Antarctic Explorers Timeline

Antarctic Expeditions of the late 1800s

Year	Leader	Outcomes	Remarks
1853/54	Heard	Explored Heard Island	USA (Ship: Oriental)
1853/54	McDonald	Discovered MacDonald Island	England (Ship: Samarang)
1854/55			Unusually heavy ice concentration during these years.
1856	Rogers	First landing on Heard Island	USA (Ship: Corinthian)
1856/58	Rogers	First overwintering on Heard Island	USA (Ship: Zoe)
1859			Heavy electromagnetic disturbances in atmosphere
1872/76	Nares	Oceanographic research off Prince Edward, Crozet, Kerguelen and Heard Islands.	England (Ship: Challenger); Southernmost point = 77° E 66° 40'S (reported open seas)
1873/74	Dallmann	Discovered Bismarck Strait and Kaiser Wilhelm Island	Germany (Ship: Grônland); first steamer in southern polar region
1874	Reibnitz	Explored Heard Island. Established station on Kerguelen.	Germany (Ship: Arkona)
1874/75	Ryan	Explored Crozet Islands. Established station on Kerguelen.	USA (Ships: Swatara & Monongahela)
1874/75	de Perry	Established station on Kerguelen.	England (Ships: Volage & Supply)
1874/76	Schleinitz	Established staion on Kerguelen. Explored Crozet Group.	Germany (Ship: Gazelle)
1876	Brine	Explored Crozet Group.	England (Ship: Wolverine)
1878	Williams	Landed on Bouvet Island	USA (Ship; Golden West)
1880	East	Established depots (caches) on Crozet Group.	England (Ship: Comus)
1880	Lynch	Explored South Orkney Islands	USA (Ship: Express)
1882	Church	Sighted Bouvet Island	USA (Ship: Delia Church)
1882/83	Schrader	Established station to mark International Polar Year on South Georgia Island.	Germany (Ships: Moltke & Marie)
1887	??	Established depots on Crozet	France (Ship: Meurthe)
1892	Bruce	Discovered Active Sound	England (Ship: Balaena)
1892/93	Lieutard	Occupied Kerguelen. Oceanographic study.	France (Ship: Eure)
1892/93	Fairweather & Robertson	Discovered active ???	Scotland (Ships: Balaena, Diana, Polarstar, & Active); whalers
1892/93	Larsen	First discovery of plant fossils on Seymour. Discovered Foynhalbin Island.	German-Norwegian: (Ship: Jason); whalers
1893	Fuller	Sighted Bouvet Island	USA (Ship: Francis Allen)
1893/94	Larsen	Discovered Oskar II Land and Robertson Island	Norway: (Ship: Jason); Southernmost point = 68° 10' S on the east coast of Graham Land (Palmer Peninsula)
1893/94	Evensen & Pederson	Discoved canals between Biscoe Island and Graham Land	Norway-Germany (Ships: Hertha & Castor) Southernmost point = 69° 10'S 76° 12' W.
1894/95	Kristensen	First landing on Southern Contient on Cape Adare	Norway (Ship: Antarctic)
1897/99	de Gerlache	Discovered Liege, Brabant, Anvers, Danco Land and Belgica Strait.	Belguim (Ship: Belgica); southernmost point = 33° W 71° 36' E. First overwintering and drifting in pack ice (accidental).
1898/99	Chun	Oceanographic research. Exploration of Bouvet and Keguelen.	Germany (Ship: Valdivia)
1899/1900	Borchgrevink	Mapped coast of Victoria Land. Explored Robertson Bay, Admiralty Chain, Newnes Shelf Ice, & Wood Bay. First landing in Wal Bay.	England-Norway (ship: Southern Cross); overwintered off Cape Adare (intentional). Southernmost point = 164° 32' W 78° 50' S

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IGo To: Explorations Timeline: Early 1900s

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Information from:

Cameron, I. (1974). Antarctica: The last continent. London: Cassell & Company. pp. 243-247.

Kosack, H.P., (1955). Geographische Handbücher die Antarktis, Keysersche Heidelberg: Verlagbuchhandlung. pp.261-285

South Pole.com (2003). Antarctic Explorers. Online. http://www.south-pole.com

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