WEBVTT - Mental Floss Presents: The Quest for the North Pole Trailer

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<v Speaker 1>Yeah. On the morning of April seven, hundreds of miles

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<v Speaker 1>from civilization, renowned explorer Robert Edwin Perry crunches over the

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<v Speaker 1>snow and ice to a spot that only he can identify.

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<v Speaker 1>As he stares through a sextant to get his bearings,

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<v Speaker 1>the wind whips ice crystals into his face and freezes

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<v Speaker 1>his breath in his walrus like mustache. Finally, he's satisfied.

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<v Speaker 1>After years of trying, he has reached the North Pole.

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<v Speaker 1>He writes in his journal, The Pole at last, I

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<v Speaker 1>cannot bring myself to realize it. It all seems so

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<v Speaker 1>simple and commonplace. Turns out it would not be so simple.

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<v Speaker 1>Perry's claimed to be the first man of the North Pole,

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<v Speaker 1>along with his longtime assistant Matthew Henson, and four indigenous guides,

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<v Speaker 1>would be challenged for decades afterwards, illustrating the passion and

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<v Speaker 1>ambition that the North Pole has planted in the minds

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<v Speaker 1>of explorers for centuries. The quest to reach the North

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<v Speaker 1>Pole represents the human desire to make sense of mysteries,

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<v Speaker 1>to solve riddles of geography and the soul. In the

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<v Speaker 1>sixteenth century, explorers, driven by dreams of ridges and gold

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<v Speaker 1>set sail hoping to find a northwest passage to Asia

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<v Speaker 1>through the frozen Arctic. When explorers didn't quite find what

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<v Speaker 1>they were looking for, it just wetted their appetites for

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<v Speaker 1>more expeditions, better technology, and deeper understanding of humanity. As

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<v Speaker 1>the blank spaces on the map began to be filled in,

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<v Speaker 1>explorers sought new challenges. The search for the passage to

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<v Speaker 1>Asia became a race among nations to be the first

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<v Speaker 1>at the top of the world. Explorers based down death

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<v Speaker 1>at every turn, from starvation, exposure, disease, and their own

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<v Speaker 1>fatal choices. If they lived, explorers earned fame and the

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<v Speaker 1>admiration of their countrymen, but if they died, their names

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<v Speaker 1>became immortal. I'm Catlong, host of The Quest for the

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<v Speaker 1>North Pole, a new podcast from Mental Floss and I

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<v Speaker 1>Heart Radio that tells the story of Arctic exploration and

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<v Speaker 1>examines what pushed explorers to go ever further into the unknown.

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<v Speaker 1>In each episode, we'll look at the important expeditions and

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<v Speaker 1>what they found, as well as the tragedies and triumphs

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<v Speaker 1>of figures like Sir John Franklin, frit Jeff Nonsen, Robert Peary,

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<v Speaker 1>and Matthew Henson. We'll also delve into the racial and

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<v Speaker 1>nationalist dynamics of exploration and recognize many critical roles of

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<v Speaker 1>indigenous people, without whom few European adventurers would have survived.

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<v Speaker 1>And we'll learn how the climate crisis is changing the

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<v Speaker 1>Arctic and polar exploration. Today, we speak with historians and

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<v Speaker 1>adventurers to bring you insight into the social context and

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<v Speaker 1>psychology behind the race to the Pole. The Quest for

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<v Speaker 1>the North Pole premieres on January. Listen and subscribe on

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<v Speaker 1>the I heart rate, you app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever

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<v Speaker 1>you get your podcasts, M