Prompt Cast
The History of Antarctica: From Speculation to Exploration
TLDR Antarctica's history dates back 175 million years, but it wasn't until the early 19th century that explorers first discovered the continent. European explorers in the 15th and 16th centuries speculated about the existence of a southern land, and it wasn't until 1821 that the first person, John Davis, set foot on Antarctica. The race to the South Pole, claims to the continent, and the signing of the Antarctica Treaty have all shaped the history of Antarctica.
Timestamped Summary
00:00
Antarctica has a history despite never having a permanent human population, and it was first discovered by explorers in the early 19th century.
01:47
The history of Antarctica dates back 175 million years when it separated from its neighboring continents, and although no one had visited or knew of its existence, there was speculation about the existence of a southern land.
03:31
European explorers in the 15th and 16th centuries realized that if there was a land in the south, it was separated by an entire ocean, and Captain James Cook's crew became the southernmost humans at that point when they crossed the Antarctic Circle, leading Cook to believe that there was a land near the pole that was the source of most of the ice in the southern ocean.
05:17
The first person to step foot on Antarctica was John Davis in 1821, and the first real attempt to reach the South Pole took place in 1901 with the British Discovery Expedition.
06:58
The race to the South Pole was won by Norwegian explorer Rold Admanson in 1911, beating the British team led by Scott, who reached the South Pole a month later and perished on the trip back, while Ernest Shackleton attempted the first crossing of the continent in 1915 but failed, leading to a remarkable tale of survival, and it wasn't until 1957 that anyone returned to the South Pole.
08:34
Claims to Antarctica were made by several countries, but all claims were suspended in 1959 with the signing of the Antarctica Treaty, which states that the continent doesn't belong to anyone; currently, there are about 70 permanent research stations in Antarctica from 29 different countries, with the largest station being the American McMurdo Station.
10:13
Antarctica is the least populated, driest, highest, and coldest continent on Earth, with the future of the continent depending on the fate of the ice cap and the possibility of resource exploitation if the Antarctica Treaty were to fall apart.
