1 00:00:00,120 --> 00:00:01,920 Speaker 1: This Day in History Class is a production of I 2 00:00:02,040 --> 00:00:08,000 Speaker 1: Heart Radio. Welcome to This Day in History Class, where 3 00:00:08,039 --> 00:00:11,680 Speaker 1: we bring you a new tipbit from history every day. 4 00:00:13,720 --> 00:00:25,840 Speaker 1: Today is July eleventh, nineteen. The day was July eleventh. 5 00:00:26,880 --> 00:00:33,440 Speaker 1: Swedish balloonists Solomon August Andre, engineer Canute Frankel, and photographer 6 00:00:33,520 --> 00:00:37,879 Speaker 1: Niels Stromberg left Denskoya, also known as Dame's Island in 7 00:00:37,920 --> 00:00:41,760 Speaker 1: a hydrogen balloon. The plan was to travel from small 8 00:00:41,800 --> 00:00:45,520 Speaker 1: bar to Russia, Canada or Alaska, passing over the North 9 00:00:45,560 --> 00:00:49,400 Speaker 1: Pole on the way. At the time, people were obsessed 10 00:00:49,520 --> 00:00:52,559 Speaker 1: with reaching the North and South Poles, but nobody had 11 00:00:52,640 --> 00:00:57,000 Speaker 1: yet done it. Unfortunately, Andre and his cruise journey would 12 00:00:57,080 --> 00:01:00,600 Speaker 1: end in their demise. Andre rode in a balloon for 13 00:01:00,600 --> 00:01:04,399 Speaker 1: the first time in eight two, soon after he bought 14 00:01:04,440 --> 00:01:08,479 Speaker 1: his own balloon called the Sevilla. He took nine trips 15 00:01:08,520 --> 00:01:11,520 Speaker 1: in it on his own, making observations and updates the 16 00:01:11,560 --> 00:01:15,640 Speaker 1: balloon along the way. At the time, steering was a 17 00:01:15,680 --> 00:01:18,440 Speaker 1: big problem that balloonists needed to solve in order to 18 00:01:18,440 --> 00:01:23,120 Speaker 1: control balloons better. On his sixth trip, Andre used drag 19 00:01:23,200 --> 00:01:25,399 Speaker 1: ropes to slow the balloon in a sale to try 20 00:01:25,440 --> 00:01:29,560 Speaker 1: to steer it drag ropes hang from the balloon basket 21 00:01:29,600 --> 00:01:32,280 Speaker 1: and drag on the ground. Since the ropes were heavy 22 00:01:32,360 --> 00:01:35,000 Speaker 1: and created friction, they slowed the balloon to the point 23 00:01:35,000 --> 00:01:37,240 Speaker 1: where the sales could keep it from just traveling with 24 00:01:37,280 --> 00:01:41,640 Speaker 1: the wind. But drag ropes weren't particularly effective in controlling 25 00:01:41,640 --> 00:01:45,400 Speaker 1: a balloon. Andre took his last trip in a Seville 26 00:01:45,520 --> 00:01:48,880 Speaker 1: in March of eight. He was sure he could use 27 00:01:48,880 --> 00:01:52,160 Speaker 1: a balloon to travel long distances and discover new places, 28 00:01:52,600 --> 00:01:58,760 Speaker 1: including the North Pole. By seven, people had already unsuccessfully 29 00:01:58,760 --> 00:02:02,320 Speaker 1: attempted to reach the North Pole. Sweden was behind an 30 00:02:02,400 --> 00:02:07,080 Speaker 1: Arctic exploration and eager to up its game. Despite Andre's 31 00:02:07,120 --> 00:02:10,640 Speaker 1: relative inexperience with ballooning and the ineffectiveness of drag ropes, 32 00:02:10,960 --> 00:02:13,239 Speaker 1: he was convinced he could raise the money to fly 33 00:02:13,360 --> 00:02:17,520 Speaker 1: to the North Pole in a balloon. Dynamite inventor Alfred 34 00:02:17,560 --> 00:02:20,680 Speaker 1: Noble and Oscar the Second, the King of Sweden, helped 35 00:02:20,800 --> 00:02:23,120 Speaker 1: finance the construction of a balloon to take on a 36 00:02:23,160 --> 00:02:26,679 Speaker 1: polar expedition. The balloon was built in Paris from six 37 00:02:26,760 --> 00:02:30,160 Speaker 1: hundred pieces of fortified silk, and it was called the Eagle. 38 00:02:31,360 --> 00:02:33,440 Speaker 1: A five story house was built for the balloon on 39 00:02:33,560 --> 00:02:38,120 Speaker 1: Dane's Island in Norway's Ballbard Archipelago. The house protected the 40 00:02:38,120 --> 00:02:42,400 Speaker 1: balloon from when interference while it was being filled. Andre 41 00:02:42,560 --> 00:02:47,680 Speaker 1: chose meteorologist Niel's Icomb an assistant professor of physics Niels Stromberg, 42 00:02:47,680 --> 00:02:49,680 Speaker 1: to accompany him on his trip to the North Pole, 43 00:02:50,360 --> 00:02:52,640 Speaker 1: but after the team could not get the right winds 44 00:02:52,680 --> 00:02:55,720 Speaker 1: to set off on their trip in eight Andre had 45 00:02:55,760 --> 00:02:57,799 Speaker 1: to go back to Sweden to raise more money, and 46 00:02:58,120 --> 00:03:02,480 Speaker 1: Icomb quit the expedition. He was replaced by civil engineer 47 00:03:02,520 --> 00:03:06,760 Speaker 1: Canute Frankel. Schronberg would take photographs and Frankel would record 48 00:03:06,800 --> 00:03:10,800 Speaker 1: scientific observations. The crew got back to Dave's Island in 49 00:03:10,840 --> 00:03:14,919 Speaker 1: May of Stronderberg estimated that it would take them from 50 00:03:14,960 --> 00:03:18,680 Speaker 1: thirty to sixty hours to reach the North Pole. He wrote, 51 00:03:19,400 --> 00:03:22,280 Speaker 1: once having reached the northernmost point, we don't care what 52 00:03:22,320 --> 00:03:25,600 Speaker 1: the wind carries us. Of course, we would rather land 53 00:03:25,639 --> 00:03:28,600 Speaker 1: in Alaska, near the Mackenzie River, where we would very 54 00:03:28,680 --> 00:03:32,640 Speaker 1: likely meet American whalers who are favorably disposed towards the expedition. 55 00:03:33,240 --> 00:03:36,040 Speaker 1: It would really be a glorious thing to succeed so well. 56 00:03:36,840 --> 00:03:39,120 Speaker 1: But even if we were obliged to leave the balloon 57 00:03:39,160 --> 00:03:43,240 Speaker 1: and proceed over ice. We shouldn't consider ourselves lost. We 58 00:03:43,320 --> 00:03:46,800 Speaker 1: have sledges and provision for four months, guns and ammunition, 59 00:03:47,200 --> 00:03:50,200 Speaker 1: hence are just as well equipped as other expeditions as 60 00:03:50,240 --> 00:03:54,040 Speaker 1: far as that is concerned. On July eleven, the balloon 61 00:03:54,200 --> 00:03:57,720 Speaker 1: lifted off from Day's Island, carrying the three men. It 62 00:03:57,840 --> 00:04:01,000 Speaker 1: lost three of its four guide ropes, lost gas from 63 00:04:01,040 --> 00:04:03,920 Speaker 1: some of its seams, and became frozen and water logged. 64 00:04:03,920 --> 00:04:08,000 Speaker 1: As the expedition traveled north and higher in altitude, the 65 00:04:08,040 --> 00:04:10,720 Speaker 1: gas leaked so much that the basket ended up striking 66 00:04:10,760 --> 00:04:14,600 Speaker 1: the Arctic ice. After sixty five hours and thirty three 67 00:04:14,600 --> 00:04:17,960 Speaker 1: minutes of travel over five hundred and seventeen miles or 68 00:04:18,080 --> 00:04:21,920 Speaker 1: at two kilometers, they were forced to bail from the balloon. 69 00:04:23,000 --> 00:04:25,560 Speaker 1: There were still hundreds of miles south of the North Pole. 70 00:04:26,640 --> 00:04:29,760 Speaker 1: They started out heading southeast towards a depot they had 71 00:04:29,839 --> 00:04:33,080 Speaker 1: arranged for on an archipelago in Russia, but because the 72 00:04:33,120 --> 00:04:36,240 Speaker 1: ice was drifting, they were heading west faster than they 73 00:04:36,240 --> 00:04:40,080 Speaker 1: were east, so they headed southwest for another depot, but 74 00:04:40,240 --> 00:04:43,240 Speaker 1: that too proved a useless journey, as the ice sent 75 00:04:43,279 --> 00:04:48,279 Speaker 1: them south southeast. Surviving in the harsh freezing temperatures was difficult. 76 00:04:48,800 --> 00:04:51,760 Speaker 1: They ate bears, seals, and ivory goals, and they camped 77 00:04:51,800 --> 00:04:55,880 Speaker 1: on ice flows. Frankel and Andre got diarrhea, which got 78 00:04:55,920 --> 00:04:58,599 Speaker 1: so bad they took morphine and opium for it, a 79 00:04:58,640 --> 00:05:01,920 Speaker 1: blister on Frankel's foot and him incapable of pulling his sledge. 80 00:05:02,960 --> 00:05:06,200 Speaker 1: As conditions got worse, they planned on wintering on Thetoya 81 00:05:06,640 --> 00:05:09,240 Speaker 1: or White Island, and continuing the journey in the spring. 82 00:05:10,440 --> 00:05:14,640 Speaker 1: Andre's last diary entry was for Friday, October eight. When 83 00:05:14,640 --> 00:05:16,960 Speaker 1: they died is unknown, but they could not have lasted 84 00:05:17,040 --> 00:05:20,800 Speaker 1: much longer after they reached White Island. It's also not 85 00:05:20,880 --> 00:05:23,800 Speaker 1: clear how they died, though it was likely not by 86 00:05:23,880 --> 00:05:27,720 Speaker 1: murder or suicide. It could have been from poisoning by 87 00:05:27,720 --> 00:05:32,640 Speaker 1: metal cans, drowning, dehydration, batulism, or a polar bear attack, 88 00:05:32,760 --> 00:05:37,039 Speaker 1: among other potential causes. In nineteen thirty, the crew of 89 00:05:37,080 --> 00:05:40,320 Speaker 1: a ship called the Broad Fog found the remains of Andre, Frankel, 90 00:05:40,400 --> 00:05:44,240 Speaker 1: and Stromberg, their campsite, their journals, and Stromberg's film on 91 00:05:44,279 --> 00:05:50,480 Speaker 1: White Island. Ninety three of Stromberg's photos were recoverable. I'm 92 00:05:50,520 --> 00:05:52,680 Speaker 1: Eves Jeff Coo and hopefully you know a little more 93 00:05:52,680 --> 00:05:56,640 Speaker 1: about history today than you did yesterday. You can find 94 00:05:56,800 --> 00:06:01,240 Speaker 1: us on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook at T d i 95 00:06:01,800 --> 00:06:06,479 Speaker 1: h C podcast. Thanks for joining me on this trip 96 00:06:06,520 --> 00:06:17,320 Speaker 1: through history. See you here, same place tomorrow. For more 97 00:06:17,360 --> 00:06:19,880 Speaker 1: podcasts from my Heart Radio, visit the I Heart Radio app, 98 00:06:19,920 --> 00:06:22,559 Speaker 1: Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.