Antarctic History

ANTARCTIC HISTORY

Phil's interest in the history of exploration came developed from his own expeditions. To conduct expeditions safely Phil realised the importance of understanding what had gone well, and what had gone wrong, and why, of past expeditions. The stories that surround the expeditions of both the great explorers and those that are not so well known are fascinating in their own right, but when understood in terms of expedition planning and leadership they provided Phil with an invaluable source information.

Antarctica: The Discovery of a New Continent (350BC-1840)

Look at any Antarctic map. You will see numerous place names. As Phil was planning his own adventures he wanted to know where these names came from. Associated with these names he discovered a rich and fascinating history, stories of those who had been there previously and of the events that unfolded there decades earlier. This presentation follows the exploration and mapping of the 'last great continent', from the initial concept of an Antarctic continent, to the point at which Antarctica had been conclusively discovered.

Antarctica: Exploring a new continent (1840-1899).
Shackleton: the man behind the myth (single lecture)
Shackleton: Part 1: the man behind the myth
Shackleton: Part 2: the South Georgia YearsStranded!
The Expeditions of Gerlache and Nordensköld 
Islands of Conflict: A History of the Falklands
Race to the South Pole