At the beginning of this century the South Pole was one of the few unexplored places on Earth.
Two men were determined to be the first to reach it. Roald Amundsen, a Norwegian explorer who had earlier discovered the North West Passage, and Captain R F Scott, the British hero of polar exploration. In 1910 both men set out on scientific expeditions to the Antarctic.
The Norwegian arrived at the Pole first, on December 14. A month later Scott arrived and was bitterly disappointed find Amundsen’s flag there. Heavy-hearted, Scott and his British team began the long trek back to base. The weather closed in on them. Blizzards swept Antarctica and slowed the team down. Despite great heroism, Scott and his team perished on the return journey.
Amundsen, meanwhile, had returned to his base and went on to lead further explorations before his disappearance in the Arctic in 1928.
Picture Credit : Google
