This is breif history of important events in antarctica.

Essay by mitsa17High School, 10th gradeA+, May 2003

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AD 43- Pomponius Mela published a map of a supposed southern continent

AD 700s- Canoeists from Polynesia might have viewed icebergs and pack ice from Antarctica

1773- Cook makes the first known crossing of the Antarctic Circle. He could not break through the ice so he sails right past Antarctica but doesn't see the actual continent.

1810- Hasslburgh discovers Macquarie Island, which is about 800 kilometres from the Tasmanian coast. A shipwreck is found which probably means there have been earlier visitors.

1820- Bellingshausen (Russian explorer) views the ice cliffs of Antarctica but doesn't realise they are part of Antarctica.

- Englishmen Lieutenant Bransfield and Smith see the mainland of Antarctica

1821- Captain John Davis (who was an American seal hunter) and his sea crew make the first landing on the continent at Hughes bay

1840- American navel captain Charles Wilkes explores and sails 1500 kilometres along the edge of the ice pack and sees land at various points and thereby establishing that Antarctica is a single landmass.

1841- English captain James Ross discovers the Ross Sea and the Ross Ice Shelf (named after him later). He carries out the first extensive exploration of the continent, discovering the volcanoes Erebus and Terror. Cape Adare and Victoria and sights and names parts of the Transantarctic Mountain chain

1886- The Australian Antarctic Committee is founded by Australia

1898- Norwegian Carstens Borchgrevink leads the first expedition to spend winter in Antarctica at Cape Adare

1907- Shackleton Leads a British Antarctic Expedition to Antarctica

and gets within 160 kilometres of the South Pole.

-Edgeworth David and Douglas Mawson Are the first to climb Mount Erebus.

1909- Edgeworth David, Douglas Mawson and Forbes Mackay reach the South Pole on 16 January, they are the first to reach it.

1911- Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen and British...