SENT SHACKLETON HOME, SCOTT SETS OUT WITH A SMALL PARTY ACROSS MC MURDO SOUND, TO CLIMB THE FERRAR GLACIER. THEY ASCEND 2000 METERS OR 6560 FEET ONTO THE POLAR ICECAP AND SLEDGE INLAND FOR TWO WEEKS, THE FIRST JOURNEY EVER ON THE ICE-CAP.

1904 THE BIRTH OF MODERN ANTARCTIC WHALING
CARL LARSEN SETS UP THE FIRST SHORE-BASED WHALING STATION AT GRYTVIKEN ON SOUTH GEORGIA. WITHIN 10 YEARS, OVER 20 STATIONS AND FACTORY SHIPS ARE OPERATING AROUND THE SUBANTARCTIC ISLANDS

MARCH 1908
A PARTY LED BY EDGEWORTH DAVID, INCLUDING DOUGLAS MAWSON, FROM ERNEST SHACKLETON’S NIMROD EXPEDITION, ASCENDS MT. EREBUS FOR THE FIRST TIME

OCTOBER 1908
ERNEST SHACKLETON, FRANK WILD, ERIC MARSHALL AND JAMESON ADAMS BEGIN THEIR ATTEMPT TO REACH THE SOUTH POLE. IN A MONTH THEY PASSED SCOTT’S 1903 FURTHEST SOUTH AND ON 4 DECEMBER BEGAN THEIR ASCENT VIA THE BEARDMORE GLACIER, ONTO THE POLAR PLATEAU. THEY LOST A PONY DOWN A CREVASSE WITH LARGE PORTION OF FOOD SUPPLY. THEY PRESSED ON SOUTH, REACHING A POINT 97 NAUTICAL MILES OR 180 KMS FROM THEIR GOAL BEFORE TURNING NORTH DUE TO ILLNESS, FROSTBITE AND STARVATION. AFTER A DESPERATE STRUGGLE THEY GET BACK TO THEIR WAITING SHIP.

KING EDWARD VII KNIGHTS SHACKLETON ON HIS RETURN

JANUARY 1909
ON THE SAME EXPEDITION, EDGEWORTH DAVID, DOUGLAS MAWSON AND ALISTAIR MCKAY REACH THE SOUTH MAGNETIC POLE AFTER SLEDGING FOR 3 MONTHS ACROSS VICTORIA LAND.

SEPTEMBER 1910

ROALD AMUNDSEN INFORMS THE STUNNED MEMBERS OF HIS FRAM EXPEDITION, THAT HE PLANS TO HEAD FOR THE SOUTH POLE RATHER THAN THE NORTH POLE, AS OFFICIALLY ANNOUNCED.

BEGINNING 0CTOBER 1910

HIS BROTHER LEON AMUNDSEN CABLES THE NEWS TO ROBERT SCOTT IN MELBOURNE.

JUNE 1911
WILSON, BOWERS AND APSLEY CHERRY-GARRARD SET OUT TO COLLECT EMPEROR PENGUIN EGGS AT CAPE CROZIER, EMBARKING ON WHAT WAS LATER DESCRIBED AS `THE WORST JOURNEY IN THE WORLD’.

14 DECEMBER 1911
AFTER 57 DAYS, AMUNDSEN WITH 4 COMPANIONS AND 18 DOGS, PLANTS THE NORWEGIAN FLAG AT THE SOUTH POLE, PIONEERING A NEW, SHORTER ROUTE ONTO THE POLAR PLATEAU VIA THE AXEL HEIBERG GLACIER. AMUNDSEN LEAVES LETTERS FOR SCOTT TO DELIVER FOR HIM.

18 JANUARY 1912
SCOTT, WILSON, BOWERS, EVANS AND OATES REACH THE SOUTH POLE ONLY TO DISCOVER THE NORWEGIAN FLAG FLYING AND A TENT CONTAINING THE LETTERS AMUNDSEN HAS LEFT. THE PARTY TURNS TO TACKLE THE LONG SLEDGE JOURNEY HOME.

MARCH 1912
SCOTT, WILSON AND BOWERS DIE IN THEIR TENT, THEIR FUEL EXHAUSTED AND ONLY 11 MILES OR 18 KM FROM THEIR NEXT DEPOT.

APRIL 1912
MEMBERS OF SCOTT’S NORTHERN PARTY GIVE UP HOPE OF BEING COLLECTED BY THE TERRA NOVA, AS ARRANGED. THEY PREPARE FOR WINTER BY DIGGING A CAVE OUT OF A SNOW BANK, AND WITH A SUPPLY OF PENGUIN AND SEAL MEAT, LIVE IN IT FOR 6 MONTHS!

NOVEMBER 1912
SEARCH PARTY DISCOVERS RETURNING POLAR TEAM’S TENT, BODIES, DIARIES AND THEIR FATE.

DECEMBER 1912
DOUGLAS MAWSON BEGINS HIS SOLITARY TREK ACROSS GEORGE V LAND BACK TO HIS BASE AT COMMONWEALTH BAY. ILL AND DESPERATELY SHORT OF FOOD, HE HAS LOST HIS TWO COMPANIONS, MERTZ AND NINNIS. DESPITE THE TRAGEDY, TWO MAJOR TRAVERSES ARE CARRIED OUT, A NEW SECTION OF THE COAST IS DISCOVERED AND RADIO IS USED IN ANTARCTIC FOR THE FIRST TIME.

OCTOBER 1915
SHACKLETON EMBARKING IN HIS IMPERIAL TRANS-ANTARCTIC EXPEDITION, ABANDONS HIS SHIP THE ENDURANCE, WHEN IT IS CRUSHED BY ICE IN THE WEDDELL SEA AFTER DRIFTING FOR 9 MONTHS. 28 MEN CAMP ON THE FLOATING ICE FOR A FURTHER 5 MONTHS BEFORE THE ICE-BREAK-UP FORCES THEM TO TAKE TO THE BOATS AND THEY EMBARK ON THEIR VOYAGE TO ELEPHANT ISLAND.

DECEMBER 1915
SHACKLETON’S ROSS SEA SHORE PARTY, UNAWARE OF THE ENDURANCE’S FATE, BEGINS THEIR MAIN DEPOT-LAYING JOURNEY. DESPITE THE LOSS OF THEIR OWN SHIP AND ITS PROVISIONS, THEY FAITHFULLY LAID DEPOTS FOR THE ENDURANCE PARTY THEY WERE EXPECTING TO CROSS THE CONTINENT. 3 MEMBERS DIED BUT THEY WERE EVENTUALLY RESCUED IN 1917.

APRIL 1916
SHACKLETON AND 5 MEN LEAVE ELEPHANT ISLAND IN THE 6.7 METER OR 22 FOOT JAMES CAIRD, FOR SOUTH GEORGIA AND RESCUE. WITH FOOD FOR ONLY 30 DAYS THEY REACH THERE IN 15 DAYS AND SHACKLETON, TOM CREAN AND FRANK WORSELY CROSS THE ISLAND – THE FIRST EVER TO DO SO – TO CIVILIZATION AT STROMNESS WHALING STATION.

AUGUST 1916
ON THE FOURTH ATTEMPT SHACKLETON REACHES ELEPHANT ISLAND IN THE CHILEAN STEAMER YELCHO AND RESCUES ALL 22 SURVIVORS OF THE ENDURANCE, WHO HAVE ENDURED THE WINTER SHELTERING UNDER UPTURNED BOATS.

JANUARY 1922
ERNEST SHACKLETON DIES FROM A HEART ATTACK ON BOARD THE QUEST AND IS BURIED ON SOUTH GEORGIA AT HIS WIDOW’S REQUEST. THE EXPEDITION CONTINUES UNDER FAITHFUL DEPUTY, FRANK WILD.

0CTOBER 1903 HAVING SENT SHACKLETON HOME, SCOTT SETS OUT WITH A SMALL PARTY ACROSS MC MURDO SOUND, TO CLIMB THE FERRAR GLACIER. THEY ASCEND 2000 METERS OR 6560 FEET ONTO THE POLAR ICECAP AND SLEDGE INLAND FOR TWO WEEKS, THE FIRST JOURNEY EVER ON THE ICE-CAP.

MARCH 1908 A PARTY LED BY EDGEWORTH DAVID, INCLUDING DOUGLAS MAWSON, FROM ERNEST SHACKLETON’S NIMROD EXPEDITION, ASCENDS MT. EREBUS FOR THE FIRST TIME

JANUARY 1909 ON THE SAME EXPEDITION, EDGEWORTH DAVID, DOUGLAS MAWSON AND ALISTAIR MCKAY REACH THE SOUTH MAGNETIC POLE AFTER SLEDGING FOR 3 MONTHS ACROSS VICTORIA LAND.

SEPTEMBER 1910

ROALD AMUNDSEN INFORMS THE STUNNED MEMBERS OF HIS FRAM EXPEDITION, THAT HE PLANS TO HEAD FOR THE SOUTH POLE RATHER THAN THE NORTH POLE, AS OFFICIALLY ANNOUNCED.

BEGINNING 0CTOBER 1910

HIS BROTHER LEON AMUNDSEN CABLES THE NEWS TO ROBERT SCOTT IN MELBOURNE.

JUNE 1911 WILSON, BOWERS AND APSLEY CHERRY-GARRARD SET OUT TO COLLECT EMPEROR PENGUIN EGGS AT CAPE CROZIER, EMBARKING ON WHAT WAS LATER DESCRIBED AS `THE WORST JOURNEY IN THE WORLD’.

18 JANUARY 1912 SCOTT, WILSON, BOWERS, EVANS AND OATES REACH THE SOUTH POLE ONLY TO DISCOVER THE NORWEGIAN FLAG FLYING AND A TENT CONTAINING THE LETTERS AMUNDSEN HAS LEFT. THE PARTY TURNS TO TACKLE THE LONG SLEDGE JOURNEY HOME.

MARCH 1912 SCOTT, WILSON AND BOWERS DIE IN THEIR TENT, THEIR FUEL EXHAUSTED AND ONLY 11 MILES OR 18 KM FROM THEIR NEXT DEPOT.

APRIL 1912 MEMBERS OF SCOTT’S NORTHERN PARTY GIVE UP HOPE OF BEING COLLECTED BY THE TERRA NOVA, AS ARRANGED. THEY PREPARE FOR WINTER BY DIGGING A CAVE OUT OF A SNOW BANK, AND WITH A SUPPLY OF PENGUIN AND SEAL MEAT, LIVE IN IT FOR 6 MONTHS!

NOVEMBER 1912 SEARCH PARTY DISCOVERS RETURNING POLAR TEAM’S TENT, BODIES, DIARIES AND THEIR FATE.

AUGUST 1916 ON THE FOURTH ATTEMPT SHACKLETON REACHES ELEPHANT ISLAND IN THE CHILEAN STEAMER YELCHO AND RESCUES ALL 22 SURVIVORS OF THE ENDURANCE, WHO HAVE ENDURED THE WINTER SHELTERING UNDER UPTURNED BOATS.

JANUARY 1922 ERNEST SHACKLETON DIES FROM A HEART ATTACK ON BOARD THE QUEST AND IS BURIED ON SOUTH GEORGIA AT HIS WIDOW’S REQUEST. THE EXPEDITION CONTINUES UNDER FAITHFUL DEPUTY, FRANK WILD.