Sir Edmund Hillary
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Famous Polar Explorers

Famous Polar Explorers: “I think the whole attitude towards climbing Mount Everest has become rather horrifying. The people just want to get to the top. It was wrong if there was a man suffering altitude problems and was huddled under a rock, just to lift your hat, say good morning and pass on by”.

Famous Polar Explorers

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The Arctic region of the Earth is one of the most unique regions of the world. According to historians and historical records, men have explored the northern extremes since 325 BC, when the ancient Greek sailor Pytheas reached a frozen sea while attempting to find a source of the metal tin.

Antarctica is the coldest, highest, driest continent on the face of the Earth, making it extremely appealing to explorers. In this section on Famous Polar Explorers, explorers of both Arctic and Antarctic regions have been dealt with.

Famous Polar Explorers

In the Polar region, there are no trees, no rivers, no cities, and very little life. Although technology has progressed much today, not all parts of these continents have been explored by mankind.

It takes both courage and will to lead a journey to these places filled with thousands of ice pieces and ice like waters.

Some of the Explorers of the Arctic Region Are:

1. Sir Edmund Hillary

Sir Edmund Hillary is a name no student will ever forget for his unbeatable achievement of conquering Mt. Everest for the first time. Hillary was born on the 20 of July 1919. He was a mountaineer, philanthropist, and an explorer.

Sir Edmund Hillary
Sir Edmund Hillary

He led the New Zealand section of the Commonwealth Trans-Antarctic expedition, in 1958. Hilary’s section was the first to reach the pole since Scot, in 1912, making him the third man to ever reach the pole.

2. Robert Falcon Scott

Robert Falcon Scott was born on June 6, 1868, and lived until March 29, 1912. Robert Falcon Scott’s first expedition to the Antarctic was in 1901. But due to various reasons like lack of supplies and lack of experience, it was not a success.

Robert Falcon Scott
Robert Falcon Scott

However, Upon his return, Scott was promoted to Captain, became very popular with the public, and wrote: “The Voyage of Discovery” (published in 1905). His Second expedition was in 1910 when Robert Scott started his journey to America on the ship called the Terra Nova.

Though he along with his team reached the pole on January 18, 1912, they were sorely disappointed to find Amundsen’s Norwegian flag. All the travelers died for there were no supplies. They were found dead in there sleeping bags by a rescue party on November 12, 1912.

3. James Cook

James Cook was born on October 27, 1728. He was also an astronomer and went on many expeditions to the Pacific Ocean, Antarctic, Arctic, and around the world.

James Cook
James Cook

4. Roald Amundsen

Roald Amundsen lived from 1872-1928. Amundsen has a unique achievement of the first man to reach both the north and the South Pole in his lifetime.

Roald Amundsen
Roald Amundsen

He was also the first person to sail around the world through the Northeast and Northwest passages, from the Atlantic to the Pacific in 1905. He died as part of a rescue mission near Bear Island.

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