It was over a century ago when a whaling ship called the ‘Antarctic’ found itself anchored along the arctic, volcanic coast in the Ross Sea. It sent a longboat to shore.On January 24, 1895, in their quest to travel to unknown seas with the purpose of slaughtering whales, a landing group, led by Captain Leonard Kristensen, were the first people to step foot on the Antarctic continent.

The baptism of Antarctica was bathed in blood.Millions of seals were slaughtered and their fur was collected. Penguins and whales were killed for their precious oils, which were used in the machinery used by the Industrial Revolution.It was on Macquarie Island that hundreds of thousands of scared penguins were rounded up, forced up boards leaning on pots of boiling oil, and forced to fall in to add their own oil to the mix.

The Frozen Continent was explored for a century, and utilized solely in the interest of earning a profit. Now, humankind is deciding to dedicate these territories to science and nature instead.There has even been discussion about a world park being established.In an effort to understand global pollutants and their impact on ozone depletion and greenhouse effect, the continent is essential for science.It is surprising how fast this change of thought has come about in Antarctica. When you consider how long the human race has been around, the short time we have been on Antarctica is very minimal.It was not until the 1957-1958 International Geophysical Year (also known as IGY) that more coastline, islands, and a handful of paths to the South Pole were even investigated.antarctic cruises

Our introduction to Antarctica was murderous, idealistic, nationalistic, and ferocious – with the occasional effort towards scientific advancement between this barbarism.Whaling in this region increased during World War I because the oil was refined into glycerin which was used for artillery shells.Jet engines required extra-fine oil as a lubricant, which led the Americans and Soviets to seek out sperm whales after World War II.It was not until the International Geophysical Year that Antarctica was referred to as anything but “Terra Australia Incognita,” a term used by medieval mapmakers to describe this undiscovered southern continent.

It may be surprising to note that the first person born in Antarctica was born there out of patriotic pretentiousness.It was at Argentina’s Esperanza Base that Emilio Marcus Palmer was born in 1978. His mother was flown in solely for the purpose of giving birth to him, so Argentina could lay claim to a large area of Antarctic territory.great antarctic cruise

This was similar to Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin walking on the moon nine years earlier and placing the American flag on the moon as a symbol of its dominance. In 1911, Roald Amundsen’s trek to the South Pole, honoring King Haakon VII of Norway, was the most productive, determined venture of this sort.For the honor of the British Empire, a similar trek was made by Robert F. Scott and a team of explorers, who themselves, collected and physically hauled rock and fossil samples employing the use of sledges.

Due to a combination of being demoralized by Armundsen getting to the South Pole a month ahead of them, an unhealthy diet, hauling the rocks out, and basic overall bad luck on the return trip, Scott’s group became known as the first martyrs of Antarctic science.America was able to claim interest in the South Pole when Richard Byrd flew over it in 1929 in a Ford Trimotor airplane.The Soviets made a similar claim in 1821, as Russian Admiral Thaddeus Bellingshausen’s voyage brought him past the Antarctic Peninsula, which they determined was enough to give them rights to the continent.