Exploration

James Cook Crosses the Antarctic Circle (1773): Captain James Cook became the first known person to cross the Antarctic Circle on January 17, 1773. This achievement occurred during Cook's second…

Ernest Shackleton's Trans-Antarctic Expedition Sets Sail (1914): On January 9, 1914, Sir Ernest Shackleton's Trans-Antarctic Expedition embarked from London on the ship Endurance. The goal of the expedition was to…

1929: First Flight Over the South Pole The first-ever flight over the South Pole was completed on November 29, 1929, by Commander Richard E. Byrd and his crew. This historic…

1872: Wilhelm Reiss Summits Cotopaxi On November 28, 1872, Wilhelm Reiss, a German geologist and explorer, became the first known person to reach the summit of Cotopaxi in Ecuador, one…