
Jan. 15, 1909: Shackleton’s Party Reaches the South Magnetic Pole
On this day in 1909, members of Ernest Shackleton’s Nimrod Expedition party discovered the south magnetic pole. Shackleton, who had divided up the team, failed to reach the South Pole. Upon his return, Shackleton was still hailed as a hero for his grueling and groundbreaking expedition.
In 1914, he placed in a London newspaper seeking recruits for his 1914 Trans-Antarctic Expedition.
”MEN WANTED: FOR HAZARDOUS JOURNEY. SMALL WAGES, BITTER COLD, LONG MONTHS OF COMPLETE DARKNESS, CONSTANT DANGER, SAFE RETURN DOUBTFUL. HONOUR AND RECOGNITION IN CASE OF SUCCESS. SIR ERNEST SHACKLETON”
Photo: 1909 photo of the Nimrod Expedition (1907-09) to the Antarctic, led by Ernest Shackleton