Todays additional history lesson: 14 Dec 1911 Norwegian Ronald Amundsen becomes the first explorer to reach the South Pole, beating his British rival, Robert Falcon Scott. Amundsen in June 1910 sailed for Antarctica, where the explorer Robert F. Scott was also headed with the aim of reaching the South Pole. In early 1911, Amundsen sailed his ship into Antarcticas Bay of Whales and set up base camp 60 miles closer to the pole than Scott. In October, both explorers set off--Amundsen using sleigh dogs, and Scott employing Siberian motor sledges, Siberian ponies, and dogs. On December 14, 1911, Amundsens expedition won the race to the Pole and returned safely to base camp in late January. Scotts expedition was less fortunate. The motor sleds broke down, the ponies had to be shot, and the dog teams were sent back as Scott and four companions continued on foot. On January 18, 1912, they reached the pole only to find that Amundsen had beaten them by over a month. Weather on the return journey was exceptionally bad On 15 March Oates told the others that he could not continue, suggesting that they leave him in his sleeping-bag and go on without him. They refused. The following night, Oates said to his colleagues: I am just going outside and may be some time, without going through the painful exertion of putting on his boots, he stepped outside into a raging blizzard and temperatures of -40.0 °C to face certain death. Oates self-sacrifice did not save his colleagues from a similar fate and a storm later trapped Scott and the other two survivors in their tent only 11 miles from their base camp. Scotts frozen body was found later that year. Oates died a bachelor the day before his 32nd birthday, probably still unaware that he had fathered a child with Scottish girl when he was about 20, a fact that emerged many years later. His memorable phrase lives on as one of the most famous last words of a heroic understatement.
Posted on: Sun, 14 Dec 2014 10:11:16 +0000
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