Five Fact Friday: Antarctic Expeditions

1. 27 January 1820 is the date of the first sighting of mainland Antarctica. It was made by Captain Baron thaddeus Von Bellingshausen of the Imperial Russian Navy.
2. On 25 January 1895, Carsten Borchgrevink became the first person to make a confirmed landing on the Antarctic continent. 
3. Arriving in 1899, Borchgrevink's party were the first to build on Antarctica. Their prefabricated huts were built at Cape Adare.
4. Roald Amundsen was first to reach the South Pole, reaching it on 14 December 1911. Captain Robert Scott's British team arrived on 17 January 1912.
5. The first filming of the Antarctic was in 1912 by Herbert Ponting with Captain Scott. Life in the Freezer presented the continent to us in 1993 and The Frozen Planet was broadcast in 2012 and provided awe inspiring stories of the life that exists in the polar regions with the most fantastic technology available.

References
Fothergill, A. (1993) Life in the Freezer, London, BBC Books.