The History of Antarctic Exploration

There’s no agreement on who first laid eyes on Antarctica, but the so-called "heroic era" of Antarctic exploration began in the early 1900s, when Robert Scott and Ernest Shackleton led several high-profile expeditions into the heart of the continent.

Discoveries made on these journeys helped establish Antarctica as scientific territory, and paved the way for the thousands of scientists, journalists, artists, and even tourists who have followed.

The links below will take you on a variety of journeys through early travels to the Last Continent.

General history:

Antarctica Online
History Tales of early exploration, whale hunting, seal and whale hunting, and human impact, right up to the present http://www.antarcticaonline.com/antarctica/history/history.htm

About Shackleton:

Shackleton's Antarctic Odyssey
A Nova program about the famous English explorers expedition

The Endurance
An interactive site produced by Kodak about Shackleton's voyage. Requires the Flash player.

The Endurance: Shackleton's Legendary Expedition
The site to accompany an exhibition by the American Museum of Natural History

Walking Out of History
A public radio documentary and website about Shackleton's expedition

About preservation in Antarctica:

The Antarctica Heritage Trust
A international organization devoted to preserving historical sites on the continent