1 00:00:00,040 --> 00:00:03,040 Speaker 1: Hey, history fans, if you want a double dose of history, 2 00:00:03,080 --> 00:00:06,280 Speaker 1: here's a rerun for today, brought to you by Tracy V. Wilson. 3 00:00:06,760 --> 00:00:09,440 Speaker 1: We hope it makes previous episodes for this date easier 4 00:00:09,440 --> 00:00:12,920 Speaker 1: to find in the feed. Welcome to this Day in 5 00:00:13,000 --> 00:00:15,800 Speaker 1: History Class from how Stuff Works dot com and from 6 00:00:15,840 --> 00:00:18,079 Speaker 1: the desk of Stuff you missed in History Class. It's 7 00:00:18,079 --> 00:00:20,319 Speaker 1: the show where we explore the past one day at 8 00:00:20,320 --> 00:00:22,560 Speaker 1: a time with a quick look at what happened today 9 00:00:22,560 --> 00:00:30,680 Speaker 1: in history. Hello, and welcome to the podcast. I'm Christopher 10 00:00:30,720 --> 00:00:33,840 Speaker 1: ociotis your temporary host, sitting in for Tracy V. Wilson 11 00:00:33,880 --> 00:00:38,360 Speaker 1: this week. Today is December four, and Roald Amondson reached 12 00:00:38,360 --> 00:00:42,560 Speaker 1: the South Pole on this day in nineteen eleven. Born 13 00:00:42,600 --> 00:00:45,959 Speaker 1: in what's now Norway in eighty two, Amonson was born 14 00:00:45,960 --> 00:00:48,879 Speaker 1: into a nautical family, a family of captains and shipbuilders 15 00:00:48,880 --> 00:00:51,760 Speaker 1: ship owners. His mother wanted him to be a doctor, 16 00:00:51,800 --> 00:00:55,400 Speaker 1: so Amonson attended university with that intent, but when she 17 00:00:55,440 --> 00:00:57,840 Speaker 1: passed away when he was in his early twenties, he 18 00:00:58,120 --> 00:00:59,959 Speaker 1: dropped out and took to the seas as a poll 19 00:01:00,040 --> 00:01:03,560 Speaker 1: are explorer. He explored Antarctica with a Belgian team in 20 00:01:03,560 --> 00:01:06,200 Speaker 1: the final years of the nineteenth century, and about five 21 00:01:06,240 --> 00:01:08,959 Speaker 1: years later was the first to make a successful expedition 22 00:01:09,000 --> 00:01:12,680 Speaker 1: through Canada's Northwest Passage, which connects the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. 23 00:01:13,680 --> 00:01:16,080 Speaker 1: He was inspired by Robert Peary reaching the North Pole 24 00:01:16,080 --> 00:01:19,240 Speaker 1: in nineteen o nine. In fact, he wasn't just inspired, 25 00:01:19,280 --> 00:01:21,480 Speaker 1: He'd had actually been planning his own track to the 26 00:01:21,520 --> 00:01:25,039 Speaker 1: North Pole. So instead Amonson decided to head for the 27 00:01:25,080 --> 00:01:30,280 Speaker 1: South Pole. He set off on June third, and though 28 00:01:30,280 --> 00:01:32,920 Speaker 1: he was planning to head south, he knew the plan 29 00:01:33,000 --> 00:01:35,480 Speaker 1: all along, but he allowed people who financed his trip 30 00:01:35,560 --> 00:01:37,800 Speaker 1: to believe he was going to the North Pole. The 31 00:01:37,880 --> 00:01:40,640 Speaker 1: same held true for his crew, but when they reached 32 00:01:40,680 --> 00:01:43,440 Speaker 1: the Portuguese archipelago of Madera, he let them know about 33 00:01:43,440 --> 00:01:46,280 Speaker 1: the change in plans, and six months later and they 34 00:01:46,319 --> 00:01:49,480 Speaker 1: arrived at the Ross Ice Shelf in Antarctica. The crew 35 00:01:49,480 --> 00:01:52,120 Speaker 1: set up base and named it Framheim and spent months 36 00:01:52,120 --> 00:01:55,200 Speaker 1: preparing for the trek to the Pole. Amonson had learned 37 00:01:55,240 --> 00:01:57,560 Speaker 1: much from the Inuit people while exploring the North Pole, 38 00:01:57,760 --> 00:02:01,040 Speaker 1: and adopted some of their sealskin technology rather than relying 39 00:02:01,080 --> 00:02:04,600 Speaker 1: on wool clothing. For example, the first attempt for the 40 00:02:04,640 --> 00:02:08,120 Speaker 1: poll took place in September of nineteen eleven, but it 41 00:02:08,160 --> 00:02:10,520 Speaker 1: didn't work out and the team that departed had to 42 00:02:10,520 --> 00:02:14,280 Speaker 1: turn back a month later. For the second time, Amonson 43 00:02:14,360 --> 00:02:17,079 Speaker 1: and four others set out. This was on October nineteenth, 44 00:02:17,200 --> 00:02:20,720 Speaker 1: nineteen eleven. They took four sledges and fifty two dogs, 45 00:02:20,720 --> 00:02:22,280 Speaker 1: and the plan was actually to eat some of the 46 00:02:22,320 --> 00:02:25,400 Speaker 1: dogs along the way, and nearly after crossing ice and 47 00:02:25,480 --> 00:02:29,320 Speaker 1: snow for two months straight, Amonson and his team arrived 48 00:02:29,360 --> 00:02:34,280 Speaker 1: at the South Pole on December fourteenth, nineteen eleven. Now 49 00:02:34,320 --> 00:02:36,000 Speaker 1: it was another month and a half back to their 50 00:02:36,040 --> 00:02:39,400 Speaker 1: base camp, then a few months on to Australia, where 51 00:02:39,440 --> 00:02:43,400 Speaker 1: he finally announced his successful expedition. You can read Amonson's 52 00:02:43,440 --> 00:02:45,560 Speaker 1: own account of the journey in his nineteen twelve book 53 00:02:45,760 --> 00:02:48,760 Speaker 1: The South Pole, An Account of the Norwegian Antarctic Expedition. 54 00:02:48,760 --> 00:02:53,359 Speaker 1: In the from nine nineteen twelve. Now Amondson was called brave, 55 00:02:53,480 --> 00:02:56,600 Speaker 1: he was called prepared, he was called smart, But in 56 00:02:56,600 --> 00:02:59,440 Speaker 1: his own words he attributed the success of the expedition 57 00:02:59,520 --> 00:03:03,080 Speaker 1: to prep ration. In his own words, he wrote, I 58 00:03:03,120 --> 00:03:05,520 Speaker 1: may say that this is the greatest factor, the way 59 00:03:05,520 --> 00:03:08,119 Speaker 1: in which the expedition is equipped, the way in which 60 00:03:08,160 --> 00:03:11,840 Speaker 1: every difficulty is foreseen and precautions taken for meeting or 61 00:03:11,880 --> 00:03:15,519 Speaker 1: avoiding it. Victory awaits him who has everything in order. 62 00:03:16,080 --> 00:03:19,320 Speaker 1: Luck people call it. Defeat is certain for him who 63 00:03:19,320 --> 00:03:22,799 Speaker 1: has neglected to take the necessary precautions in time. This 64 00:03:22,919 --> 00:03:27,840 Speaker 1: is called bad luck. Now, speaking of defeat, here's the 65 00:03:27,880 --> 00:03:30,600 Speaker 1: thing I haven't told you yet. Emmonson wasn't the only 66 00:03:30,639 --> 00:03:33,720 Speaker 1: explorer trying to reach the South Pole. There's another character 67 00:03:33,800 --> 00:03:36,040 Speaker 1: crucial to this story, and that's a British man by 68 00:03:36,080 --> 00:03:39,440 Speaker 1: the name of Robert Falcon Scott. In fact, Scott and 69 00:03:39,480 --> 00:03:41,760 Speaker 1: Emerson were in a heated competition to make it to 70 00:03:41,800 --> 00:03:45,120 Speaker 1: the South Pole first, and you know that Amonson was 71 00:03:45,120 --> 00:03:48,560 Speaker 1: the first person to reach the pole. Scott's tale of failure, though, 72 00:03:48,680 --> 00:03:52,320 Speaker 1: is fascinating in its own right and includes English pride, 73 00:03:52,800 --> 00:03:56,600 Speaker 1: ponies devoured by Orca, and tens of thousands of cigars 74 00:03:56,640 --> 00:03:59,600 Speaker 1: good stuff. In fact, if you'd like to learn more 75 00:03:59,600 --> 00:04:01,960 Speaker 1: about the Race to the South Pole, give a listen 76 00:04:01,960 --> 00:04:04,520 Speaker 1: to the September twenty two, two thousand ten episode of 77 00:04:04,520 --> 00:04:07,000 Speaker 1: our Stuff You Missed in History Class podcast, which is 78 00:04:07,040 --> 00:04:10,360 Speaker 1: aptly titled The Race to the South Pole. Thanks to 79 00:04:10,440 --> 00:04:12,760 Speaker 1: Casey Pegraman Chandler Maye for their audio work on this show, 80 00:04:13,000 --> 00:04:14,920 Speaker 1: and you can subscribe to This Day in History Class 81 00:04:14,920 --> 00:04:17,960 Speaker 1: on Apple Podcasts, the I Heart Radio app, or any 82 00:04:17,960 --> 00:04:20,800 Speaker 1: place you like to find podcasts. Make sure to listen 83 00:04:20,839 --> 00:04:22,640 Speaker 1: tomorrow when we delve into the death of an American 84 00:04:22,680 --> 00:04:24,720 Speaker 1: cultural leader and icon of resistance.