ANTARCTICA, 1911
The Terra Nova – the supply ship for Robert Falcon Scott’s second Antarctic expedition – can be seen in the distance while two of the crew explore an ice grotto. Scott, a British naval ofcer, was attempting to become the first to reach the South Pole. A year after this photo was taken, on 17 January 1912, his small team made it to the pole, only to find that a Norwegian expedition led by Roald Amundsen had beaten them by a month. The return journey then ended in tragedy, as all five men who reached the pole perished.
HERBERT PONTING/SCOTT POLAR RESEARCH INSTITUTE, UNIVERSITY OF CAMBRIDGE/GETTY IMAGES