1 00:00:00,560 --> 00:00:03,760 Speaker 1: Welcome to Stuff You Missed in History Class from how 2 00:00:03,800 --> 00:00:13,840 Speaker 1: Stuff Works dot com. Hello and welcome to the podcast. 3 00:00:13,960 --> 00:00:16,720 Speaker 1: I'm Sarah Dowdy and I'm delanea Chocolate boarding and to Blina. 4 00:00:16,760 --> 00:00:19,599 Speaker 1: I don't know if you've heard of Felicity Austin. I 5 00:00:19,680 --> 00:00:22,360 Speaker 1: heard this dispatch from her on the radio the other week. 6 00:00:22,760 --> 00:00:26,240 Speaker 1: I haven't heard of her. She's a polar explorer, British 7 00:00:26,239 --> 00:00:31,160 Speaker 1: woman who's trying to make a solo ski track across Antarctica, 8 00:00:31,640 --> 00:00:34,640 Speaker 1: and of course, being a modern day lady, she's got 9 00:00:34,720 --> 00:00:37,720 Speaker 1: high tech equipment. For instance, she can tweet. I checked 10 00:00:37,720 --> 00:00:40,440 Speaker 1: out her Twitter feed this morning, in fact, and there 11 00:00:40,560 --> 00:00:44,400 Speaker 1: was an update from just a couple hours before. But still, 12 00:00:44,640 --> 00:00:48,160 Speaker 1: she's out there in Antarctica, all alone, with more than 13 00:00:48,600 --> 00:00:52,239 Speaker 1: one thousand miles to ski, certainly of physically difficult and 14 00:00:52,280 --> 00:00:55,680 Speaker 1: a mentally challenging thing to do. So it kind of 15 00:00:55,680 --> 00:00:59,120 Speaker 1: got me thinking. We've talked a lot about polar explorers 16 00:00:59,120 --> 00:01:03,040 Speaker 1: on the podcast. Keep really seem to love episodes about 17 00:01:03,200 --> 00:01:07,600 Speaker 1: polar explorers and their exploits, but the stories are usually 18 00:01:07,760 --> 00:01:12,080 Speaker 1: pretty grim, as you'd imagine, they're punctuated by this glory 19 00:01:12,120 --> 00:01:15,240 Speaker 1: above all attitude that a lot of times gets the 20 00:01:15,440 --> 00:01:19,760 Speaker 1: explorers or maybe even more often their crew, all of 21 00:01:19,760 --> 00:01:23,280 Speaker 1: their men killed at the end. And that's maybe why 22 00:01:23,319 --> 00:01:26,200 Speaker 1: when I suggested today's topic to you is something for 23 00:01:26,280 --> 00:01:29,960 Speaker 1: us to do a podcast on um polar explorer for 24 00:01:30,120 --> 00:01:34,400 Speaker 1: chi Off Nonsen, you were hoping maybe there'd be an exclamation, 25 00:01:34,520 --> 00:01:37,319 Speaker 1: and it did seem kind of promising, And I see exclamation. 26 00:01:37,520 --> 00:01:39,800 Speaker 1: I mean, I can't blame you for for thinking that. 27 00:01:39,920 --> 00:01:42,520 Speaker 1: But the first thing that I think everybody needs to 28 00:01:42,600 --> 00:01:46,360 Speaker 1: understand about Nonsen is that he was a different breed 29 00:01:46,400 --> 00:01:49,400 Speaker 1: of polar explorer. In fact, I almost think he has 30 00:01:49,520 --> 00:01:53,760 Speaker 1: less in common with his contemporaries or the polar explorers 31 00:01:53,800 --> 00:01:55,760 Speaker 1: who came before him, who were just sort of like, 32 00:01:56,120 --> 00:01:59,000 Speaker 1: get out there, run over whatever you need to to 33 00:01:59,040 --> 00:02:02,280 Speaker 1: get there, Bring lots of men, it doesn't matter if 34 00:02:02,280 --> 00:02:05,880 Speaker 1: they die, just achieve your goal. Um. I think he 35 00:02:05,920 --> 00:02:08,000 Speaker 1: has less in common with those guys than he does 36 00:02:08,080 --> 00:02:12,320 Speaker 1: with modern Arctic adventurers. So people like Felicity Aston, who 37 00:02:12,360 --> 00:02:15,160 Speaker 1: are just you know, trying to hope, trying to inspire 38 00:02:15,200 --> 00:02:19,799 Speaker 1: other people to achieve UM great things, or maybe more 39 00:02:20,280 --> 00:02:24,600 Speaker 1: more likely real scientists who are out there collecting real data. Yes, 40 00:02:24,720 --> 00:02:27,520 Speaker 1: so Nonson wasn't just out there for the recognition, and 41 00:02:27,560 --> 00:02:30,720 Speaker 1: consequently he wasn't willing to throw his life away, although 42 00:02:30,919 --> 00:02:33,000 Speaker 1: he did have some close calls, which will take a 43 00:02:33,000 --> 00:02:36,280 Speaker 1: look at later. As a result, Nonson also had the 44 00:02:36,280 --> 00:02:39,360 Speaker 1: odd distinction of being a polar explorer with a late 45 00:02:39,440 --> 00:02:43,600 Speaker 1: life story that's really more impressive even than his youthful adventures. 46 00:02:43,639 --> 00:02:48,239 Speaker 1: He became a diplomat, a humanitarian, a Nobel Peace Prize winner, 47 00:02:48,760 --> 00:02:51,120 Speaker 1: and so it's a life that has earned us a 48 00:02:51,160 --> 00:02:54,840 Speaker 1: two part of it with that kind of accomplishment, going 49 00:02:54,880 --> 00:02:57,640 Speaker 1: to break it up into two episodes whereth so it 50 00:02:57,760 --> 00:03:01,280 Speaker 1: all starts though on the skis forty off. Nonsen was 51 00:03:01,360 --> 00:03:05,200 Speaker 1: born October tenth, eighteen sixty one, near Christagna, which is 52 00:03:05,560 --> 00:03:08,680 Speaker 1: now Oslo in Norway. And at the time I think 53 00:03:08,680 --> 00:03:11,760 Speaker 1: it's kind of a developed suburban area now, but at 54 00:03:11,760 --> 00:03:13,840 Speaker 1: the time it was pretty rural. There were woods that 55 00:03:13,880 --> 00:03:17,680 Speaker 1: backed up to his family's property, a lot of countryside, 56 00:03:18,120 --> 00:03:21,079 Speaker 1: and his father was a lawyer. His mother was an 57 00:03:21,120 --> 00:03:25,800 Speaker 1: aristocratic athlete, and so he came from a comfortable background 58 00:03:25,919 --> 00:03:29,120 Speaker 1: but one that was still pretty rigorous to Both of 59 00:03:29,160 --> 00:03:34,200 Speaker 1: his parents emphasized uh good morals and um kind of 60 00:03:34,200 --> 00:03:38,040 Speaker 1: a kind of a simple lifestyle almost. They both had 61 00:03:38,120 --> 00:03:41,880 Speaker 1: kids from earlier marriages and everybody, all the kids were 62 00:03:42,040 --> 00:03:45,920 Speaker 1: encouraged to participate in sports which were really getting a 63 00:03:45,960 --> 00:03:48,600 Speaker 1: lot more popular at this time with the upper classes, 64 00:03:48,760 --> 00:03:53,360 Speaker 1: especially winter sports in Norway, and all of that dovetailed 65 00:03:53,360 --> 00:03:56,560 Speaker 1: to a bit with a nature craze. Perfect place to 66 00:03:56,600 --> 00:04:00,920 Speaker 1: grow up with these woods and countryside and opportunities to 67 00:04:00,920 --> 00:04:03,760 Speaker 1: get out there and experience nature all around him. And 68 00:04:03,840 --> 00:04:06,839 Speaker 1: Nonson didn't just grow up playing one sport. He grew 69 00:04:06,880 --> 00:04:12,440 Speaker 1: up swimming, tumbling, fishing, hiking, skating, and skiing. Ultimately he 70 00:04:12,480 --> 00:04:14,920 Speaker 1: got to a point where he could ski fifty miles 71 00:04:14,960 --> 00:04:17,680 Speaker 1: a day with just his dog for company. So imagine 72 00:04:18,000 --> 00:04:21,440 Speaker 1: skiing the distance of a marathon and then skiing back again. 73 00:04:21,520 --> 00:04:23,279 Speaker 1: And I mean, I haven't done it, but I've always 74 00:04:23,279 --> 00:04:26,919 Speaker 1: heard that cross country skiing is incredibly grueling, one of 75 00:04:26,960 --> 00:04:30,560 Speaker 1: the highest calorie burning sports that's out there. Yeah, I 76 00:04:30,600 --> 00:04:32,919 Speaker 1: haven't done it either, but it looks tough. When it 77 00:04:33,000 --> 00:04:35,440 Speaker 1: came time to choose a field of study, nonsense father 78 00:04:35,520 --> 00:04:39,760 Speaker 1: pushed him toward attending the Officers Academy, figuring tuition was 79 00:04:39,839 --> 00:04:42,200 Speaker 1: free and that the lifestyle would allow his son the 80 00:04:42,279 --> 00:04:45,360 Speaker 1: chance to continue the outdoor pursuits that he loves so much. 81 00:04:45,839 --> 00:04:48,000 Speaker 1: But nonsense art teacher, on the other hand, pushed him 82 00:04:48,040 --> 00:04:51,480 Speaker 1: to become a painter and professional artist, but Nonson decided 83 00:04:51,520 --> 00:04:54,479 Speaker 1: to go to university and study zoology instead. It was 84 00:04:54,520 --> 00:04:57,160 Speaker 1: a profession that he hoped would allow him to get 85 00:04:57,200 --> 00:05:00,279 Speaker 1: outdoors and sketch, so kind of the best of both world. 86 00:05:00,400 --> 00:05:03,400 Speaker 1: That's what he was hoping for, and he, being a 87 00:05:03,400 --> 00:05:06,760 Speaker 1: smart kid, really might have easily just gone to university 88 00:05:06,760 --> 00:05:10,279 Speaker 1: and continued in that scientific career, you know, maybe even 89 00:05:10,320 --> 00:05:14,159 Speaker 1: done so quite successfully, had it not been for an 90 00:05:14,160 --> 00:05:16,800 Speaker 1: offer that came up a year into college from one 91 00:05:16,800 --> 00:05:20,240 Speaker 1: of his father's friends who was looking for a zoology 92 00:05:20,279 --> 00:05:24,000 Speaker 1: student to join a whale and seal hunting expedition in 93 00:05:24,040 --> 00:05:27,400 Speaker 1: the Arctic Ocean aboard a ship called the Viking. Kind 94 00:05:27,400 --> 00:05:29,920 Speaker 1: of like he wanted an internal board or something almost 95 00:05:30,000 --> 00:05:33,039 Speaker 1: so Nonsen went on this four and a half month 96 00:05:33,080 --> 00:05:38,280 Speaker 1: long trip and took the time to study everything he saw, animals, 97 00:05:38,400 --> 00:05:43,159 Speaker 1: ice formations, currents, the northern lights. He'd take notes on 98 00:05:43,279 --> 00:05:46,839 Speaker 1: it all, he would do sketches, he'd take photos constantly, 99 00:05:47,440 --> 00:05:51,400 Speaker 1: really working quite diligently so when he came home he 100 00:05:51,520 --> 00:05:55,080 Speaker 1: put it all together, wrote a book and started dreaming 101 00:05:55,160 --> 00:05:57,719 Speaker 1: of going back. That was the most important part of 102 00:05:57,720 --> 00:06:01,400 Speaker 1: this expedition for him, on the Viking Arctic bug that 103 00:06:01,480 --> 00:06:04,560 Speaker 1: he caught. He also got a really sweet job after that, 104 00:06:04,640 --> 00:06:07,120 Speaker 1: and remember he's still only one year into college at 105 00:06:07,120 --> 00:06:10,040 Speaker 1: this point. His job was as the zoological curator at 106 00:06:10,040 --> 00:06:13,200 Speaker 1: the Bargain Museum. Bargain was one of Norway's most cosmopolitan 107 00:06:13,320 --> 00:06:17,320 Speaker 1: cities and had a strong scientific community, so Nanson got 108 00:06:17,360 --> 00:06:20,480 Speaker 1: to work with Daniel C. Danielson, an Arctic explorer from 109 00:06:20,480 --> 00:06:23,679 Speaker 1: the eighteen seventies, and his son in law, Dr. Gerhardt Hanson, 110 00:06:24,040 --> 00:06:27,880 Speaker 1: who discovered the leprosy Vassilists. He also made John's to 111 00:06:27,960 --> 00:06:30,520 Speaker 1: Germany and to Italy to work in some of the 112 00:06:30,560 --> 00:06:33,720 Speaker 1: continent's top labs, and the only thing that he didn't 113 00:06:33,800 --> 00:06:37,400 Speaker 1: like about this was the temperate winter. In eight four, 114 00:06:37,480 --> 00:06:41,280 Speaker 1: he skied across Norway from Bargain to Christiania in order 115 00:06:41,360 --> 00:06:44,280 Speaker 1: to take part in a ski jumping across country competition. 116 00:06:44,360 --> 00:06:48,000 Speaker 1: I think that was his first major athletic accomplishment or 117 00:06:48,120 --> 00:06:50,920 Speaker 1: public athletic accomplishment. Yeah, I got a lot of press 118 00:06:51,000 --> 00:06:53,680 Speaker 1: writing across Norway. Yes, it sounds like it would be 119 00:06:53,760 --> 00:06:57,160 Speaker 1: a difficult thing to do. But all of this time, 120 00:06:57,200 --> 00:07:02,200 Speaker 1: you know, ski jumping competitions, he was doing his research, 121 00:07:02,279 --> 00:07:05,479 Speaker 1: and in eighty eight he defended his dissertation on the 122 00:07:05,560 --> 00:07:09,880 Speaker 1: central nervous systems of certain lower vertebrates. And uh, the 123 00:07:09,960 --> 00:07:11,840 Speaker 1: really interesting thing about this, I mean, I think it 124 00:07:11,880 --> 00:07:15,680 Speaker 1: was a well received dissertation on its own, but what 125 00:07:15,840 --> 00:07:19,200 Speaker 1: interests me about it is that he translated it himself. 126 00:07:19,240 --> 00:07:23,160 Speaker 1: He spoke five different languages. He translated it into other 127 00:07:23,320 --> 00:07:27,120 Speaker 1: languages and kind of abbreviated it to made it more readable, 128 00:07:27,240 --> 00:07:30,200 Speaker 1: sort of maybe more like the Scientific American version of 129 00:07:30,280 --> 00:07:33,800 Speaker 1: his dissertation, so that it would get a wider readership 130 00:07:33,840 --> 00:07:36,360 Speaker 1: and people could see what he was working on. And 131 00:07:36,560 --> 00:07:39,560 Speaker 1: we've talked already about how great of an artist he was. 132 00:07:39,640 --> 00:07:43,520 Speaker 1: He illustrated it himself with his own lithographs, and he 133 00:07:43,720 --> 00:07:48,200 Speaker 1: used a device called a camera Lucida to copy directly 134 00:07:48,440 --> 00:07:52,720 Speaker 1: from the microscope to lithographical stone. So you can look 135 00:07:52,800 --> 00:07:56,520 Speaker 1: up his dissertation online and see these illustrations, and they 136 00:07:56,560 --> 00:07:59,800 Speaker 1: really do look like line drawings of what you would 137 00:08:00,120 --> 00:08:03,280 Speaker 1: under a microscope. So he did a really great job 138 00:08:03,320 --> 00:08:07,080 Speaker 1: with this and after that the job offer started rolling in, 139 00:08:07,400 --> 00:08:10,720 Speaker 1: but Nonson turned them down. He had something else on 140 00:08:10,840 --> 00:08:13,720 Speaker 1: his mind at the time, and that was a polar exploration. 141 00:08:13,880 --> 00:08:18,400 Speaker 1: He had caught that bag so years earlier. Actually, immediately 142 00:08:18,440 --> 00:08:22,880 Speaker 1: after returning from the Viking expedition, Nonson had started thinking 143 00:08:22,880 --> 00:08:26,600 Speaker 1: about maybe a trip to Greenland. Yeah, and he decided 144 00:08:26,600 --> 00:08:28,840 Speaker 1: to start with what he knew best, which was skiing. 145 00:08:29,280 --> 00:08:32,480 Speaker 1: In the eighteen eighties, the interior of Greenland was still unexplored, 146 00:08:32,559 --> 00:08:36,360 Speaker 1: and many people even believed that it might be ice free. Nonson, however, 147 00:08:36,400 --> 00:08:39,400 Speaker 1: believed it was not only icy but passable, and so 148 00:08:39,440 --> 00:08:42,360 Speaker 1: he decided he'd ski from Greenland's remote east coast to 149 00:08:42,400 --> 00:08:45,760 Speaker 1: its inhabited west. And this was just crazy. I mean 150 00:08:45,920 --> 00:08:47,920 Speaker 1: everyone thought that this was a crazy idea. Yeah, I 151 00:08:47,960 --> 00:08:50,720 Speaker 1: mean crazy is the right word to describe it. That 152 00:08:50,880 --> 00:08:55,360 Speaker 1: is what people people thought, or suicidal maybe, because skiing 153 00:08:55,440 --> 00:08:58,640 Speaker 1: east to west meant there would be no retreat, you know, 154 00:08:58,679 --> 00:09:02,320 Speaker 1: you couldn't decide um a few days, a few weeks 155 00:09:02,360 --> 00:09:05,040 Speaker 1: in to turn back and go back to the houses. 156 00:09:05,080 --> 00:09:08,200 Speaker 1: If winter was approaching too fast, you'd be stuck. And 157 00:09:08,240 --> 00:09:11,560 Speaker 1: then also another thing that disturbed people was that there 158 00:09:11,600 --> 00:09:14,120 Speaker 1: would be no base, and if you think about a 159 00:09:14,120 --> 00:09:17,439 Speaker 1: lot of the polar exploration episodes we've talked about, there 160 00:09:17,559 --> 00:09:20,800 Speaker 1: is usually a base and they go on these little 161 00:09:21,160 --> 00:09:25,000 Speaker 1: dashes from the base to to try to reach their goal. Uh. 162 00:09:25,120 --> 00:09:28,040 Speaker 1: The other thing that people were disturbed by was that 163 00:09:28,120 --> 00:09:31,000 Speaker 1: he was planning on going with skis, so no sleds, 164 00:09:31,440 --> 00:09:34,480 Speaker 1: no dogs, and that of course means that you can 165 00:09:34,559 --> 00:09:37,440 Speaker 1: only bring what you can carry and still be able 166 00:09:37,520 --> 00:09:42,800 Speaker 1: to ski across glaciers. Yeah. His Nobel Prize biography describes 167 00:09:42,840 --> 00:09:47,360 Speaker 1: it like this quote. In nine explaining his philosophy to 168 00:09:47,440 --> 00:09:51,080 Speaker 1: the students at St. Andrew's and his rictorial address, Nonson 169 00:09:51,160 --> 00:09:53,640 Speaker 1: said that a line of retreat from a proposed action 170 00:09:53,800 --> 00:09:56,640 Speaker 1: was a snare, and that one should burn his votes 171 00:09:56,679 --> 00:09:58,800 Speaker 1: behind him so that there is no choice but to 172 00:09:58,840 --> 00:10:02,439 Speaker 1: go forward. So I've seen this covered a few different 173 00:10:02,440 --> 00:10:05,559 Speaker 1: ways than different sources, kind of as a metaphoric thing, 174 00:10:05,600 --> 00:10:08,960 Speaker 1: burning boats, burning bridges. Where has he really burned his boat? 175 00:10:09,040 --> 00:10:12,920 Speaker 1: So I am curious to learn any more about that. 176 00:10:13,040 --> 00:10:17,560 Speaker 1: If if anybody knows or has read um more on 177 00:10:17,720 --> 00:10:21,040 Speaker 1: nonsense in this boat burning potential, it seems like your 178 00:10:21,120 --> 00:10:25,320 Speaker 1: line of retreat would already be removed even if the 179 00:10:25,360 --> 00:10:28,280 Speaker 1: boats were still there the time to burn the why 180 00:10:28,400 --> 00:10:30,920 Speaker 1: take them unless you just wanted one last big, warm 181 00:10:31,160 --> 00:10:35,480 Speaker 1: boss fire. Um. So. Consequently, because of the nature of 182 00:10:35,559 --> 00:10:41,000 Speaker 1: this expedition, Nonsen had trouble funding what seemed like suicide 183 00:10:41,000 --> 00:10:43,200 Speaker 1: to a lot of people. He finally got a grant 184 00:10:43,280 --> 00:10:47,240 Speaker 1: from a Danish politician and formed a five member team. 185 00:10:47,320 --> 00:10:51,080 Speaker 1: There were three Norwegians and two saw Me and UH 186 00:10:51,360 --> 00:10:53,960 Speaker 1: had a lot of trouble getting going on the mission 187 00:10:53,960 --> 00:10:57,280 Speaker 1: to or on the expedition. There were many delays and 188 00:10:57,920 --> 00:11:01,480 Speaker 1: UH they couldn't even start ascending the Eland Glacier until 189 00:11:01,520 --> 00:11:06,400 Speaker 1: about mid August, by which point Arctic summer was kind 190 00:11:06,400 --> 00:11:08,840 Speaker 1: of coming to an end and one of the crucial 191 00:11:08,880 --> 00:11:11,319 Speaker 1: things with to be able to make it across the 192 00:11:11,960 --> 00:11:15,800 Speaker 1: glacier before winter set in. So the party skied nine 193 00:11:15,840 --> 00:11:18,520 Speaker 1: thousand feet above sea level and temperatures as low as 194 00:11:18,640 --> 00:11:22,320 Speaker 1: negative forty nine degrees fahrenheit, with no choice but to 195 00:11:22,480 --> 00:11:26,559 Speaker 1: just keep on going. They had brought along some pemmican, which, 196 00:11:26,720 --> 00:11:28,640 Speaker 1: as I understand it is kind of like the original 197 00:11:28,679 --> 00:11:32,160 Speaker 1: power bar but portable food. But the mixture didn't have 198 00:11:32,280 --> 00:11:34,640 Speaker 1: enough fat in it, which was really I mean, they 199 00:11:34,640 --> 00:11:37,120 Speaker 1: were close to starvation. Well, they were suffering a lot 200 00:11:37,160 --> 00:11:41,760 Speaker 1: from that and um fortunately though, they were able to 201 00:11:41,960 --> 00:11:45,119 Speaker 1: have enough strength to keep going, and by late September 202 00:11:45,240 --> 00:11:49,000 Speaker 1: they reached the west coast, and by early October they 203 00:11:49,200 --> 00:11:54,360 Speaker 1: got to a settled area. Here another happy accident happened 204 00:11:54,440 --> 00:11:58,120 Speaker 1: for Nonsense Life. The last boat had left two months earlier, 205 00:11:58,160 --> 00:11:59,920 Speaker 1: so that it sounds like a bad It sounds like 206 00:11:59,920 --> 00:12:02,520 Speaker 1: a bad thing, but it did give him any other 207 00:12:02,600 --> 00:12:04,719 Speaker 1: spoor as a chance to spend the winter with the 208 00:12:04,760 --> 00:12:08,840 Speaker 1: local population. So Nonson took full advantage of this. He hunted, 209 00:12:08,920 --> 00:12:12,160 Speaker 1: he sketched, he learned to kayak, He made friends, so 210 00:12:12,200 --> 00:12:15,080 Speaker 1: when he came home to what was a hero's welcome, 211 00:12:15,400 --> 00:12:19,079 Speaker 1: he had enough material for two books, the First Crossing 212 00:12:19,120 --> 00:12:22,320 Speaker 1: of Greenland, which was published in eighteen ninety and Eskimo Life, 213 00:12:22,320 --> 00:12:25,880 Speaker 1: which was published in and that stint with the with 214 00:12:26,000 --> 00:12:29,000 Speaker 1: the people, they're learning how to kayak, learning how to 215 00:12:29,040 --> 00:12:32,440 Speaker 1: survive in these temperatures, really did prove vital for his 216 00:12:32,720 --> 00:12:35,680 Speaker 1: survival later on. And just kind of a high note 217 00:12:35,679 --> 00:12:38,480 Speaker 1: too that I really like. In addition to providing a 218 00:12:38,559 --> 00:12:41,559 Speaker 1: lot of new information about Greenland and its people and 219 00:12:41,600 --> 00:12:45,800 Speaker 1: their customs and just the Greenland topography. To the trip 220 00:12:45,920 --> 00:12:50,200 Speaker 1: was this huge pr campaign for skating, which was, as 221 00:12:50,200 --> 00:12:52,160 Speaker 1: we've mentioned, you know, something that was still kind of 222 00:12:52,200 --> 00:12:55,880 Speaker 1: catching on getting more popular. Kids started to form nonsin 223 00:12:56,040 --> 00:12:58,680 Speaker 1: clubs where they would go out and ski and do 224 00:12:59,040 --> 00:13:03,080 Speaker 1: outdoors the kind of pursuits, and um, he was a 225 00:13:03,120 --> 00:13:05,360 Speaker 1: really great ambassador for this, and I think this is 226 00:13:05,400 --> 00:13:08,800 Speaker 1: maybe a good opportunity to talk a little bit about 227 00:13:08,840 --> 00:13:12,280 Speaker 1: how he looked too. Nonsen is a popular suggestion, and 228 00:13:12,320 --> 00:13:14,480 Speaker 1: I wonder how much of it has to do with 229 00:13:14,600 --> 00:13:18,880 Speaker 1: the very impressive mustache he sported. I know, I think 230 00:13:18,920 --> 00:13:21,320 Speaker 1: Tico would be jealous. I think he would, Well, you 231 00:13:21,360 --> 00:13:25,040 Speaker 1: were hoping for a mustache exhumation if we're gonna really 232 00:13:25,120 --> 00:13:26,839 Speaker 1: lay it all out there, yeah, if we're going to 233 00:13:26,920 --> 00:13:29,439 Speaker 1: be honest, I wasn't just hoping for a regular exhamation. 234 00:13:29,480 --> 00:13:32,920 Speaker 1: We're hoping for another mustache exclamation, but really, like, go 235 00:13:33,000 --> 00:13:35,560 Speaker 1: look him up though. He's got a look of a 236 00:13:35,679 --> 00:13:38,280 Speaker 1: polar explorer, and I think that it will help too 237 00:13:38,440 --> 00:13:41,200 Speaker 1: when if Billy Idol were a Polar explorer. He does 238 00:13:41,240 --> 00:13:44,240 Speaker 1: look a lot like Billy Idol with the mustache. But 239 00:13:44,559 --> 00:13:47,120 Speaker 1: I think especially in the second episode where we talk 240 00:13:47,160 --> 00:13:51,720 Speaker 1: about some of his diplomatic work. People talk about his presence, 241 00:13:51,760 --> 00:13:54,960 Speaker 1: the presence he had, and the confidence he had, and 242 00:13:55,000 --> 00:13:57,840 Speaker 1: I think that that really comes across in pictures of 243 00:13:57,920 --> 00:14:01,080 Speaker 1: him and will help all of that makes sense. So 244 00:14:01,160 --> 00:14:03,560 Speaker 1: Nonson was a new hero not only of skiing but 245 00:14:03,679 --> 00:14:06,360 Speaker 1: of exploration, and he spent the next four years writing 246 00:14:06,400 --> 00:14:09,440 Speaker 1: and working as a curator of the Zotomical Institute of 247 00:14:09,480 --> 00:14:13,800 Speaker 1: the University of Oslo. He also married Avis Stars, a singer, 248 00:14:14,200 --> 00:14:17,920 Speaker 1: a daughter of a marine zoologist and an avid outdoors woman. 249 00:14:18,120 --> 00:14:20,840 Speaker 1: You can find pictures of her too, in a pretty 250 00:14:20,880 --> 00:14:24,440 Speaker 1: awesome little ski costume. I mean, and by little, I 251 00:14:24,480 --> 00:14:27,400 Speaker 1: do not mean little in anyway. It's got a large 252 00:14:27,440 --> 00:14:33,440 Speaker 1: skirt and full coverage. But by summer one Nonsen had 253 00:14:33,480 --> 00:14:37,320 Speaker 1: that polar itch again. He started to plan another trip, 254 00:14:37,520 --> 00:14:41,840 Speaker 1: and to understand his reasons for settling on this particular trip, 255 00:14:41,880 --> 00:14:44,080 Speaker 1: we have to go back a little bit back in 256 00:14:44,440 --> 00:14:48,440 Speaker 1: eighteen seventy nine, the American ship the US S. Jeanette, 257 00:14:48,840 --> 00:14:53,080 Speaker 1: had gotten caught in ice north of Siberia, and that's 258 00:14:53,080 --> 00:14:55,880 Speaker 1: pretty bad news. But the ship managed to hold together 259 00:14:56,120 --> 00:14:59,600 Speaker 1: and drift along for about twenty one months before finally 260 00:14:59,840 --> 00:15:03,760 Speaker 1: the coming to the pressure of the ice. From my 261 00:15:03,840 --> 00:15:08,600 Speaker 1: understanding of how this happens, the ice, you know, forms 262 00:15:08,640 --> 00:15:12,840 Speaker 1: around your boat, starts to cause immense pressure, eventually starts 263 00:15:12,840 --> 00:15:15,320 Speaker 1: to break up the boat and pull it down. So 264 00:15:15,600 --> 00:15:18,360 Speaker 1: that's what happened to the Jenette, and half of the 265 00:15:18,440 --> 00:15:23,040 Speaker 1: crew ultimately died trying to make a dash back to Siberia. 266 00:15:23,120 --> 00:15:28,360 Speaker 1: In three years later, though, remnants of the Jenette washed 267 00:15:28,480 --> 00:15:32,200 Speaker 1: up in Greenland and it was a major discovery and 268 00:15:32,200 --> 00:15:35,520 Speaker 1: that it proved the theory that currents went east to 269 00:15:35,560 --> 00:15:39,800 Speaker 1: west over the Arctic. So nonsense saw the news of 270 00:15:39,800 --> 00:15:42,320 Speaker 1: the Jennette and thought, Hey, if I had a boat 271 00:15:42,360 --> 00:15:44,640 Speaker 1: that didn't get crushed by the ice, I could ride 272 00:15:44,680 --> 00:15:47,680 Speaker 1: that current and maybe go right over the North Pole. 273 00:15:48,160 --> 00:15:50,960 Speaker 1: Sounds kind of crazy again, It sounds like part two 274 00:15:51,080 --> 00:15:55,400 Speaker 1: to Crazy Idea Land. And it was a really bold idea, 275 00:15:55,520 --> 00:15:59,960 Speaker 1: but it was one that wisely worked off of observation 276 00:16:00,080 --> 00:16:04,400 Speaker 1: and careful planning rather than the previous model we've alluded 277 00:16:04,440 --> 00:16:06,680 Speaker 1: to a little bit of arctic assault. Really, you know, 278 00:16:06,760 --> 00:16:10,280 Speaker 1: you get out there with like fifty to a hundred 279 00:16:10,320 --> 00:16:13,680 Speaker 1: guys and just go with the techniques, you know, don't 280 00:16:13,680 --> 00:16:17,280 Speaker 1: adapt to the climate. Really just bundle up and make 281 00:16:17,320 --> 00:16:21,080 Speaker 1: a dash for it, a technique that obviously often ended 282 00:16:21,160 --> 00:16:25,000 Speaker 1: in tragedy. There's a National and Geographic article by Hampton's 283 00:16:25,040 --> 00:16:30,000 Speaker 1: Sides on Nonsense expedition, and it quotes a nonsense biographer 284 00:16:30,080 --> 00:16:35,360 Speaker 1: named Roland Huntford as saying that it was very unusual 285 00:16:35,560 --> 00:16:38,640 Speaker 1: for an explorer to quote take note of the forces 286 00:16:38,680 --> 00:16:41,080 Speaker 1: of nature and try to work with them and not 287 00:16:41,400 --> 00:16:43,840 Speaker 1: against them. So to pay attention to what way the 288 00:16:43,840 --> 00:16:46,800 Speaker 1: currents were going. Think that maybe you could let yourself 289 00:16:46,800 --> 00:16:49,720 Speaker 1: be iced in and just literally go with the flow 290 00:16:49,800 --> 00:16:53,960 Speaker 1: instead of instead of just throwing everything you had at it. 291 00:16:53,960 --> 00:16:57,000 Speaker 1: It took some planning, though, to figure out exactly how 292 00:16:57,120 --> 00:16:59,800 Speaker 1: to work with nature in this way, I mean, Nonsen 293 00:16:59,840 --> 00:17:01,880 Speaker 1: had to put a lot of time and thought into this. 294 00:17:02,000 --> 00:17:04,880 Speaker 1: So the first step was the ship. Of course, Nonson 295 00:17:04,960 --> 00:17:08,040 Speaker 1: got together with the shipbuilder call An Archer, to design 296 00:17:08,040 --> 00:17:10,040 Speaker 1: a vessel that wouldn't be crushed by the ice pack, 297 00:17:10,560 --> 00:17:12,920 Speaker 1: one that would be pushed up instead of pulled down. 298 00:17:13,480 --> 00:17:15,639 Speaker 1: He also decided that for the mission to work, it 299 00:17:15,640 --> 00:17:19,000 Speaker 1: would have to be very small, so he started gathering 300 00:17:19,160 --> 00:17:22,120 Speaker 1: supplies for four or five years for about a dozen men, 301 00:17:22,240 --> 00:17:25,840 Speaker 1: so a really innovative way of thinking about it. Every 302 00:17:25,880 --> 00:17:29,439 Speaker 1: detail of spending years trapped an Arctic ice had to 303 00:17:29,440 --> 00:17:32,639 Speaker 1: be considered very carefully, from the strength of the whole 304 00:17:32,800 --> 00:17:36,200 Speaker 1: to the sanity of the men. The rudder and propeller, 305 00:17:36,240 --> 00:17:39,040 Speaker 1: for example, could be pulled up as ice moved in. 306 00:17:39,119 --> 00:17:43,000 Speaker 1: An insulation of reindeer hair, felt cork and tar kept 307 00:17:43,040 --> 00:17:47,159 Speaker 1: things warmer inside, and a windmill powered electric lights that 308 00:17:47,200 --> 00:17:49,640 Speaker 1: would keep the men in high spirits during those dark 309 00:17:49,760 --> 00:17:53,440 Speaker 1: polar winters, allowing them to read from a six hundred 310 00:17:53,440 --> 00:17:56,879 Speaker 1: book library that had been collected, listened to an automatic 311 00:17:57,040 --> 00:17:59,480 Speaker 1: organ or chat in the saloon that was created on 312 00:17:59,520 --> 00:18:02,159 Speaker 1: the vessel, which you know, maybe that sounds fruvolous, but 313 00:18:02,240 --> 00:18:05,760 Speaker 1: if you're seriously planning to be in the ice for 314 00:18:05,960 --> 00:18:09,320 Speaker 1: four or five years, in the dark for much of 315 00:18:09,359 --> 00:18:12,480 Speaker 1: that time, you know, you've got to take into account 316 00:18:13,119 --> 00:18:16,399 Speaker 1: the mental well being, yeah, the spirit of the of 317 00:18:16,440 --> 00:18:19,880 Speaker 1: the men. So Nansen's wife named the ship the From 318 00:18:19,920 --> 00:18:24,240 Speaker 1: which means forward, appropriately enough, and the expedition set off 319 00:18:24,320 --> 00:18:29,960 Speaker 1: in June from Oslo, headed towards the New Siberian Islands, 320 00:18:30,119 --> 00:18:34,000 Speaker 1: and by September they did what they were hoping to do. 321 00:18:34,119 --> 00:18:37,880 Speaker 1: The ship was frozen in and you can imagine how 322 00:18:37,960 --> 00:18:40,399 Speaker 1: harrowing that would be, waiting to see if it was 323 00:18:40,440 --> 00:18:42,879 Speaker 1: gonna work, or whether your ship would actually think. And 324 00:18:42,960 --> 00:18:47,320 Speaker 1: here's how Nonsen himself described it. He said, a deafening 325 00:18:47,359 --> 00:18:51,280 Speaker 1: noise began, and the whole ship shook. The noise steadily 326 00:18:51,320 --> 00:18:54,159 Speaker 1: grows till it is like all the pipes of an organ. 327 00:18:54,600 --> 00:18:56,760 Speaker 1: Two days after that, he wrote that the ice is 328 00:18:56,800 --> 00:19:01,439 Speaker 1: trying it's very utmost grind the From into powder. But 329 00:19:01,640 --> 00:19:04,760 Speaker 1: that construction worked. The ship held together, it didn't sink, 330 00:19:05,160 --> 00:19:07,680 Speaker 1: and the From was able to ride the drift, and 331 00:19:07,880 --> 00:19:11,480 Speaker 1: the crew did entertain themselves with scientific research and ski 332 00:19:11,600 --> 00:19:14,840 Speaker 1: trips and even a self published newspaper, which sounds very 333 00:19:14,880 --> 00:19:18,800 Speaker 1: interesting big events of the day. The drift, however, was 334 00:19:19,000 --> 00:19:22,840 Speaker 1: unpredictable and really slow, so Nonsense started to worry that 335 00:19:22,880 --> 00:19:25,000 Speaker 1: they'd never be able to get far enough north to 336 00:19:25,000 --> 00:19:27,480 Speaker 1: reach the pole, and that the whole thing might actually 337 00:19:27,520 --> 00:19:29,960 Speaker 1: take something like six to seven years instead of four 338 00:19:30,000 --> 00:19:32,760 Speaker 1: to five. So he had to make a major decision. 339 00:19:33,320 --> 00:19:36,440 Speaker 1: He decided to take one comrade a pack of dogs 340 00:19:36,520 --> 00:19:40,720 Speaker 1: and leave the relatively cushy newspaper filled from to make 341 00:19:40,760 --> 00:19:44,160 Speaker 1: a dash for the pole. The only problem here though, 342 00:19:44,280 --> 00:19:48,080 Speaker 1: was that besides bad maps, killer temperatures, and slushy ice, 343 00:19:48,400 --> 00:19:50,440 Speaker 1: there'd be no way that he could catch up with 344 00:19:50,480 --> 00:19:53,000 Speaker 1: the From when he was done. So the From of 345 00:19:53,040 --> 00:19:55,640 Speaker 1: course would have drifted too far for him to make 346 00:19:55,680 --> 00:19:58,600 Speaker 1: it back by then. So to go out on this 347 00:19:58,720 --> 00:20:01,840 Speaker 1: dash to the poll, he would have to find the 348 00:20:01,880 --> 00:20:05,120 Speaker 1: pole and then come back and then try to find 349 00:20:05,200 --> 00:20:10,160 Speaker 1: solid land civilization, or just be left out there on 350 00:20:10,200 --> 00:20:12,560 Speaker 1: the ice to die. So that's where we're going to 351 00:20:12,760 --> 00:20:15,800 Speaker 1: leave off. In the next episode, we have a polar 352 00:20:15,840 --> 00:20:19,880 Speaker 1: bear attack, a Nobel Prize, and because we did mention 353 00:20:20,080 --> 00:20:25,040 Speaker 1: that Nelson had a pretty impressive later career to saving 354 00:20:25,119 --> 00:20:29,960 Speaker 1: an estimated seven to twenty two million Russians from starvation, 355 00:20:30,080 --> 00:20:33,760 Speaker 1: and we do mean millions. So sometimes it's it's a 356 00:20:34,640 --> 00:20:37,640 Speaker 1: smart to be careful with your polar expedition planning because 357 00:20:37,680 --> 00:20:40,320 Speaker 1: you have great things ahead of you. Well, keeping with 358 00:20:40,359 --> 00:20:42,560 Speaker 1: this exploration theme, we're now going to move on to 359 00:20:42,560 --> 00:20:49,119 Speaker 1: a listener mail. So Delena, remember this summer when we 360 00:20:49,280 --> 00:20:51,919 Speaker 1: got a lot of postcards from a girl who was 361 00:20:51,960 --> 00:20:54,800 Speaker 1: taking a grand tour around Europe. I do that was 362 00:20:54,840 --> 00:20:58,240 Speaker 1: a pretty good postcard collection, as they're very impressive, and 363 00:20:58,280 --> 00:20:59,920 Speaker 1: I liked how she would tell us what she was 364 00:21:00,080 --> 00:21:03,000 Speaker 1: doing when she was when she was writing a postcard, 365 00:21:03,119 --> 00:21:06,320 Speaker 1: where she was sitting in these amazing which podcast she 366 00:21:06,400 --> 00:21:09,080 Speaker 1: listened to, which it was very fun. So I think 367 00:21:09,080 --> 00:21:11,760 Speaker 1: we have a kind of part two of that from 368 00:21:11,840 --> 00:21:16,520 Speaker 1: listener Hillary, who is sending us postcards while she's taking 369 00:21:16,600 --> 00:21:20,920 Speaker 1: a violin tour. She's violinist and she's touring around Europe 370 00:21:21,720 --> 00:21:24,840 Speaker 1: maybe beyond. She was in Hanover, Germany when she sent 371 00:21:24,960 --> 00:21:28,879 Speaker 1: us her first card. But I really like something she wrote. 372 00:21:29,000 --> 00:21:32,560 Speaker 1: She said that I've been particularly enjoying the episodes about 373 00:21:32,560 --> 00:21:35,119 Speaker 1: things that happened in the Civil War era. Is my 374 00:21:35,240 --> 00:21:38,960 Speaker 1: violin was made in eighteen sixty four in France. Caring 375 00:21:39,000 --> 00:21:42,120 Speaker 1: about that time is like finding out fascinating backtoys about 376 00:21:42,160 --> 00:21:44,600 Speaker 1: someone you know very well. Because I spent a lot 377 00:21:44,640 --> 00:21:48,120 Speaker 1: of time with this violin and it definitely has a personality. 378 00:21:48,600 --> 00:21:52,320 Speaker 1: So I thought that was such a neat commentary because 379 00:21:52,680 --> 00:21:55,359 Speaker 1: you obviously can't know a person who was born in 380 00:21:55,400 --> 00:21:57,040 Speaker 1: eighteen sixty four. I don't think there are any of 381 00:21:57,040 --> 00:22:01,280 Speaker 1: them left, but you can be so familiar with an instrument, 382 00:22:01,280 --> 00:22:04,359 Speaker 1: you know, as a professional violinist who spends much of 383 00:22:04,400 --> 00:22:07,880 Speaker 1: her time with this, this thing from eighteen sixty four, 384 00:22:07,920 --> 00:22:10,679 Speaker 1: and feels the connection to that that time, you know, 385 00:22:10,720 --> 00:22:14,240 Speaker 1: a very real connection. And whoever played that violin before well, 386 00:22:14,280 --> 00:22:17,439 Speaker 1: and presumably all the people who who've played it before, 387 00:22:17,480 --> 00:22:20,520 Speaker 1: and the person who made it. And um, I just 388 00:22:20,520 --> 00:22:23,840 Speaker 1: thought that was very neat. So Hillary has also sent 389 00:22:23,920 --> 00:22:27,600 Speaker 1: us a couple of postcards. Um. One of them is 390 00:22:27,680 --> 00:22:31,520 Speaker 1: from Palermo. I think that might be my favorite. It's 391 00:22:31,600 --> 00:22:36,760 Speaker 1: the Church of the Marcharana. And I think that while 392 00:22:36,800 --> 00:22:41,640 Speaker 1: you're googling pictures of Nonsen and his wife and skis, um, 393 00:22:41,720 --> 00:22:44,240 Speaker 1: you could go ahead and google this church too, because 394 00:22:44,720 --> 00:22:47,879 Speaker 1: to me it almost looks like three scoops of pink 395 00:22:48,320 --> 00:22:50,520 Speaker 1: sherbet on top. I mean that was I thought it 396 00:22:50,560 --> 00:22:54,600 Speaker 1: was a photoshopped or something when I first looked at it, 397 00:22:54,720 --> 00:22:58,000 Speaker 1: just because the colors though striking. Um. She wrote to 398 00:22:58,080 --> 00:23:00,200 Speaker 1: us too that she she must have felt the same way. 399 00:23:00,240 --> 00:23:03,240 Speaker 1: She said that it was so visually memorable that she 400 00:23:03,320 --> 00:23:06,160 Speaker 1: had to send it instead of a more dignified one. 401 00:23:06,520 --> 00:23:09,600 Speaker 1: She probably wrote that because the postcard does have a 402 00:23:09,600 --> 00:23:15,879 Speaker 1: again sherbet hued title above, labeling it his Lermo. But anyway, Hillary, 403 00:23:15,960 --> 00:23:18,880 Speaker 1: Thank you so much for keeping us up with your 404 00:23:19,480 --> 00:23:24,720 Speaker 1: travels and good luck with all your performances. And if 405 00:23:24,760 --> 00:23:27,400 Speaker 1: you would like to send us some information about your 406 00:23:27,440 --> 00:23:32,000 Speaker 1: own travels or history podcasts that have taken you places, 407 00:23:32,160 --> 00:23:34,679 Speaker 1: or ideas that you have for future podcasts, you can 408 00:23:34,720 --> 00:23:37,160 Speaker 1: write us at History podcast at how stuff works dot com, 409 00:23:37,280 --> 00:23:38,879 Speaker 1: or you can look us up on Facebook or on 410 00:23:38,920 --> 00:23:41,439 Speaker 1: Twitter and mist in history. And if you want to 411 00:23:41,520 --> 00:23:44,800 Speaker 1: learn a little bit more about nobs whose favorite sport, 412 00:23:44,880 --> 00:23:48,399 Speaker 1: we do have an article called how cross country Skiing works, 413 00:23:48,520 --> 00:23:50,800 Speaker 1: and you can find it by searching on our home 414 00:23:50,840 --> 00:23:58,320 Speaker 1: page at www dot how stuff where It's dot com. 415 00:23:58,440 --> 00:24:01,000 Speaker 1: Be sure to check out our new video podcast, Stuff 416 00:24:01,080 --> 00:24:03,679 Speaker 1: from the Future. Join how staf work staff as we 417 00:24:03,760 --> 00:24:08,240 Speaker 1: explore the most promising and perplexing possibilities of tomorrow. The 418 00:24:08,320 --> 00:24:11,320 Speaker 1: Houstuff Works iPhone app has a ride. Download it today 419 00:24:11,560 --> 00:24:12,240 Speaker 1: on iTunes