Polar Exploration in the United Kingdom

Introduction:

Cheers everyone! It's RTW team member, Colin Teague, checking in from London, England. I crossed the Atlantic Ocean to meet with Endurance22 Expedition members, to sightsee, and most importantly, to experience for myself the United Kingdom's rich history of polar exploration. Let's explore together!

What tradition did I learn about?:

I learned much more about the long and epic history of the United Kingdom's involvement in polar exploration. I observed that this history has seeped into everyday life and popular culture across England.

When people ask me about the Endurance22 Expedition in the United States, I often have to explain who Sir Ernest Shackleton is and why he is important. In England, I didn't need to tell Shackleton's story once. Everyone I spoke to already knew who he was and how he led the incredible rescue of all 28 of his crew members from being stranded on Antarctic sea ice. Most people I spoke with also knew about Captain Robert Falcon Scott and the British Antarctic Expedition of 1910, another famous Antarctic expedition that ended in tragedy. The United Kingdom sponsored seven different Antarctic expeditions during the time period known as the Heroic Age of Antarctic Exploration, from 1897-1922.

Explorers like Sir Ernest Shackleton and Captain Robert Falcon Scott were viewed as celebrities during this period.

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