Up until January of 1820, the concept of a huge landmass existing at the bottom of the world was only a myth. Myth turned to reality, when Captain Edward Bransfield of the Royal Navy made the first sighting of the Antarctic Peninsula on January 30, 1820. Ironically, three days before that, Admiral Thaddeus Von Bellingshausen of the Russian Navy caught the first sighting of the Antarctic continent - an icefield - and didn’t even know it. A year later, Bellinghshausen would return to the Southern Ocean to complete the first and most southerly circumnavigation, and using a telescope, sight the mountainous landscape of ice and rock we now know to be the Antarctic continent.

The myth of the great southern land, Terra Australis can be traced back to 600 B.C. The ancient Greeks were the first to believe that the earth was round and that a great southern land mass must exist at the bottom of the southern hemisphere in order to balance the landmass of the northern hemisphere. Various maps were made that depicted a very large continent from the lower latitudes to the pole of the southern hemisphere. The Greek idea of Terra Australis was lost as time moved beyond A.D., and did not resurface until the 1400’s when Europe began exploring their world again, eventually relearning that the world was round.

Magellan and a few other explorers discovered what they believed were the ends of both Africa and South America by the mid 1500’s. However, no one explored further south to see if the great Terra Australis lay connected even further south, so the myth persisted. In 1578, Sir Francis Drake and his crew passed through the Straight of Magellan close to the tip of South America in the Tierra del Fuego, and crossed into the Pacific. His ship was subsequently blown further south by a vicious storm. They ended up far below South America in an area devoid of mainland or islands that Drake’s nephew described as a place where, "the Atlantic and South Sea collide in a great scope." This body of water was consequently named the Drake Passage and its existance proved that the southern land mass was not connected to South America. Hopes of discovering Terra Australis diminished for the better part of a century, but did not fade entirely.

In 1773, Captain James Cook headed south with two boats determined to solve the enigma of the Terra Australis. Over the next three years, he completed the first circumnavigation of the Southern Ocean and crossed below the Antarctic Circle only to be continuously forced back by ice. He returned home to England without finding the southern continent.

He did, however, discover South Georgia in his travels, initially believing it to be Terra Australis and eventually discovering that it was only an island. Although it appeared at the time that the myth had been dispelled, James Cook noted," Yet I believe firmly there is a tract of land near the Pole, which is the source of all the ice spread over this vast Southern Ocean." Indeed, Terra Australis would not remain elusive for long.

Exploration continued after Cook, although until Bellingshausen, no others circumnavigated the Southern Ocean. As stated earlier, Bransfield and Bellingshausen are credited for first laying eyes on Antarctica. In 1819, the South Shetland Islands were discovered and it did not take long for American and European sealers to descend upon the area. By the early 1820’s, sealers had made landings in the Antarctic Peninsula region and by 1830, the seal population was nearly exhausted. As the sealers spread out to find new grounds, landings were made further down the Peninsula and around the continental coastline of Antarctica. John Biscoe made a landing on the Indian Ocean side of the continent in 1831 and by the mid 1830’s, many others had landed at various locations around the coast.

By mid-century, various nations began organizing major expeditions to explore the Antarctic continent. Dumont d’Urville (France), Charles Wilkes (US) and Sir James Clark Ross (UK) all departed with the hopes of exploring what they thought lay beyond the ice surrounding the new continent. They all discovered that beyond the ice and rock of the coastline, there only appeared to be more ice. None of the three expeditions made any major inland excursions, but Sir James Clark Ross discovered an island, later to be named Ross Island, where many inland excursions were to begin and end in the next 60 years. Ross also was the first to discover the massive Ross Ice Shelf - a 200 ft. wall of ice stretching across what is now called the Ross Sea.

By the end of the 1890’s, whaling stocks had been severely diminished in the northern hemisphere. As a result, whalers turned their attention south to Antarctica and in the process, discovered much more of the Antarctic Peninsula and the continental coastline. By the turn of the century, there was sufficient information about the Antarctic shoreline to draw a moderately detailed map. However, nothing was known about the interior.

In 1898, the ship Belica under the leadership of explorer Adrien de Gerlache, became lodged in pack-ice off the Antarctic Peninsula. With no option but to wait until the following summer for the ice to release them, they were the first to live through an Antarctic winter. Not everyone survived, and many were not mentally prepared for the long period of darkness. Some of the crew actually went insane. The majority of the crew, however, survived and returned home. The following year, a planned expedition led by Carsten Borchgrevink was the first to spend a winter on the continent. These events proved that it was possible to survive the Antarctic winter.

In the first 10 years of the 20th century, many significant ‘firsts’ were achieved, but perhaps the most sought after at that time, was the race to be the first expedition to reach the South Pole.

The first major attempt was in November of 1902 when Ernest Shackleton, Robert Scott, and Edward Wilson headed out from McMurdo Sound by the Ross Sea, and sledged across the Ross Ice Shelf. Suffering from snow blindness, fatigue and scurvy, they were forced to head back after 2 months. They never left the ice shelf but still managed to travel 5000km overland during their attempt.

In October 1908, Ernest Shackleton, Frank Wild, Eric Marshall and Jameson Adams began another major attempt at reaching the South Pole. They managed to get up onto the Antarctic polar plateau with a team of donkeys carrying their supplies. Unfortunately, one donkey carrying a substantial amount of their food supply was lost down a deep crevice. They continued on until they were forced to turn around due to hunger, fatigue and scurvy. Unbelievably, they had come within 187 miles of their goal! The return trip was absolutely torturous, but through sheer determination they forced their starved bodies back down the Polar plateau and all returned to McMurdo Sound alive.

In September 1910, Roald Amundsen sent word to Robert Scott that he was attempting an expedition to the South Pole. Robert Scott, who desired to be the first to reach the Pole, decided he would make another attempt. He was determined to put a Union Jack up before Amunsden put up the Norwegian flag! The race was on. Roald Amunsden and his expedition team set out for the Pole from the Bay of Whales with dogs and sledges in the fall of 1911. Shortly after their departure, Robert Scott, Edward Wilson, ‘Birdie’ Bowers, Edgar Evans and Lawrence Oates headed out from Cape Evans somewhat disorganized, with a support team that included fellow explorers, dogs, ponies and motorized sledges.

A short time into the trip, Amundsen and 4 others left their remaining team behind with 42 dogs, and made their way up onto the polar plateau. Amunsden had decided that if he and his four companions were unable to make it to the Pole, the other part of his expedition team would at least be able to explore King Edward VII Land - a first for Norway. Scott and his team had poor luck with their dogs and ponies, loosing some to the cold and crevices as they crossed the ice shelf. Their motorized sledges broke down and by the time they reached the polar plateau, they were doing the majority of the hauling and labour. Amazingly enough, they actually felt better relying on themselves to haul their supplies rather than being dependent on the animals. They made their way up onto the polar plateau and began a long, tiring march to the pole.

On December 14, 1911, Amundsen and his four companions stopped sledging across the icey plateau. The instruments they had with them indicated that they were at the South Pole. Overcome with joy, they erected a small tent, left a message for Scott, and erected the Norwegian flag. Amundsen’s victory was complete - his team was first. They returned to Whalers Bay with relative ease after exploring the surrounding area for three days.

On January 17, 1912, Scott and his team drew close to the South Pole. After days of hardship on the open plateau their journey was soon to be over, but it became apparent that victory was not to be theirs. As they approached from a distance Scott remarked, "The worst has happened. The Norwegians are first at the Pole... all dreams must go." Wearily, they approached the tent that Amundsen and his team had left behind. They built a small cairn and erected a Union Jack beside it. A mounted camera was used to take a photograph of the five of them to prove that they had reached the Pole. Sadly, it is debateable whether or not they knew at that time it would be their last. Robert Scott, Edward Wilson, ‘Birdie’ Bowers, Edgar Evans, and Lawrence Oates all perished during their return. The frozen bodies of Scott, Wilson and Bowers were found eight months later by a rescue team. Scott's journal was recovered, and his last journal entry reads, "We shall stick it out to the end, but we are getting weaker, of course, and the end cannot be far. It seems a pity, but I do not think I can write more. For Gods sake look after our people."

The Antarctic has become much more accessible in the last 90 years because mechanization has made exploration more possible. In 1928, Hubert Wilkins made the first flight in the Antarctic, flying from Deception Island and over the Antarctic Peninsula before turning back. In 1929, Richard Byrd made the first flight to the South Pole. Advancements in aeroplanes, boat designs, warm clothing, communications, navigation - the list goes on - have all contributed to the rapid exploration that has taken place since the 1920s. Despite these improvements in technology, today Antarctica is still the least known continent in the world.

After World War II, there was international concern about how Antarctica would be developed, and by whom. There were many countries that had made territorial claims in Antarctica, but there were no guidelines established for managing these territories. In 1957, the International Geophysical Year began featuring Antarctica and in the following 18 months, scientists from 67 countries participated in a massive, successful research initiative. All participants agreed that Antarctica was of great scientific importance. In 1959, the 12 leading participants in the International Geophysical Year signed the Antarctic Treaty, so that the continent, ‘shall continue forever to be used exclusively for peaceful purposes’. The treaty went into effect in 1961 and guaranteed freedom of access and scientific investigation in all areas south of 60 degrees latitude. It also held in abeyance all claims to territory in that area.

Since the signing of the Antarctic Treaty, many countries have launched scientific research initiatives and have built and maintained stations scattered across the continent. Today, the treaty is looked upon as being the most significant happening in the 20th Century history of Antarctica. It ensures that Antarctica will be preserved as a place where discoveries can be made in the future.

There is still much to learn and explore in Antarctica. History is being written everyday by both researchers and adventurers from all over the world as they set out to explore Antarctica. For more information on the history of Antarctica, visit our Historic Timeline.