Famous Arctic Researchers

The Arctic subjugated humanity at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries. This remote region has been studied by daredevils from many countries: Russia, Norway, Sweden, Italy, etc. The history of the discovery of the Arctic is not only a scientific, but also a sporting race, which continues to this day.

Niels Nordenskiöld

Polar explorer Niels Nordenskiöld (1832-1901) was born in Finland, which then belonged to Russia, however, being of Swedish origin, he conducted his expeditions under the Swedish flag. In his youth, he had visited Svalbard a lot. Nordenskiöld became the first traveler to "tackle" the ice sheet of Greenland. All known Arctic explorers of the early XX century deservedly considered him the godfather of his craft.

The main achievement of Adolf Nordenskiold was his expedition along the Northeast Passage in 1878-1879. The steamer Vega was the first to travel along the northern coasts of Eurasia in one trip and completely skirted the vast continent. The merits of Nordenskiöld are estimated by descendants - many geographical objects of the Arctic are named after him. This includes the archipelago not far from Taimyr, as well as the bay near Novaya Zemlya.

Robert Peary

The name of Robert Peary (1856-1920) is special in the history of polar expeditions. It was he who was the first explorer of the Arctic, who conquered the North Pole. In 1886 the traveler set out to cross Greenland on a sleigh. However, in that race he lost to Fridtjof Nansen.

The then Arctic explorers were extremists in an even greater sense than now. There was no modern equipment yet, and the brave ones had to act almost blindly. By making plans to conquer the North Pole, Piri decided to turn to the life and traditions of the Eskimos. Thanks to "cultural exchange" the American refused to use sleeping bags and tents. Instead, he began to resort to the practice of building an igloo.

Piri's main journey was his sixth expedition to the Arctic in 1908-1909. The team included 22 Americans and 49 Eskimos. Although, as a rule, researchers of the Arctic went to the edge of the earth with scientific tasks, the Piri enterprise was held solely because of the desire to set a record. The North Pole was conquered by polar explorers on April 6, 1909.

Raul Amundsen

For the first time Raul Amundsen (1872-1928) visited the Arctic in 1897-1899, when he took part in the Belgian expedition, in which he was the navigator of one of the ships. After returning home, the Norwegian began to prepare for an independent journey. Prior to this, Arctic explorers were mostly sent along with large teams on several ships. Amundsen decided to abandon this practice.

Polyarnik bought a small yacht "Joa" and assembled a small squad that could independently feed themselves by gathering and hunting. This expedition started in 1903. The starting point of the Norwegian was Greenland, and the final one was Alaska. Thus, Raul Amundsen first conquered the Northwest Passage - the sea route through the Canadian Arctic archipelago. It was an unprecedented success. In 1911, the polar explorer first in the history of mankind reached the South Pole. Later, Amundsen was carried away by the use of aviation, including airships and seaplanes. The explorer died in 1928, searching for the missing expedition of Umberto Nobile.

Nansen

Norwegian Fridtjof Nansen (1861-1930) began to explore the Arctic literally from the sporting interest. Being a professional skater and skier, at the age of 27 he decided to cross the huge ice sheet of Greenland on skis and from the very first attempt went down in history.

The North Pole was not conquered by Piri, and Nansen decided to reach the cherished point, drifting along with the ice on the schooner "Fram". The ship was in ice captivity to the north of Cape Chelyuskin. The team went on a polar explorer on a sleigh, but in April 1895, reaching 86 degrees north latitude, turned back.

In the future, Fridtjof Nansen did not participate in the pioneering expeditions. Instead, he immersed himself in science, becoming an outstanding zoologist and author of a dozen studies. In the status of a well-known public figure, Nansen struggled with the consequences of the First World War in Europe. He helped refugees from different countries and the starving Volga region. In 1922, a Norwegian explorer of the Arctic was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

Umberto Nobile

The Italian Umberto Nobile (1885-1978) is known not only as a polar explorer. His name is associated with the golden epoch of airship construction. Amundsen, who caught fire with the idea of air travel over the North Pole, met with a specialist in aeronautics Nobile in 1924. Already in 1926, an Italian in the company of the Scandinavian Argonaut and American eccentric millionaire Lincoln Ellsworth went on a landmark flight. The airship "Norway" followed the unprecedented route Rome - the North Pole - the Alaska Peninsula.

Umberto Nobile was a national hero, and Mussolini's douche made him a general and an honorary member of the fascist party. Success prompted the builder of airships to organize a second expedition. This time the first violin in the event was played by Italy (the polar explorers' airship was also called "Italy"). On the way back from the North Pole, the airship crashed, part of the crew was killed, and Nobile was rescued from the ice by the Soviet icebreaker Krasin.

Chelyuskinsky

The Chelyuskin feat is a unique page in the history of the development of polar boundaries. It is associated with an unsuccessful attempt to navigate the Northern Sea Route. Its inspirers were the scientist Otto Schmidt and the captain-polar explorer Vladimir Voronin. In 1933 they equipped the steamer Chelyuskin and set off on an expedition along the northern coasts of Eurasia.

Soviet Arctic researchers sought to prove that the Northern Sea Route can be traversed not only by a specially prepared ship, but also by a simple dry cargo ship. Certainly, it was an adventure, and its doom became clear in the Bering Strait, where the crushed ship crashed.

The crew of Chelyuskin was hastily evacuated, and a government commission was set up in the capital to organize the rescue of the polar explorers. People were returned home by air bridge with the help of airplanes. The history of Chelyuskin and his crew conquered the whole world. The rescue pilots were the first to receive the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.

Georgy Sedov

Georgy Sedov (1877-1914) connected his life with the sea even in his youth, enrolling in Rostov seaworthy classes. Before becoming a researcher in the Arctic, he participated in the Russo-Japanese War, during which he commanded a torpedo boat.

The first polar expedition of Sedov occurred in 1909, when he described the mouth of the Kolyma River. Then he examined the New Earth (including her Cross Lip). In 1912, a senior lieutenant proposed to the tsarist government a draft sled expedition, the purpose of which was the North Pole.

The authorities refused to sponsor a risky event. Then he collected money from private funds and still organized a trip. His ship "Saint Foca" was blocked by ice at Novaya Zemlya. Then Sedov fell ill with scurvy, but still, accompanied by several comrades, went on a sleigh to the North Pole. Polar explorer died on the road near the island of Rudolph, where he was buried.

Valery Chkalov

More often than not, Russian explorers of the Arctic are associated with ships, sleighs and dog sleds. However, the pilots contributed to the study of the polar expanses. The main Soviet ace Valery Chkalov (1904-1938) in 1937 made the first non-stop flight from Moscow to Vancouver via the North Pole.

The team's co-commanders for the mission were co-pilot Georgy Baidukov and navigator Alexander Belyakov. For 63 hours the ANT-25 aircraft traveled a length of 9 thousand kilometers. In Vancouver, the heroes were waiting for reporters from around the world, and US President Roosevelt personally received the pilots in the White House.

Ivan Papanin

Almost certainly Ivan Papanin (1894-1896) is the most famous Soviet researcher in the Arctic. His father was a Sebastopol port worker, so it is not surprising that the boy from the early childhood caught fire by the sea. In the north Papanin was first in 1931, visiting Franz Josef Land on the steamer Malygin.

Thunderous glory to the Arctic explorer came at the age of 44. In the years 1937-1938. Papanin supervised the work of the world's first drifting station, the North Pole. 274 days, four scientists spent on the ice, watching the atmosphere of the Earth and the hydrosphere of the Arctic Ocean. Papanin twice became a Hero of the Soviet Union.