The continent that remained hidden from human eyes until 1820
In short: Despite being theorized by ancient Greeks, Antarctica remained a mystery to the world for centuries. This video explores the frantic race of early explorers who finally made landfall on the frozen mainland.
While humans speculated about Antarctica's existence in antiquity, it wasn't until 1820 that anyone actually reached the mainland. Before this, James Cook is believed to have navigated within roughly 150 miles of the coast in 1773.
The initial discovery was a near-simultaneous achievement by three different explorers: Captain Edward Bransfield of the Royal Navy, American sealer Nathaniel Palmer, and Russian Imperial Navy Captain Fabian Gottlieb von Bellinghausen. Because their sightings happened so close together in time, history remains uncertain as to who truly arrived first.
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Sources
- Summary by Intellect · source: The Only Peaceful Continent
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